Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Anomolous hailstorms reported in Oman and Saudi Arabia


Strange Sounds
Wed, 02 Mar 2016 22:23 UTC
Heavy rains and hailstorms were recorded in Samai, Oman and in Saudi Arabia on March 1, 2016.

Here some pictures and videos of these anomalous weather events.
Hail snowman!
© via VK.com
Blankets of hail
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Offroader needed
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Bizarro Earth

Eastern Mediterranean drought likely the worst suffered in nine centuries

Patrick J. Kiger
D News
Tue, 01 Mar 2016 23:01 UTC
mediterranean drought map
Parched Californians think they have it bad. But people in the eastern's Mediterranean Levant region — which includes Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Israel and the West Bank and the Gaza Strip areas governed by the Palestinian Authority — have been enduring a drought that began back in 1998.

Now, a new study by NASA, Columbia University and University of Arizona researchers confirms that the drought most likely is the worst that the Mediterranean Levant has suffered in the past nine centuries.

The scientists studied tree rings and historical documents in an effort to reconstruct the region's water history. They found that the most recent drought is not only longer but about 50 percent drier than the worst period in the past 500 years, and 10 to 20 percent drier than any drought since the 1100s A.D.
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Attention

Dead humpback whale found on Isle of Barra, Scotland


BBC
Wed, 02 Mar 2016 16:51 UTC
Dead humpback whale
© Bruce Taylor/SMASSDead humpback whale
A dead humpback whale has been found washed up on the Isle of Barra in the Western Isles.

The 26ft-long (7.9m) juvenile male was discovered on its back at Traigh Hamara at the southern end of the island on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme said the whale's body showed signs of having been entangled in fishing ropes.

Humpback whales can grow to 52ft (15.8m) long.
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Eagle

Heavy symbolism? Bear swats bald eagle with deadly blow on Kodiak Island, Alaska

Jennifer Newton
Daily Mail
Wed, 02 Mar 2016 15:59 UTC
Bear and eagle
The eagle swooped down on the bear and her cub as they were eating a dead whale in Kodiak, Alaska
This is the dramatic moment a bear took out an American bald eagle in one fell swoop after getting too close to her cub and its food.

The bird had approached the bear and her youngster as they had been eating a dead whale in Kodiak, Alaska.

Other eagles had been swooping down on the pair but managed to keep a respectable distance from the mammals.

One eagle got far to close to the bear's cub and its food angering the large animal into action
One eagle got far to close to the bear's cub and its food angering the large animal into action

The bear then attacks the eagle and ends up swatting it to the ground with its large paws
The bear then attacks the eagle and ends up swatting it to the ground with its large paws
However, one bird got far too close for the adult bear's liking and she swatted it down with her huge paw.

And even though the blow was not enough to kill the large bird, it was left stricken on the ground and unable to fly due to a broken back.
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Question

Long Island residents call 911 to report mysterious booms

Ray Villeda
nbcnewyork.com
Tue, 01 Mar 2016 15:30 UTC
Boom
Dozens of residents on Long Island called 911 to report hearing mysterious loud booms Tuesday evening, Suffolk County police say.

Suffolk police said they received numerous calls from residents in Lindenhurst, Copiague, Babylon and West Islip just after 6 p.m. Police have no knowledge of explosions in the area but are investigating.

The U.S. Coast Guard also said it is looking into the reports.

Resident Samantha Collins of Lindenhurst told NBC 4 New York she was sitting on the couch watching TV when "the whole house started shaking."

"We went outside, and all my neighbors were like, 'Did you hear that, did you hear that?'" she said.

Residents in the tri-state reported feeling similar booms in late January, when reports of rumbles and house-shaking flooded in from the southern Jersey Shore to Long Island and the Connecticut coast.

Naval officials said later they had been testing fighter jets over the Atlantic Ocean and that some of the maneuvers could have caused sonic booms.
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Blackbox

Strange sound in the night sky at l'Assomption, Quebec

Trinysky
Youtube
Sat, 27 Feb 2016 15:19 UTC
Strange sound in the sky at l'Assomption Quebec
Strange sound in the sky

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Snowflake

Moscow has heaviest Spring snowstorm in over 50 years


Sputnik
Wed, 02 Mar 2016 14:48 UTC
snow in Moscow
Snow in Moscow
A heavy spring snowstorm hit the Moscow region last night. The unexpected weather conditions complicated the situation on Moscow roads and forced Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports to cancel more than a hundred flights.

Weather forecasters predict the strongest snowfall for the end of the week. According to Russia's meteorological service, such snowstorms occur in March once every 50 years.

The snowfall took Moscow's residents by surprise. Pedestrians heading to work are getting stuck in the snow, while many car owners have to dig their cars out of snow banks.

However, many people have not lost their sense of humor and shared their impressions on social networks.
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Cloud Precipitation

Landslide in São Paulo, Brazil kills 2; Rio de Janeiro floods after 100 mm of rain in 4 hours

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Wed, 02 Mar 2016 13:47 UTC
Floods São Paulo
© Defesa Civil da Praia GrandeFlooding in São Paulo
Heavy rain in south eastern Brazil has caused a deadly landslide in São Sebastião, São Paulo State, and widespread flooding in the streets of Rio de Janeiro city, where some areas saw over 90mm of rain in 4 hours.

São Paulo

The heavy rain began to fall on 28 February 2016. Two people died after they were buried in a landslide in the Boicucanga neighbourhood of São Sebastião on 29 February. The landslide destroyed several homes, leaving at least 11 people homeless. A total of 27 people were evacuated.

Agência Brasil say that a total of 7 people have died in landslides in the state since December.

The heavy rain also caused surface flooding in Baixada Santista on the coast of São Paulo state. Local civil defence personnel were called in to help carry out some evacuations.
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Attention

Indonesia issues tsunami warning after 7.9 magnitude earthquake strikes off Sumatra


RT
Wed, 02 Mar 2016 13:05 UTC
Indonesia earthquake
© earthquake.usgs.gov
A 7.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Indonesia, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The country has issued a tsunami warning, the National Meteorolgical Agency reported.

The shallow quake, which hit southwest of the island of Sumatra on Wednesday, had a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles).

The epicenter was located 808 kilometers (502 miles) southwest of Padang.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. However, shallower earthquakes are more likely to cause damage.

The USGS originally categorized the quake as a magnitude 8.2, and later an 8.1, before lowering it to a 7.9.

Indonesia has issued a tsunami warning for West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh, according to the National Meteorological Agency.

A tsunami watch has also been issued for parts of Western Australia, according to the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre.


Comment: There has also been increased volcanic activity in the region within the last week, as Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted twice in one day spewing ash and smoke 3000 meters high

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Snowflake Cold

Met Office predicts sudden stratospheric warming to bring snap of cold weather over UK

Elena Ugrin
The Watchers
Tue, 01 Mar 2016 19:30 UTC
Wintry weather
© UK Met Office
Meteorologists from the UK Met Office have predicted a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) will occur in early March 2016. The phenomena could affect the surface weather, increasing the risk of prolonged wintry conditions over parts of northern Europe and the UK.

The sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) phenomenon is a rapid warming episode which takes place between 10 and 50 km (6.2 and 31 miles) of the Earth's atmosphere. During the warming, temperatures can climb for up to 50 °C in only a few days time.

SSW begins with a wave-like disturbance which travels into the high-altitude jet stream system, and can grow to a point to breaking, exhibiting similar behavior like the breaking beach waves. The jet stream usually flows in the west-to-east direction with some north and south oscillation. The disturbance can cause the winds to turn in the opposite direction. When that happens, the air falls into the Arctic and gets compressed, causing the rapid warming.

"Sudden stratospheric warming events occur high up in the atmosphere and involve a complete reversal of the high-altitude polar jet stream - they can even affect weather at the surface, and for the UK, a sudden stratospheric warming increases the risk of wintry weather," Professor Adam Scaife, Head of Monthly to Decadal Prediction explained.

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