Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Hone upgraded to hurricane, state of emergency declared in Hawaii - flash flooding after 18 inches of rain dumped (UPDATE)

An image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Hone as it continues to track to the west toward the Hawaiian Islands, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024
An image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Hone as it continues to track to the west toward the Hawaiian Islands, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024
Hone was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane and is swirling closer to Hawaii's Big Island Sunday.

As of 2:00am Hawaii Standard Time, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) said the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to 80 mph and that hone was centered roughly 115 miles south-southwest of Hilo, or 265 miles southeast of Honolulu.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Hawaii Island and residents could see 6 to 12 inches of rain.

Hone is also forecast to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents.

Governor Josh Green proclaimed a state of emergency Saturday that was expected to be in effect through Monday.

Comment: Update August 26

The New York Post reports:
Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Hone sparked flash flooding on Hawaii's Big Island on Sunday, August 25.

Footage taken by X user @RenoMakani shows water gushing down the Mamalahoa Highway.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood warning for the Big Island, with reports of road closures due to rising waters.






Lightning

Red sprites captured on video in Arizona

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Wolf

16 dingo attacks in 2024 on Fraser Island, Australia - 9 involving children

Rangers have been called to 16 dingo attacks at K'gari in 2024, including nine involving children.
© Queensland GovernmentRangers have been called to 16 dingo attacks at K'gari in 2024, including nine involving children.
Families could be restricted from camping at a popular tourist spot after a spate of dingo attacks.

The Queensland government will consider banning families with young children from camping outside unfenced areas of K'gari (Fraser Island) amid fears the next dingo incident could be fatal.

Rangers have been called to 16 dingo attacks at K'gari in 2024, including nine involving children.

A four-year-old girl was flown to hospital in the most recent attack after she was bitten on the chest by a dingo while a group was fishing on the island on August 17.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour has asked Queensland's Environment Department to restrict camping areas for families following the incident.

Attention

Dolphin attacks on rise at beaches in Fukui, Japan -18 injured so far in 2024 - man attacked on August 13

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin
Wild dolphin attacks at beaches in a central Japan prefecture have been on the rise since 2022, with experts suggesting that a sole Indo-Pacific bottlenose may be the culprit and that the aggressive behavior could escalate.

Eighteen people have been injured this summer at beaches in Fukui Prefecture as of Tuesday, including an elementary school student whose finger required 20 to 30 stitches and took a month to heal, according to the Tsuruga Coast Guard Office.

The number of incidents this year has increased rapidly compared to the last two, with at least one person injured in 2022 and five in 2023, according to the coast guard.

On Tuesday, a man in his 50s suffered bite injuries on both hands from a dolphin while he was swimming off Mizushima island in Tsuruga, marking the second consecutive day an incident occurred at that beach.


Tornado2

Magnificent waterspout sighted off Great Nicobar Island, India

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A stunning fair weather waterspout was observed near Campbell Bay in Great Nicobar Island this morning, captivating onlookers at around 10:40 AM. The waterspout, estimated to be about 6-7 kilometres south of the breakwater at Campbell Bay, provided a rare spectacle for the local community.

A waterspout is a rotating column of air that forms over a body of water, typically appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud in contact with both the water and a cloud above. Waterspouts are classified into two types: fair weather (non-tornadic) waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts. The former is more common and less intense, forming through a distinct five-part life cycle: the appearance of a dark spot on the water surface, the development of a spiral pattern, the formation of a spray ring, the emergence of a visible condensation funnel, and finally, the dissipation of the vortex. Most waterspouts, despite their dramatic appearance, do not actually suck up water.

While waterspouts are not uncommon in tropical and subtropical regions, they are rarely spotted so close to inhabited areas in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Today's sighting near Campbell Bay offered a unique and awe-inspiring experience for those fortunate enough to witness it.


Doberman

Man mauled to death by dog in Chicago West Side apartment, medical examiner says

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A 33-year-old man was found dead Saturday night with apparent dog bites to his body inside a West Side apartment, according to the Chicago Police Department.

He was found in the vestibule of the two-flat around 8:30 p.m. in the 5500 block of West Quincy Street in the South Austin neighborhood.

The victim has been identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as Keshon Bullock of Chicago.

Police say he had several bites on his body and that several dogs were found inside the apartment. He died at the scene.

The medical examiner's office later identified the man's cause of death as dog mauling.


Seismograph

Strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake hits Pacific Ocean near Tonga

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A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake has struck the Pacific Ocean near Tonga, according to seismologists. There were no immediate reports of serious damage and no tsunami warnings were issued.

The earthquake, which struck at 12:29 p.m. local time on Monday, was centered in the ocean about 9 miles (15 kilometers) from the volcanic island of Tofua, or 87 miles (140 kilometers) north of the capital Nuku'alofa.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9 and struck about 66 miles (106 kilometers) below the seabed, making it a relatively deep earthquake.

A resident in Nuku'alofa said the earthquake could be felt in the capital and lasted more than one minute. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.

Fire

Wildfires affecting 30 cities in Brazil's Sao Paulo state, leave 2 dead

A drone view shows a fire in a sugar cane plantation near Dumon city, Brazil, August 24, 2024
© Joel SilvaA drone view shows a fire in a sugar cane plantation near Dumon city, Brazil, August 24, 2024
Brazil's Sao Paulo state said that wildfire outbreaks were affecting or closing in on 30 of its cities on Friday evening, adding two people had died in an industrial plant trying to hold back the flames.

The cities have been affected by dry, hot weather in recent days, the government said in a statement.

The state government also warned that forest fires could spread rapidly from gusts of wind, potentially razing large areas of natural vegetation.

For now, the government has not reported flames directly reaching the city of Sao Paulo, Latin America's largest by population with more than 11 million residents.

Still, local media reported smoke blocking out some parts of state capital's sky.


Snowflake

August snowfall in North America

Mammoth Mountain on Saturday afternoon.
Mammoth Mountain on Saturday afternoon.
Canada and the US have battled extreme heat and forest fires through the summer, but recent days have brought some relief and even pre-ski-season excitement, with the first snowfall spotted on high slopes in the Canadian Rockies. Unusual weather conditions have also brought snow to peaks in California's Sierra Nevada mountains too.

Mammoth Mountain, which is due to start its 24-25 season in less than three months time on 15th November is pictured above this weekend. Lake Tahoe ski areas to the north also saw a brief snow covering with Northstar, due to open a week after Mammoth on the 22nd pictured below.


Tsunami

Woman missing in Grand Canyon after flash flood sweeps her into water - body found (UPDATE)

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Search and rescue crews at Grand Canyon National Park were searching for an Arizona woman nearly two days after she was swept into a creek during a flash flood, the woman's sister said on social media Saturday.

Chenoa Nickerson of Gilbert, Arizona, was hiking in Havasu Creek, about a half-mile from where it meets up with the Colorado River, when the flash flood struck Thursday in the early afternoon.

The National Park Service said the 33-year-old stayed overnight at a campground near the village of Supai on the Havasupai reservation, deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon.

The flood trapped several hikers in the area above and below Beaver Falls, one of a series of usually blue-green waterfalls that draw tourists from around the world to the Havasupai Tribe's reservation. The area is prone to flooding that turns its iconic waterfalls chocolate brown.


Comment: Update August 26

Reuters reports:
The body of a woman who had been missing for three days was discovered on Sunday after she had been swept up in a flash flood near the Grand Canyon in Arizona that required the rescue of more than 100 people, officials said.

The body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was discovered by a commercial river trip on the Colorado River about 20 miles (30 km) downstream of where she went missing on Thursday, the U.S. National Park Service said in a statement.

Nickerson, from the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert, was swept into Havasu Creek without a life jacket, the park service said.

Havasu Creek is a tributary of the Colorado River that joins the larger waterway just before it enters Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park.

The aerial, ground and rescue vehicle search was concentrated on the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River, the park service said.