Earth ChangesS


Attention

Magnitude 4.5 earthquake hits off California coast

Peter Hockaday
San Francisco Chronicle
Sat, 02 Jan 2016 18:40 UTC
Earthquake graph
© Science Photo Library
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.3 struck off the California coast on Friday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake struck about 44 miles southwest of Eureka, Calif., at 9:11 p.m., according to the USGS. The quake struck just off the Northern California coast in the Pacific Ocean.

There was no tsunami threat to Hawaii or the West Coast following the temblor, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

Later Friday, a smaller quake struck in the Bay Area. According to the USGS, a quake with magnitude 2.5 struck 6 miles north of Pittsburg at 10:38 p.m.
Read More...
Attention

5.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Afghanistan


The Indian Express
Sat, 02 Jan 2016 18:34 UTC
Epicentre 35 km SSE of Jarm, Afghanistan.
© USGSEpicentre 35 km SSE of Jarm, Afghanistan.
A medium intensity earthquake on Saturday hit Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, ripples of which were felt across North India, including in Jammu & Kashmir and the national capital.

The earthquake, measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale, was 170 km deep, according to the National Seismology division of Ministry of Earth Sciences.

There was no report of any loss of life or damage to property till the last reports came in.

The tremor occurred at 2:07 PM and people in the national capital region rushed out of their homes.

People in Kashmir also felt the tremor.
Read More...
Snowflake

Record snowfall for Sudbury, Ontario

Jonathan Migneault
Northern Life
Wed, 30 Dec 2015 17:49 UTC
Sudbury snow
© Jonathan Migneault.The sidewalk leading to the pedestrian tunnel connecting Riverside Drive to Elgin Street and downtown Sudbury, remained uncleared for much of the day Wednesday, after a record 33 centimetres of snow blanketed Greater Sudbury Tuesday.
City to start clearing high-use bus stops Wednesday night

It's expected to take the city two more days to clear all 425 kilometres of sidewalks and walkways in Greater Sudbury, after a record 33-centimetre snowfall Tuesday.

"They're making good progress," said City of Greater Sudbury spokesperson Shannon Dowling.

Tony Cecutti, the city's general manager of infrastructure, said the focus on clearing Greater Sudbury's 3,560-kilometre municipal road network within 24 hours slowed down efforts to clean up sidewalks and walkways.

"Unfortunately, we've filled in some of the sidewalks with our own plows," he said.

The city plowed all streets and roadways by 4 a.m. Wednesday, and proceeded with second passes throughout the rest of the day.
Read More...
Snowflake

New December snowfall record for Crater Lake National Park, Oregon


kptv.com
Fri, 01 Jan 2016 17:41 UTC
Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park has broken its snowfall record for December, with close to 197 inches of snow recorded.

The Mail Tribune reports the previous record of 196 inches was set in December 1948.

The park currently has a snowpack of about 100 inches. The readings are taken in an area near the park's visitor center.

A long-term forecast predicts southwest Oregon will see close to average snowfall and precipitation in January, with a slightly wetter-than-normal period through March.

Source: Associated Press
Read More...
Wolf

Man dies after being attacked at home in Preston, England by his own dog while having an epileptic fit


Irish Independent
Fri, 01 Jan 2016 19:27 UTC
Police at the scene of dog attack in Preston
© Lauren Brown/PA WirePolice at the scene in Dundonald Street in Preston, Lancashire
The family of a man who died after he was attacked by his dog whilst suffering an epileptic fit have paid tribute to a "happy lad who was always smiling".

Liam Hewitson, 22, of Preston in England, was mauled by his dog Trigger after suffering a fit when he was at home alone, police said.

He sustained significant injuries to his face and neck and died at the scene.

In a tribute his family said: "Liam was a happy lad who was always smiling and had lots of friends. He had a beautiful personality and he will be missed by his dad Phil, girlfriend Jess and sisters Melissa and Aleisha and brother Cordell."

Police have confirmed there will not be a criminal investigation and they are treating the incident as "a tragic accident".

The dog, which was a male pit bull cross and not a banned breed, is thought to have been around five or six years old and had belonged to Liam since its birth.

Comment: Some other cases of fatal dog attacks during the past two weeks include:

Read More...
Radar

New Jersey hit by rare earthquake


4 New York
Sat, 02 Jan 2016 15:37 UTC
earthquake
© AFP/Getty Images
An unusual and mild earthquake struck in New Jersey on Saturday, officials said.

The 2.1-magnitude shake up hit Ringwood, New Jersey, at 12:58 a.m., according to the United States Geological Survey.
Read More...
Arrow Down

Garbage truck falls into sinkhole in Atlanta, Georgia

Doug Richards
11alive.com
Wed, 30 Dec 2015 11:03 UTC
Garbage truck in hole in Atlanta
© Doug Richards / 11AliveGarbage truck in hole in Atlanta
The Atlanta Watershed department is investigating why a sinkhole formed this morning in SW Atlanta, damaging a garbage truck.

The truck, hauling for a private company, was traveling west of Fair street when the pavement beneath collapsed.

It formed a six-feet-deep hole, and the left rear end of the truck fell into it.

No one was injured.

Watershed department spokeswoman Lillian Govus said the cause of the sinkhole was a breach in a large underground terracotta pipe. The pipe carried combined sewage - rain water and waste water. Govus said the pipe collapsed because of excessive flow due to recent rains.

Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

U.S. Midwest floods: Illinois Governor activates National Guard; death toll rises


Chicago Tribune
Sat, 02 Jan 2016 03:49 UTC
Missouri flooding
© Michael B. Thomas / Getty ImagesMissouri Department of Transportation workers and members of the Missouri National Guard work along Interstate 55 on Dec. 31, 2015, in Arnold, Mo.
The worst of the dangerous, deadly winter flood is over in the St. Louis area, leaving residents of several water-logged communities to spend the first day of 2016 assessing damage, cleaning up and figuring out how to bounce back — or in some cases, where to live.

Farther south, things were getting worse: Record and near-record crest predictions of the Mississippi River and levee breaks threatened homes in rural southern Missouri and Illinois. Two more levees succumbed Friday, bringing to at least 11 the number of levee failures.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday ordered National Guard troops to active duty to assist in recovery efforts. Rauner visited six southern Illinois communities Friday.

In a statement on Friday, he said the step means soldiers will be ready at a moment's notice for local communities as flood waters could continue to rise over the weekend. About 20 soldiers were ordered to report to the guard's Marion Readiness Center.

The flood, fueled by more than 10 inches of rain over a three-day period that began last weekend, is blamed for 22 deaths. Searchers were still looking for four missing people — one teen in Illinois, two men in Missouri and a country music singer in Oklahoma.

The body of one missing Illinois teen, 18-year-old Devan R. Everett of Christian County, was found in floodwaters near Taylorville, the Springfield State Journal-Register reported.

Read More...
Arrow Down

20ft deep sinkhole opens up in Wales, homes evacuated

Jamie Bullen
Evening Standard
Sat, 31 Dec 2016 07:28 UTC
Sinkhole in Wales
© Benjamin Wright/PADeep: The 20ft deep sinkhole opened up at around 8am
Homes have been evacuated in south Wales after a street was closed off when a 20ft deep sinkhole opened up in a pavement.

Emergency crews were called to Coronation Terrace in Nantyffyllon, Maesteg, at around 8am on Thursday following reports someone had fallen in the hole.

Firefighters said a man had been "recovered prior to arrival" and did not need to go to hospital.

Residents from "six or seven" flats were told to leave their homes by emergency services after the hole emerged.

Highways inspector Neil Minchington told BBC Wales: "There's about six or seven flats that were evacuated.

"We'll assess the situation to see if it is safe to allow the tenants back in this evening."
Read More...
Tornado1

Cyclone Ula: Hundreds evacuated as first Pacific cyclone of 2016 slams into Tonga


ABC Online
Sat, 02 Jan 2016 04:46 UTC
cyclone ula damage
© Tusi Finikaso/FacebookThe cyclone reportedly damaged 40 homes in Tuvalu.
Hundreds of people have evacuated from their homes in Tonga as severe tropical cyclone Ula slammed into the tiny Pacific kingdom.

There are no reported casualties as Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva declared a state of emergency before the storm hit "in order to prevent or minimise the loss of human life, illness or injury".

The northern island of Vava'u took the brunt of the category three cyclone which was packing winds up to 150 kilometres per hour.

"We are very happy that there are no casualties, police checked with hospitals and town officers to confirm that," the chairman of the National Emergency Management Office, Siaosi Sovaleni, told a press conference.

"We had 11 evacuation centres, over 390 people were relocated to these evacuation centres."

Ula formed early on Thursday in the South Pacific between Tuvalu and Samoa and was initially expected to remain a category one storm as it tracked west-south-westerly.

However, it intensified to category two late on Thursday then to category three as it approached Tonga.
Read More...