Earth ChangesS


Windsock

Massive sandstorm sweeps through China's Xinjiang, Qinghai

China sandstorm
© FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
A major sandstorm has swept through China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province, causing severe air pollution.

On Sunday, high winds whipped up the sandstorm in Xinjiang's Aksu Prefecture, dropping visibility to less than 900 meters.

The sandstorm has also disrupted road traffic and caused flight cancellations and delays.

In Korla County, the storm significantly slowed down traffic and caused residents to suffer breathing difficulties.

The local meteorological department said that the sandstorm is expected to last through Monday.


Wolf

Hyenas attack starving women in Somaliland as drought hits

Hyenas Attack Starving Women As Drought Hits
Hyenas attack starving women
Women collapsing from hunger are being set upon by animals amid Somaliland's worst drought in living memory.

Starving women are being attacked by packs of hyenas in drought-hit Somaliland, an aid agency has warned.

People in the East African state say it is the worst drought in living memory, caused by successive poor rainy seasons made worse by El Nino conditions in the Horn of Africa.

Adan Shariff Gabow, from charity Islamic Relief, said there are cases of women collapsing from hunger and being set upon by starving hyenas.

"They fell down, malnourished, and we understand they were then set on by the animals," he said.


The severe weather conditions have killed thousands of goats and cows, bringing the risk of wide-spread famine, aid workers said.

Bizarro Earth

6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes western Indonesia

Indonesia earthquake map

An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit Lampung province of Sumatra Island on Monday, the meteorology and geophysics agency said here.

No immediate casualties were reported as of now, an official of the agency said.

The epicentre of the quake was determined at 23 km southwest Tanggamus town, Xinhua news agency quoted the official as saying.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called "the Pacific Ring of Fire".

Source: IANS

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill eight and injure two in Odisha, India

Lightning
Lightning strike amidst heavy thunderstorms this afternoon claimed at least eight lives and injured two across various parts of Odisha.

As per reports from Bhatakhamara village under Narla block of Kalahandi district, a father-daughter duo were killed because of lightning strike in the village. Besides, while another man died in that village, his wife has been grievously injured.

Further, another two deaths were reported from Ghantipada village of Kandhamal district.

Two more lost their lives and one was seriously injured in Jaleswar block of Balasore district after being struck by lightning.

The eighth news of death was reported from Baguda village under Patnagarh block of Bolangir district.

Cloud Lightning

Unseasonal severe storm lashes Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne storm
© David MullinsThe Bureau of Meteorology said the weather was unusual for this time of year.
Strong winds and heavy rain lashed parts of Victoria overnight, with hundreds of residents calling the State Emergency Service (SES) for help.

The SES received more than 500 calls, mainly for downed trees and building damage in Warragul and Melbourne's east and south-east.

Most areas received between five and 15 millimetres of rain, but up to 40 millimetres fell in the state's north-east ranges.

Winds of about 100 kilometres per hour were recorded on the bay and in the state's south-west.

SES state duty officer Gerry Sheridan said the storm built up momentum as it moved across the bay.

"The hardest hit suburbs that we've had is Narre Warren, in the south-east suburbs, and places like Monash, Clayton, Mount Waverley and Chadstone," he said.

"As the storm cell moved across the bay, it built up a little bit of momentum. It's those populated areas — the usual suspects get hit again.

"Another location is Lilydale. We're seeing over 50 jobs out that way as well."

Bizarro Earth

Sakurajima volcano awakens with a blast

Sakurajima volcano
© dutchsinse/YouTube
A spectacular eruption happened in southern Japan following an unusual 'silent' period for a volcano in the wake of the island's recent earthquakes.

Sakurajima volcano in Kyushu, situated 50 kilometres from the Sendai nuclear plant, resumed activity from April 29, erupting multiple times and spewing ash sky high.

Footage captured by University of Tokyo webcams situated around the volcano show explosions of ash rising more than 3,500 meters above the crater.

The blast also caused fast-moving currents of hot gas and rock to slide down the side of the volcano.

Blue Planet

3.5 magnitude earthquake rattles La Center, Kentucky

la center ky earthquake
The U.S. Geological Survey reports a small earthquake in western Kentucky.

The USGS says a preliminary magnitude 3.5 quake was recorded at 2:12 a.m. Sunday about 9 miles north-northwest of La Center — and about 39 miles west-northwest of Paducah.

Comment: New Madrid fault zone alive and active


Snowflake Cold

Deep freeze: Cold causing havoc for winegrowers in Switzerland

Farmers in Grisons, Switzerland protecting their vineyards from frost on April 27 with thousands of fire lights.
© Meteo EuropeFarmers in Grisons, Switzerland protecting their vineyards from frost on April 27 with thousands of fire lights.
Temperatures dipped below freezing in many parts of Switzerland on Wednesday night, with the intense cold causing havoc for winegrowers.

April weather is notoriously fickle in Switzerland but Wednesday night was one out of the box.

With temperatures ranging from - 3C to 0C in many parts of the country, winegrowers resorted to desperate measures to save their crops.

In eastern Switzerland's Bündner Herrschaft wine region where clear skies meant frosty conditions, vintners and volunteers braved the cold to lay out so-called frost candles.


Arrow Down

Huge sinkhole opens up in New Orleans, Louisiana

A sinkhole opened up on Canal Street April 29, 2016, near a tunnel running underneath Harrah's Casino
© Robert McClendon/The Times-PicayuneA sinkhole opened up on Canal Street April 29, 2016, near a tunnel running underneath Harrah's Casino
A sinkhole that opened up at the foot of Canal Street Friday (April 29) will take up to six months and $5 million to repair, city officials said.

The collapse, which caved in a 30-foot-wide section of one of New Orleans busiest streets, happened just a few feet away from the spot where Mayor Mitch Landrieu and his infrastructure team had been standing hours earlier in a 50 year-old tunnel that runs underneath the road.

The team was on site to inspect one of the tunnel's walls, which had begun to buckle earlier this month, allowing water to spill in. A few hours after they left, the wall collapsed, taking the road along with it.

"This is nothing short of incredible," Landrieu said. "Unfortunately, it's not a surprise," given the city's creaking infrastructure and unstable soil, he said. "Still, I've never seen anything like it."




Cloud Precipitation

Six killed in Texas floods as yet more severe weather lashes central US

Texas storm damage
© Sarah A. Miller/APHousehold items and debris are scattered along land between houses in Lindale, Texas, after severe weather including flooding and a possible tornado hit the region.

Woman and her four grandchildren, aged between six and nine, are among the dead after being swept away by flood waters


A woman and four of her grandchildren were among six people killed by floods in Texas caused by storms that unleashed tornadoes, damaging hail and torrential rains on several central US states.

The family of flood victims in Palestine, Texas, 100 miles (160km) south - east of Dallas, escaped a house where flood waters had reached the roof line and were then swept away, police captain James Muniz said.

"They were able to get out but they were washed away," he said, adding their bodies were recovered on Saturday.

Those killed were identified as Jamonicka Johnson, six, Von Johnson Junior, seven, Devonte Asberry, eight, Venetia Asberry, nine, and Lenda Asberry, 64, the city said. Palestine police took the bodies to Tyler, Texas, for autopsies, officials said.

A Palestine man, Giovani Olivas, 30, also died when he was swept under flood waters around Anderson County Road 370. His body was found late on Saturday afternoon, according to Anderson County sheriff Greg Taylor.