Earth ChangesS


Attention

Dead humpback whale washes up Hatteras Island beach, North Carolina

 Dead humpback whale
© National Parks ServiceA dead humpback whale washed ashore on Cape Hatteras.
A humpback whale has been found dead on a beach near the end of Hatteras Island.

National Park Service spokeswoman Cyndy Holda tells the Virginian-Pilot that the juvenile male was found Monday and is 33 feet long.

Holda says staffers from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Marine Mammal Stranding Network and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission are conducting a necropsy on the carcass to determine cause of death. The whale will be buried in parts on the beach.

The animal showed no outward signs of trauma. Holda says the biologists took samples to test for toxins.

Marine biologist Karen Clark says humpback whales migrate south from New England to the south Atlantic this time of year. Juveniles often linger off the Outer Banks coast to eat.

Attention

Dead killer whale washes up on beach in South Africa

Dead killer whale
Dead killer whale
A dead killer whale has washed up on the shore in Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape.

"It washed up on the beach dead and then was removed by the [municipal] cleansing department," National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon said.

"Samples of it have been taken away by the department of environmental affairs."

The animals commonly known as killer whales are also called orcas.

Lambinon said the whale was found on Sunday.

Cloud Precipitation

Dozens killed as more floods hit the Democratic Republic of Congo

Rain in Congo
© EPARain in Congo
Torrential rain between 11 and 12 December 2015 has caused deadly floods and landslides in eastern and western parts of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Local news reports claim that 18 people have died in eastern South Kivu and 9 in western Bas Congo provinces.

Floods have already resulted in over 30 deaths in Kinshasa and other areas of the country since late November.

South Kivu Province

On 12 December 2015, AFP reported that at least 18 people during torrential rains and floods on Friday 11 December to Saturday 12 December 2015 in Bukavu in South Kivu province in the east of the country.

WMO reported that, during a 24 hour period between 06 and 07 December 2015, 136.9 mm of rain fell in Bukavu. No records are available for more recent rainfall in the country.

At least 6 houses collapsed after torrential rain triggered floods and landslides. There are fears that some are still trapped under the rubble and that the death toll could rise further. One death has been reported as a result of electrocution. Radio Okapi, the UN backed news outlet in DRC say that around 50 houses have been damaged which could leave hundreds homeless. Ibanda and Panzi districts in Bukavu are thought to be the worst affected.


Comment: See also: Flooding in Congo capital kill at least 31 in three weeks


Red Flag

Shanghai's worst smog in two years prompts introduction of emergency measures

Shanghai smog
© Zhong Yang/Imaginechina via AP ImagesTourists walk on the Bund in Shanghai during heavy smog on Dec. 14
Shanghai ordered schools to keep children indoors and factories to limit production as a hazy smog enveloped the metropolis and the most dangerous air contaminants reached the highest levels in two years.

The city's air quality index hit 217 at 4 p.m., or "heavily polluted," the second worst in a 6-grade scale, the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center said. It had improved from "severe" earlier, when PM2.5 levels -- particulates considered the must dangerous to health -- rose to as high as 281 micrograms per cubic meter, the most since Dec. 26, 2013, according to U.S. State Department data tracked by Bloomberg. The World Health Organization recommends no more than daily average exposures of 25 micrograms.

Shanghai's pollution hasn't been a major concern since 2013, when the city was shrouded in smog for weeks and prompted the American Chamber of Commerce to say it was hurting the city's image as it sought to attract foreign businesses. Tuesday's warning followed a red pollution alert by Beijing last week for the first time, that triggered limits on industrial production, bans on outdoor construction and primary school and kindergartens suspensions.

Comment: Last week, the Chinese capital Beijing, issued it's highest possible smog warning for the very first time.


Windsock

Typhoon Melor: Three people dead as storm slams into the Philippines

typhoon Melor
© Charism Sayat/AFP/Getty ImagesWaves spill over a wall in the city of Legaspi in Albay province, south of Manila, as typhoon Melor approached the city.

Millions left without power as typhoon's heavy rain and strong winds pound the Bicol peninsula and Romblon islands

Typhoon Melor carved through the central Philippines on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that left millions without power and at least three people dead, officials said.

One person died of hypothermia while two others drowned in floods in the fishing town of Catarman in Northern Samar province in the Visayas region south of Manila, municipal disaster officer Jonathan Baldo told DZMM radio.

The storm toppled trees and cut electricity to at least seven provinces, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

Christmas lanterns and lights, tin roofs and branches littered the streets of the city of Legazpi, which was battered by strong winds.

People who fled from their coastal homes spent a sleepless night in evacuation centres, sprawled on classroom tables and chairs as flying debris swirled around outside.

Boat

Heavy flooding still affecting Ireland as Shannon River levels rise

Ireland flooding
© Irish Times/Brenda FitzsimonsFlooding Carrick on Shannon.
Parts of Ireland experienced more heavy flooding on December 12, 2015 after more heavy rain battered the country. At the same time, water levels of the Shannon river system are still rising and are expected to peak over the next few days, the National Emergency Coordination Group reported.

Abundant amount of precipitation over the weekend of December 12, triggered floods in the counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Dublin area, while parts of western Ireland, in the Shannon river basin suffered the worst hit. Local media reported heavy flooding in the Corbally area of the Limerick city and parts of Athlone on the night of December 12 (local time).

The level of water flow from the Shannon river is expected to increase to 440 cubic meters per second (15 538 cubic feet per second) over the coming days, and lead to increased risk of flooding the roads and grounds of Springfield, Montpelier, Castleconnel, Mountshannon, Lisnagry and the University of Limerick.
Ireland flooding
© Irish Times/Brenda FitzsimonsFlooding along the banks of the River Shannon Athlone Town with the N6 motorway.
14 homes, a secondary school and numerous cars have been overflown in the Corbally area, and the main road passage from Co. Clare into Limerick was left under water. The road has been opened to traffic, following the initial flooding, however, numerous roads in the Castleconnel area have remained closed. Homes in the Richmond Park and the area of Ardscoil Mhuire secondary school reported flooding, as well.

Over 400 homes have been cutoff the power supplies, according to the local media. Residents between Chapelizod and Islandbridge in Dublin area were urged to remove their vehicles from underground parking spots and other low-lying areas last night.

Comment: Communities on high flood alert along River Shannon, Ireland


Snowflake

NOAA: Winter storm warnings-watches issued for 15 U.S. states

NOAA map snow
© NOAA
Heavy snow warnings for parts of Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan and Maine.

Arrow Down

Large sinkhole opens up on beach in Queensland, Australia

A large sinkhole has opened up at the northern end of The Spit.
A large sinkhole has opened up at the northern end of The Spit.
A large sinkhole has opened up at the northern end of The Spit about 5.30pm this afternoon.

The hole, about 5m by 7m in size, is surrounded by orange cones to warn beachgoers of a possible danger.

No one has been injured.

It is possible to get close to it but caution is advised.

Attention

Dozens of dead birds found on Mississippi beaches

pelican
© WLOX NewsWild at Heart Rescue workers are currently rehabilitating this pelican believed to be affected by the algal bloom.
It's a frightening sight along the coastline. First fish, now dozens of birds found dead on beaches in several coast cities.

"We got reports of several birds in the Gulfport area and after speaking with DEQ they got several more birds in the Biloxi area," said Missy Dubuisson with Wild at Heart Rescue.

Even in Long Beach, many species of birds have been found lifeless or clinging to life. Experts saying it all goes back to the unprecedented December red tide.

"Of course there probably has been this issue before on a smaller scale and we might have just had a bird or two that maybe came in and didn't make it, but we weren't seeing what we're seeing now," said Dubuisson.

Caretakers at Wild at Heart Rescue are currently rehabilitating a pelican who started with a hook injury, but is now battling respiratory distress due to the algal bloom.

"We have been informed that we cannot release him until the algae bloom is gone," said Dubuisson.

Comment: See also this recent report from the same general area: Widespread fish kill reported in Mobile Bay, Alabama


Tornado2

Rare winter tornadoes touch down in East Texas, surprising residents and damaging 50 homes

texas tornado damage
© KETKThere are reports of at least 50 homes damaged in Lindale, Texas, including the one pictured here. Residents in the area said that there were no storm warnings and alerts were not sent out

Rare December tornadoes surprised East Texas on Saturday afternoon, damaging 50 homes, destroying a bridge and injuring two people.

At least one tornado, probably two, touched down around 4pm in Lindale, about 90 miles southeast of Dallas, according to KETK.

The mayor has issued a declaration of disaster for the city.

'We saw these clouds and these little tornadoes that were shooting down and then one hit the ground. We saw it hit the ground, witness Melissa Malone told the outlet. 'From there we called 911 and immediately alerted them and the sirens started going off.'

Eyewitness Autum Green spotted the twisters forming on Iron Mountain Road in Lindale and captured them with her cell phone.

'It was kind of cool watching it build up, but I was really scared,' Green said, adding that she normally gets weather alerts, but none came with the tornado.

'On the movie Twister where they had the two tunnels come through, they twirled around each other, that's what it looked like,' she said.

The National Weather Service did not send out warnings and people in Lindale were caught completely unawares, reports the outlet.

Comment: Another 'rare' winter tornado in the United States, just a few days after another one battered homes in Battle Ground, Washington. Last month another 'rare' tornado hit a Californian town, a massive mile wide tornado reportedly leveled a Halliburton plant and a tornado outbreak of more than 20 touched down across western Kansas, which was called "unprecedented" by a weather official.

Meanwhile other 'rare' tornadoes continue to strike all over the planet this year, including Northern Ireland, England, Australia, Hawaii and India.