Earth ChangesS


Binoculars

Birds from the Arctic arrive early at Point Calimere, India

L. Renganathan
The Hindu
Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:06 UTC
Image
Northern Shoveler
With the beginning of migratory season, thousands of birds, mostly from the Arctic region, have started arriving at the Point Calimere birds sanctuary here. Though the season is yet to peak, ornithologists fear there might be a significant drop in numbers and variety this year as even the common migratory wader species are scarce now. They attribute the phenomenon partially to climate change.

Headed by the Greater Flamingos, the flock of birds, including numerous near-threatened species, is flying into the internationally recognised 'Important Bird Area', while some of them use the sanctuary as a stopover before proceeding elsewhere.

Birds migrate when the weather in their breeding areas turns colder and beyond freezing point and food becomes scarce.

This migratory season some species have arrived early this season. Ducks, which normally arrive by October-end, are already here three weeks in advance. Northern Shoveller, a long-distance migratory duck species, which breed in the Arctic region, has come in several hundreds. Many species that are globally near-threatened, are now seen in significant numbers.

Comment: See also these similar recent reports from Europe and North America -

Migrating birds arrive early at nature reserve in Lincolnshire, UK - so are we in for an extra cold winter?

Britain faces longest winter in 50 years after earliest ever arrival of Siberian swan

30 Arctic Snowy owls arrive in Wisconsin; earliest date ever reported and record numbers

Read More...
Windsock

Hurricane Patricia becomes strongest hurricane ever recorded


Weather.com
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 09:40 UTC
Image
© Weather.com
Mexico's Pacific coast is in the crosshairs of Hurricane Patricia, which became the most powerful tropical cyclone ever measured in the Western Hemisphere on Friday morning as its maximum sustained winds reached an unprecedented 200 mph (320 kph).

The hurricane is forecast to make landfall in the Mexican state of Jalisco Friday evening as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane capable of causing widespread destruction. Residents and authorities in Mexico are rushing to prepare for what will likely be the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall on that country's Pacific coastline.

Comment: Track Hurricane Patricia with Weather.com's New Interactive Storm Tracker

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Attention

5.3 magnitude earthquake jolts parts of Punjab, Pakistan


ARY News
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 06:08 UTC
Pakistan earthquake
© USGS

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook Punjab province on Friday. The epicenter was located at 11lm north of the town of Dajal.

According to the US Geological Survey, an earthquake with magnitude 5.3 occurred near Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan at 00:27:42.40 UTC on Oct 23, 2015.

The tremors were felt in Multan, Lodhran, Dera Ghazi Khan, Jampur, Khairpur Tamiwali Tehsil, Ahmadpur whereas Rajanpur, Mailsi, Burewala, Rangpur and Jehanian were also shook by the quake, according to reports received from these areas.

Frightened people ran outside their houses and started reciting the Kalima. The epicenter of the earthquake was located at Monroe in D.G.Khan whereas its depth was recorded at 10 feet. According to rescue sources, no loss of life was recorded.

After the earthquake was over, people took to Twitter and started narrating their experiences. With #Earthquake trending at the top in Pakistan, here are some of the tweets:-

Comment: See also:

SOTT Earth Changes Summary - September 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

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Attention

Strange animal behavior: Deer breaks through window of college dorm


Sputnik
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 01:42 UTC
deer crashes through college dorm
We all know some sort of craziness happens in college dorms, but who would expect a deer to crash through a residence hall window? Augustana College staff didn't see it coming, but this is exactly what surveillance camera captured on October 19.

Comment: See also:

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Binoculars

Migrating birds arrive early at nature reserve in Lincolnshire, UK - so are we in for an extra cold winter?

Caroline Wilson
Lincolnshire Echo
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:27 UTC
Image
The Redwing bird has been spotted early at RSPB Frampton Marsh nature reserve.
Species of migratory birds have arrived at a Lincolnshire nature reserve earlier than expected this year.

But is this a sign that we are in for an extra cold and long winter?

Chris Andrews, the visitor services officer at RSPB Frampton Marsh, said that the site had seen several species of migratory birds arriving earlier than expected.

He said: "We are seeing some migratory birds arriving earlier than usual - such as the Wigeon duck which comes from Scandanavia and the Baltics.

"They would be just starting to dribble in by now but we've got a couple of thousand here already.

"We've got birds like the Redwing and the Fieldfare that have turned up early as well and we've also seen the Whooper swan too."
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Snowflake

Autumn snow extent steadily increasing for 50 years; well above normal this year

Steven Goddard
Real Science
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 19:04 UTC
Autumn snow extent has been steadily increasing for 50 years, due to intrusions of Arctic air going further south. last year had the largest autumn snow extent on record.
Image
© Rutgers University Climate Lab Rutgers University Climate Lab :: Global Snow Lab
Snow cover is well above normal again this year.
Image
© Rutgers University Climate LabRutgers University Climate Lab :: Global Snow Lab
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Arrow Down

Massive sinkhole gobbles up car in Sicily


thelocal.it
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 18:48 UTC
Image
© Vigili del FuocoThe sinkhole opened up on a road near Catania.
A parked car was swallowed up by a sinkhole that suddenly opened up on a road in Sicily after heavy rain on Wednesday evening.

The car plunged five metres through the eight-metre wide hole on a road in Valverde, in the province of Catania.

The female driver made a miraculous escape having just parked the vehicle before the hole opened up, Corriere reported.

It was then hauled out by firefighters with a crane. The scene was captured on the video below.

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Binoculars

30 Arctic Snowy owls arrive in Wisconsin; earliest date ever reported and record numbers

Paul A. Smith
Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
Wed, 21 Oct 2015 17:41 UTC
Image
A snowy owl rests on a car in the Kohler Corporation parking lot Tuesday morning.
Snowy owls, the big, white birds that nest in the Arctic and sometimes fly south in the fall and winter, have begun showing up in Wisconsin over the last week, captivating wildlife watchers and raising questions among scientists.

About 30 snowy sightings were reported through Wednesday in Wisconsin, according to Ryan Brady, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources who oversees the Wisconsin eBird website.

The reports are earlier in the season and higher in number than any year on record.

"It's unprecedented," said Tom Erdman, curator of the Richter Museum of Natural History at UW-Green Bay who began conducting snowy owl research in Wisconsin in the late 1950s. "It's causing us to ask 'Why?"

The first snowy of the season was sighted Oct. 15 near Ashland in Bayfield County on Lake Superior. The next day one was seen in Crawford County in southwestern Wisconsin. On Tuesday lone snowies were reported in Kohler and Milwaukee.

And on Cat Island in Green Bay earlier this week, six snowies were seen at once, Erdman said.

Comment: There was in addition this exceptionally early arrival date reported from North Dakota on September 28th.

See also: SOTT Exclusive: Snowy owls flee northern latitudes for unprecedented fourth consecutive year - Sign of impending Ice Age?

Britain faces longest winter in 50 years after earliest ever arrival of Siberian swan

Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Large hail stones reported as thunderstorm hits Malta


Independent (Malta)
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 17:12 UTC
Image
© Stephanie Camilleri
A thunderstorm has hit various parts of Malta, with hail being reported in various localities.

Reader Stephanie Camilleri sent in pictures of huge hailstones in Qormi.

The bad weather is expected to abate over the weekend, with another thunder storm predicted for next Tuesday.

In a statement, the police advised motorists to avoid low-lying areas, especially Triq Marina and Triq ix-Xatt in Msida, and Triq il-Wied in Birkirkara, following reports of high rainwater levels.

Video was taken by Charles Bartolo in Luqa

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 3 soldiers and injures 11 in Turkey


en.trend.az
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 17:01 UTC
Image
Three soldiers were killed and 11 more injured as a result of a lightning strike in the Yuksekova district of Turkey's Hakkari province, the Haber 7 news channel reported Oct. 22.

Reportedly, the soldiers were carrying out an operation in the village of Daglica against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The wounded soldiers were taken to a state hospital in Hakkari.
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