Earth ChangesS


Snowflake

Early snowfall hits Hokkaido, Japan


The Asahi Shimbun
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 13:28 UTC
Snow covers an avenue leading to the former Hokkaido government headquarters, a popular tourist destination in central Sapporo, on Nov. 6.
© Hiroyuki YamamotoSnow covers an avenue leading to the former Hokkaido government headquarters, a popular tourist destination in central Sapporo, on Nov. 6.
Central Sapporo was covered in 23 centimeters of snow at 11 a.m. on Nov. 6, the first time in 21 years a snowfall exceeding 20 cm has been recorded in the city in early November.

A low pressure system passed over Hokkaido on Nov. 6, leading to the snowfalls in many parts of Japan's northernmost main island, according to the Sapporo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Before sunrise on that day, sweeper vehicles equipped with "sasara" bamboo brooms were dispatched to clear the snow from the municipal tram network. It was the first use of the special snowsweepers this season, and it came 18 days earlier than in the previous year.


An earlier-than-usual snowfall covers Sapporo, including leaves in autumn hues still on branches, on Nov. 6.
© Hiroyuki YamamotoAn earlier-than-usual snowfall covers Sapporo, including leaves in autumn hues still on branches, on Nov. 6.
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Arrow Up

Peru's Sabancaya volcano erupts for the first time in 18 years


Strange Sounds
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 07:07 UTC
sabancaya volcano erupts in Peru
The Sabancaya volcano in Peru exploded twice (Nov. 6th and Nov. 7th). This is the first eruptions in 18 years for Sabancaya. These two explosions follow a period of seismic unrest that began in 2013. You bet these eruptions are worrying!

The Sabancaya exploded two times. The first eruption occurred at 8:40 pm on Sunday and the second at 8:43 am on Monday.

Ash and gases were emitted and rose up to 1'500 meters above the summit. The plume of gas and ash expanded in the area. An alert was issued for the authorities to take emergency measures to protect populations located near the volcano.

Ash fall was reported in communities situated within a radius of 5km around the volcanic peak. The alert level remains at yellow for now but the situation is to monitor.

Lahar warning have been issued.

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Snowflake Cold

Severe weather warning issued as UK temperatures plummet

Nazia Parveen
The Guardian, UK
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 11:45 UTC
Man walks in Scotland snow
© Murdo Macleod/for The Guardian
Snow expected in the Midlands, north of England and Scotland overnight, and risk of gales in the south-west on Wednesday

Parts of Britain could get up to six inches of snow on Tuesday night as temperatures drop below freezing. The Met Office issued a severe weather warning as temperatures fell to -5C (23F) in England on Monday night.

It said snow was expected in the Midlands, the north and Scotland and that there was a risk of gales of up to 50mph developing in the south-west on Wednesday before moving along the Channel.

Frosty conditions are expected to continue until rush hour on Wednesday morning as a band of wintry weather moves slowly eastwards.

The Met Office forecaster Emma Sillitoe said: "We have had a few wintry showers, but this is the first event where more people are going to be affected. There is a frontal system moving in from the west meeting the quite cold weather we have been having over the last few days.
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Arrow Down

30-foot-wide sinkhole swallows intersection in Ephrata, Pennsylvania

Ryan Robinson
Lancaster Online
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 19:05 UTC
30-foot-wide sinkhole swallows Ephrata intersection, forces evacuations
30-foot-wide sinkhole swallows Ephrata intersection, forces evacuations
A 30-foot-wide sinkhole more than 20 feet deep swallowed a street intersection in Ephrata and forced the evacuation of two apartment buildings on Tuesday.

At some point overnight Monday, a 12-inch water main pipe broke under the street at West Pine Street and Park Avenue, Ephrata police Sgt. Philip Snavely said. Water spewed out, eroding the surrounding soil.

A motorist around 5 a.m. blew out a tire when he struck a jagged dip in the roadway, Snavely said. He reported the sagging street and police closed the intersection to traffic.

Around 6 a.m., a large part of the intersection collapsed, taking part of the streets and sidewalks with it, he said.

"It took out the whole intersection," he said. No one was injured. The collapse also caused a natural gas line to sag, though it did not rupture. Firefighters were dispatched to help at the scene.


Sinkhole
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Cloud Precipitation

Golf-ball sized hailstones batter southeast Queensland, Australia


9news.com.au
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 18:40 UTC
Large hail stones have pelted parts of Ipswich on Tuesday afternoon.
© BoM QueenslandLarge hail stones have pelted parts of Ipswich on Tuesday afternoon.
Golf-ball sized hailstones, damaging winds and a thunderstorm have hit southeast Queensland this afternoon.

Ipswich, the Scenic Rim and the Brisbane Valley were hit by winds of up to 30km/hr and "golf ball-sized" hail as a the powerful storm worked its way to Brisbane, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

"Hammered out in the west," social media user and Moggill resident Quentin Hull captioned a photograph of the deluge.

A car-owner in Collingwood Park used towels to protect their vehicle from the pelting hail.

"The wild weather is expected to pass through Brisbane this evening before reaching the coastline", BoM senior forecaster Sean Fitzgerald said.

High winds and hail are expected to deteriorate as the conditions move east.

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Attention

300 seals, 2500 birds and thousands of fish die around the world


Strange Sounds
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 14:20 UTC
Seal
Within the last 2 days, 300 seals, 2500 birds and thousands of fish died around the world.

And the worst is that nobody knows why! Well this is what they say!

More than 300 dead seals discovered dead along the Caspian Sea in Dagestan. Cause unknown.

More than 300 dead seals have been found dead along the coast of the Caspian Sea in Dagestan, but the cause of their death remains a mystery. The dead seals were found over a 27 km long stretch on the coast. Officials believe that poaching isn't the cause. A disease? military exercises? Did a powerful storm disseminated the seal population? The last time such a massive seal die-off happened was 2011. The cause is still unexplained.
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Seismograph

Shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake strikes off Chile coast


Hindustan Times
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 13:35 UTC
Earthquake graph
A 5.9-magnitude quake struck in the Pacific off the coast of Chile early Tuesday, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake hit at about 0500 GMT, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the city of Concepcion and at a depth of 17 kilometers, the agency said.

There was no immediate word on damage or injuries.

Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.

It sits on the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire," a seismically turbulent region where many of Earth's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.

In 2010, an 8.8-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami killed more than 500 people.

Source: AFP
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Seismograph

Strong shallow 5.0 magnitude earthquake rocks Taranaki, New Zealand

TOM HUNT, MICHAEL DALY AND CATHERINE GROENESTEIN
Stuff.co.nz
Mon, 07 Nov 2016 20:03 UTC
Opunake earthquake, NZ
© GEONETMore than 2000 people had reported feeling the 5.0 quake in Opunake by 6.30am.
A seismologist says another quake of the same size can't be ruled out, after a strong 5.0 tremor struck the Taranaki town of Opunake this morning.

The quake, which hit at 5.59am on Tuesday, 10km north of the town at a depth of 14km had been felt widely throughout the lower North Island.

Geonet initially classified the quake as a "severe" 5.2 magnitude, before revising it down to 5.

Aftershocks could be expected in region after the quake, Geonet duty seismologist Dr Anna Kaiser said.

"The most likely scenario is smaller aftershocks over the coming days, but we can't rule out there will be another one the same size."

It was not unusual activity for the area, she said.

"We saw a similar size in 2015 and others in the high fours in 2013."

The earthquake is a good reminder for people, she said.

"Hopefully people will be prepared and have their emergency kits and plans in place."

More than 2000 people had reported feeling the quake by 6.30am.
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Bizarro Earth

Massive sinkhole in Fukuoka disrupts traffic and causes blackout


RT
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 05:06 UTC
Fukuoka Sinkhole
© Akira Koga/YouTube
A gaping sinkhole in the middle of a road appeared next to a busy subway station in Japan, disrupting traffic and causing a local blackout. Emergency services expect the hole, which is dangerously close to the surrounding buildings, to expand.

The hellish pit opened in the middle of the road in Fukuoka, the capital of Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture, on Tuesday morning. The affected area is in the close vicinity of a subway station.

Multiple videos have emerged showing how the hole expanded.


Comment: Sinkholes: The groundbreaking truth

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Wolf

457,000 cases of dog bites recorded in Mumbai, India since 2011

Tabassum Barnagarwala
The Indian Express
Mon, 07 Nov 2016 22:29 UTC
Dog attack
Maximum deaths from dog bites were reported in 2013, when 8 people died.

In the last five years, residents in Mumbai have suffered instances of at least 457,579 dog bites, with the toll this year touching 58,631 cases until August end. Even as the figures have gone down each year in government dispensaries and hospitals, reportedly cases of dog bites have not fallen, instead patients are moving towards the private sector, where no collective records are available, for anti-rabies injections.

Data accessed by The Indian Express from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) shows that 18 people have died since 2013 from dog bites. Of those, 15 were bitten by a dog outside Mumbai and three within the city limits. In 2013, eight people succumbed to rabies, in 2014 three, in 2015 five and in 2016 two people have died as of August.

This year, Sunita Anantrao Jagtap, 54, was attacked by a dog in Panvel. She succumbed to the rabies infection on August 18 after getting admitted to KEM Hospital in Mumbai. Five days before her death, Madhukar Gade, 55, succumbed to a dog bite. Gade, a resident of Badlapur, was rushed to KEM hospital after there was a delay in getting her access to anti-rabies vaccine. Even as Kerala battles massive cases of dog bites (over 53,000 recorded this year), with the problem reaching such proportions that gold coins and cash rewards have been offered to those who can cull the stray population, Mumbai has an equally worrying situation.
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