Earth ChangesS


Snowflake

Historic winter storm dumps more than 5 feet of snow in parts of Montana

Mike Rawlins
KRTV
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 14:39 UTC
East Glacier
© Ciny Salway East Glacier
The final numbers are in and Montana's recent winter storm is one for the record books.

More than five feet of snow fell along the Rocky Mountain Front, breaking long-standing snowfall records at a few locations.

St. Mary (Glacier County) reported a total of 64" of snow during the 4-day period beginning February 3 and ending February 7. This smashes the previous 4-day extreme of 43" set back in November 1990.

The National Weather Service in Great Falls says Babb reported an unofficial total of 60", and the most snow ever reported over a 4-day period prior to this storm was 24" back in 1954.

At Many Glacier, an automated SNOTEL station recorded 63" of snow -- the previous 4-day record was just 36".

Browning reported 3 feet of snow during the storm, which ties for the 3-day record set in September 1908.

NWS Great Falls reports more than six feet of snow fell in some areas at higher elevations, but exact figures have not been determined.


Click here to read the NWS report (PDF); below are highlights.
Read More...
Attention

Deadly virus kills 2,500 endangered Saiga antelopes in Mongolia

Léa Surugue
International Business Times
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 14:00 UTC
A saiga killed by PPR in Mongolia. Image:
© FAO/Yu. Enkh-AmgalanA saiga killed by PPR in Mongolia.
Around 2,500 Saiga antelopes have died in Mongolia since December 2016, struck by a deadly virus. This is the first time an infectious disease outbreak has led to the death of Mongolian Saiga antelopes.

The Saiga antelope is a critically endangered species. Recognisable by its unique bulbous nose, its global population has been dramatically reduced in recent years, due to disease, just like during the massive die-off that happened in Kazakhstan in 2015. The animals are also threatened by poaching and habitat loss. They are hunted down for their horns, which are used in traditional medicine. It is estimated that Saiga antelopes' numbers have gone down by 90% in the last decade.

Mongolia is home to a uniquesubspecies of Saiga antelope known as Saiga tatarica mongolica. Only 10,000 antelopes were thought to roam in the Great Lakes Depression of Western Mongolia, so a loss of 2,500 animals in the space of two months - 25 per cent of the population - deeply worries conservationists. Although the outbreak shows signs of decreasing, it is not yet over and may continue well into the spring.

The cause of this new epidemic is the livestock virus PPR - or "Peste des Petits Ruminants". It was first diagnosed in sheep and goats in September of 2016, and is thought to have spilled over to Saiga antelopes a few months later.


Comment: See also: Sixth Extinction continues: Mass deaths of Saiga antelope in Kazakhstan caused by bacteria

Read More...
Wolf

Man hospitalized after pit bull terrier attack in Thibodaux, Louisiana


Houma Today
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 10:35 UTC
Dog attack
A 43-year-old man was hospitalized following a Pit Bull attack Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

According to a news release from the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office, at 12:15 p.m. Feb. 7 deputies responded to 120 Cortez St. in Thibodaux after receiving reports about a man being mauled by a male Pit Bull.

After deputies arrived at the scene within 12 minutes of receiving the call, they saw the dog still latched on to the man's arm, the news release said.

Authorities said the deputy fired two shots and killed the dog as the animal was still latched on to the victim's arm. The unidentified man suffered injuries to his face from the dog attack, police said.

The victim was treated on the scene by Acadian Ambulance and transported to Thibodaux Regional Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was later released. Animal Control arrived on scene and collected the dead Pit Bull.

Investigators said the man went to the residence to visit a female acquaintance that was sleeping inside the house at the time. As the man opened the door to enter the home, he was immediately attacked by the woman's Pit Bull, authorities said.

The attack continued into the front yard, and another resident who was passing by called the landlord before the Sheriff's Office was eventually alerted, the news release said.

Comment: See also: 34 years of tracking dog attacks on people

Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Blue lightning shooting upward filmed from space for the first time

Alan Boyle
Geek Wire
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 10:08 UTC
An image captured from the International Space Station shows an electrical discharge known as a blue jet shooting up toward space from a cloud.
© ESA / NASA / Andreas MogensenAn image captured from the International Space Station shows an electrical discharge known as a blue jet shooting up toward space from a cloud.
For years, scientists have been piecing together evidence of peculiar phenomena known as red sprites, blue jets, pixies and elves - exotic types of electrical discharges that emanate from thunderstorms.

Just one week after his arrival on the International Space Station, Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen captured the best evidence that blue jets exist. Mogensen's 160-second video documented 245 blue flashes as the space station flew 250 miles above the Bay of Bengal.

Now the findings have been published in Geophysical Research Letters. "According to the researchers, this is the first time they've ever seen this blue lightning shoot up like that," Mogensen said.


Comment: Is there something much bigger happening on our planet? Earth Changes and the Human Cosmic Connection

Read More...
Snowflake Cold

Northeast US braces for biggest blizzard of the year


RT
Thu, 09 Feb 2017 05:05 UTC
NYC blizzard
© Eduardo Munoz / Reuters
Winterstorm Niko is anticipated to bring a foot or more of snow to densely populated areas of the Northeast, including New York City and Boston, causing closures of schools, highways and airports.

Winter storm warnings have been issued by the National Weather Service for large portions of the Northeast, stretching from Pennsylvania to coastal Maine on Thursday morning.

NWS predicts that Boston and New York City will get eight to 14 inches of heavy snow accumulation.

White-out conditions are expected as areas are predicted to receive two to four inches of snow an hour during the storm's peak, which NWS says will begin between 5am and 8am Thursday morning, right in time for the morning commute.

"This is going to be a big punch," Benjamin Sipprell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts, told the Associated Press.

A blizzard warning has been issued for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in Massachusetts, as well as eastern and central Long Island in New York.
Read More...
Cloud Grey

Bizarre cloud formation seen over Michoacán, Mexico

Anthony Joseph
Daily Mail, UK
Sun, 29 Jan 2017 17:17 UTC
Lenticular cloud over Michoacan, Mexico
© Via YouTube/Quadratin Noticias TV
Odd-shaped clouds have sparked a social media storm in Mexico where weird formations in the have left people confused.

A cloud, shaped like the arm and hand of a giant, was spotted in the town of Uruapan in the western Mexican state of Michoacan - and had residents debating whether it was a sign from above.

One, named 'Anastacisa', wrote: 'This looks like a palm of a hand stretching down with the fingers touching. It is like it is a Holy hand' while another, going by the name 'Orlisz', added: 'There looks like there is a Holy light shining on it, like a halo.'

Footage shows a man driving along in his car and recording the cloud on what is believed to be a mobile phone.

You can see the grey cloud in the odd shape with an orange light near the middle. Experts have since chimed in to say they believe the phenomenon is a 'vapour mark' which is around a kilometre in length. They added the clouds could be the start of a number of cloud formations.

Read More...
Tornado1

State of Emergency declared in Louisiana as tornadoes destroy homes and flip trucks (photos, videos)


RT
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 20:28 UTC
tornado destruction aftermath
© Sean Gardner / AFP
Southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, has suffered severe damage after seven tornadoes battered the area, causing dozens of injuries and leaving a wake of destruction.

Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning following the onslaught that left about 10,000 homes without power and severely damaged NASA's Michaud Facility.

New Orleans East, which was hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, was one of the hardest hit areas where at least 60 homes and businesses were reportedly damaged and about 25 people were injured.

Comment: Apocalyptic scenes in Louisiana and New Orleans after four huge tornadoes flip cars and trash homes

Read More...
Arrow Up

Outgassing? Man dies after hydrogen sulfide gets into water supply in Iceland

Vala Hafstað
Iceland Review
Mon, 06 Feb 2017 13:57 UTC
Iceland police
© Páll Stefánsson
The Suðurnes Police Department is investigating the accident in Reykjanes on Friday, in which a man was killed when gases from a borehole were carried into the water supply of the building where he slept, RÚV reports.

Measurements revealed hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide in the company's cold water supply. Hydrogen sulfide was emitted from one of HS Orka's boreholes in Reykjanes that morning.

There was a continuous flow of water in the house, which filled with fumes. The investigation focuses on finding out how the gases were carried into the water supply.

The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health and the Suðurnes Public Health Authority have been doing research there this morning. Kristinn Tómasson, senior physician, stated inspectors have made sure there is no air pollution in the area. Samples were taken from the public water supply, which was found to be free from pollution and safe for consumption.

A preliminary investigation is expected to be completed this week.

Andri Stefánsson, professor of earth sciences at the University of Iceland, stated it's almost unheard-of for gases to be emitted from a cold borehole the way they appear to have done in the accident, RÚV reports.

Comment: There is increased volcanic activity in Iceland at present, so outgassing may be a factor in this tragic case. One scientist recently stated that, "four of the country's angry mountains are exhibiting pre-eruptive conditions."

Read More...
Attention

Boar attacks elderly man in Odisha, India


The Hindu
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 17:56 UTC
Wild boar
In the latest incident of human-animal conflict, a rogue wild boar attacked and seriously injured a 72-year-old man in Pravakarpur village here.

The incident took place on Monday when the man was returning home after taking a bath in a pond.

"Niranjan Jena was critically injured in the attack and was hospitalised. The Forest Department is bearing the cost of his treatment. Besides, ex-gratia will be paid to his family," Divisional Forest Officer Bimal Prasana Acharya said.

"The area where the incident happened is close to mangrove forests and animals often stray into the village," Mr Acharya said.

"The animal might have sneaked into the village to eat crops and vegetable as the village is located close to the forest area and wildlife corridors," he said. "Forest personnel are keeping night watch in the village. The Department has set up two night-vigil squads," the official said.

Source: PTI
Read More...
Cloud Grey

Menacing funnel cloud photographed in Rio last night - No tornado, storm or even rain was reported

Deborah Byrd
EarthSky
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 17:01 UTC
rio funnel cloud
© Helio C. Vital in Rio.February 7, 2017 in Rio.
Photos showing a funnel cloud seen around sunset on February 7, 2017, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. No tornado, storm or even rain was reported.

Helio C. Vital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil captured these photos last night (February 7, 2017). He wrote:
They show very interesting cloud formations that were part of an approaching storm cell at sunset. The threatening formations included a very interesting funnel cloud and also lenticular clouds

The photos were taken with my Canon PowerShot SX60 HS at high zoom amplifications and low ISO (100-250). Post-processing was either 5 to 1 or 3 to 1 stacking and the resulting image had its contrast improved with PhotoScape in order to make the structure of clouds over Rio more easily noticeable.

In spite of the menacing appearance of the clouds no tornado, storm or even rain was reported.
Thank you, Helio!
Funnel cloud in Rio
© Helio C. Vital in Rio
Read More...