Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

California drought causes Lake Mead to fall to lowest level on record

Lake Mead
© Rex_Shutterstock
If California's prolonged dry spell is eventually recognised as a megadrought, no one can say we weren't warned. Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US, has hit its lowest level ever. Feeding California, Nevada and Arizona, it can hold a mind-boggling 35 cubic kilometres of water. But it has been many years since it was at capacity, and the situation is only getting worse.

"We're only at 38 per cent full. Lake Mead hasn't been this low since we were filling it in the 1930s," said a spokeswoman for the US Bureau of Reclamation in Las Vegas.

Comment:


Bizarro Earth

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology declares onset of powerful El Nino weather pattern

El Nino
© AFP / Francesco DegasperiEl Nino weather phenomenon, which can spark deadly and costly climate extremes, is underway in the tropical Pacific for first time in five years, according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology Tuesday warned the El Nino weather phenomenon, which can spark deadly and costly climate extremes, will pack a punch this year after declaring its onset in the tropical Pacific.

El Nino is associated with drought conditions in Australia and occurs when the trade winds that circulate over waters in the tropical Pacific start to weaken and sea surface temperatures rise.

It is the weather system's first appearance in five years.

"This is a proper El Nino effect, it's not a weak one," David Jones, manager of climate monitoring and prediction at the Bureau of Meteorology, told a media briefing.

"You know, there's always a little bit of doubt when it comes to intensity forecasts, but across the models as a whole we'd suggest that this will be quite a substantial El Nino event.

An El Nino had been predicted to start in 2014 and officials said it was a "near miss", but thresholds have now been hit in the tropical Pacific for the first time since March 2010.

Comment: Unfortunately, this could accelerate the conditions we are already seeing such as the droughts in California and Brazil, and intensification of the hurricane season in the Pacific.

'Double El Niño? Rare weather phenomenon about to change our world?


Windsock

Waterspout rips through Manteo, North Carolina

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© Lisa DavisVista Lake damage
A waterspout that formed with a thunderstorm over the Croatan Sound ripped across Roanoke Island Monday evening, leaving behind damaged roofs and downed tree limbs before continuing into the Roanoke Sound.

Garnette Guyton of Duck Cottage Downtown Books captured dramatic video of the waterspout moving parallel to the Nags Head-Manteo Causeway.

Damage has been found so far in the Vista Lake Drive neighborhood and along U.S. 64 on the south end of Manteo. No injuries have been reported.

The National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City it will be Tuesday or Wednesday before they could get a meteorologist in the area to determine the exact strength of the twister.

But according to our video and photos, they would classify it unofficially as an EF-0 or low-end EF-1 tornado.


Attention

Camper killed by black bear near Mackenzie, British Columbia

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© Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESSA black bear forages for food in Jasper National Park, Alta. on May 7, 2014.
A young northern B.C. man was killed by a black bear at a remote campsite this weekend while his fiancée slept inside their motorhome, say authorities who are now warning people to exercise extreme caution in the province's backcountry.

Daniel Ward Folland O'Connor and his wife-to-be were in a small campground near MacKenzie Saturday night when the fatal mauling apparently occurred.

The BC Coroners Service said O'Connor fell asleep near a fire pit, while his fiancé went to bed in their motorhome.

"After getting up in the morning, [she] realized something was wrong and went for help," said spokesperson Barb McLintock.

The incident was reported to RCMP at 10 a.m. Sunday, and conservation officers located the bear believed to be responsible a short time later.

The 300-pound male black bear, as well as a wolf, were shot dead after the 27-year-old's body was found on a remote logging road.

"The injuries Mr. O'Connor suffered were consistent with a black bear attack," said McLintock, adding that campers need to be well aware of the risks that wildlife can pose in remote campgrounds.

Eye 2

Man killed by bull shark in New Caledonia waters

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Shark
A man has died after being bitten multiple times by a shark while swimming off the Pacific Ocean island of New Caledonia, famed for its idyllic turquoise waters and white sandy beaches, police said Sunday.

The man, described as around 50 years old, who was on a cruise with friends in the south of the archipelago, was swimming just metres from the boat when he was attacked by a bull shark, a military police spokesman told local radio.

"It was really a savage and sudden attack. Most people onboard were health workers, the first aid given was significant but the injuries were such that unfortunately there was not much that could be done," said the spokesman, without giving the dead man's nationality.

New Caledonia, off north-eastern Australia, is a French overseas territory but formulates its own tax, labour laws and trade policy.

The sun-drenched island, which boasts the world's largest enclosed lagoon with magnificent coral, is a popular tourist destination.

Source: Agence France-Presse

Cloud Lightning

Man killed in Corsicana, Texas after 10 inches of rainfall in 3 hours

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© Navarro County Office of Emergency ManagementFlooding in Navarro County, 11 May 2015.
Huge amounts of rain fell in Corsicana, Texas during the late hours of Sunday 10 May into the early hours of Monday 11 May 2015.

Corsicana Fire department say they responded to 16 flood-water rescues involving a total of 29 people, many of them trapped in their vehicles. One man died after his car became stranded in flood water. According to local reports, the man got out of his car and was then swept away by the floods.

The heavy rain was brought by a line of thunderstorms that tracked over Navarro County for more than five hours. Flooding was reported in Navarro and Henderson counties.

By 10:47 pm on Sunday 10 May, NWS Dallas / Fort Worth reported that 9.83 inches (249 mm) of rain had fallen in Corsicana since about 8:30pm.
Corsicana rainfall is up to 9.83" since about 8:30pm. Major flash flooding in progess in #Navarro and #Henderson cos. #txwx #ctxwx

— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) May 11, 2015

Comment: See also this chart for the increasing number of flood reports from across the planet for the last 4 years.



Cloud Lightning

10 killed as heavy rains strike Nairobi, Kenya

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© File/StandardSections of Nairobi experienced flooding on Monday night. Heavy rains also rendered many city roads impassable during last month's downpour.
At least ten people were killed and seven injured during Monday night's heavy rains in Nairobi.

Eight of the victims were killed after a perimeter wall collapsed on their structures in Mukuru Fuata Nyayo area, South B. Seven others were injured in the incident, in which the wall of a mosque went down following the heavy rains.

Police said two other people were swept away by floods in Dagorretti area and along Jogoo Road. Their bodies were discovered after midnight.

Nairobi police boss Benson Kibui said the wall is believed to have soaked with water before it went down.

"Eight people died while seven others were taken to hospital after the wall collapsed on their structures. There were also two drowning incidents in the city," said Kibui.

He said among those who died at Fuata Nyayo were two juveniles, four women and two men.


Eye 2

Mystery of giant yellow rat snake seen slithering in suds by the seashore in Mayport, Florida

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Lifeguards said snakes on the beach are rare, but the tides have been unusually high in recent days
A Florida surfer sparked a little bit of a panic after he spotted a large snake on the beach and posted pictures of it slithering through sea foam on the internet.

Swimmer and surfers alike were alarmed to see the reptile, believed to be a yellow rat snake, in the online photos from the seashore in Mayport.

They needn't have worried as yellow rat snakes are nonvenomous and mostly harmless.

Pictures of this snake were first posted on 911surfreport.com.

Surfer Bo Miller said: 'It's definitely sketchy.'

Lifeguards said snakes on the beach are rare, but the tides have been unusually high in recent days, News4Jax reported.

The tides may have caused the snake's arrival or it's possible it was accidentally dropped by a bird of prey that was trying to eat it for dinner.


Attention

Nepal hit by 7.3 magnitude earthquake near Mount Everest

Tremor strikes country still recovering from devastating quake that killed more than 8,000 people and injured 18,000 just weeks ago

nepal earthquake 12.05.15
© Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images Patients are carried out of a hospital building in Kathmandu after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Nepal on Tuesday.
Nepal has been hit by another strong earthquake, sending people in the capital Kathmandu rushing out on to the streets just weeks after a devastating quake killed more than 8,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

The US Geological Survey initially said the quake had a magnitude of 7.1 and struck 42 miles (68km) west of the town of Namche Bazaar, close to Mount Everest. The quake was later upgraded to a magnitude of 7.3. Shockwaves were felt as far away as the Indian capital, Delhi, and Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Residents in the Indian town of Siliguri, near the border with Nepal, said chunks of concrete fell off one or two buildings.

Tuesday's quake came from a depth of 11.5 miles, deeper than the 9.3-mile depth of the quake on 25 April. More shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage at the surface.

People in Kathmandu, panic-stricken after the 25 April quake, rushed outdoors, Reuters reporters said.

Parents could be seen clutching children tightly and hundreds of people were frantically trying to call relatives on their mobile phones. Shopkeepers closed their shops and the streets were jammed with people rushing to check on their families.

Attention

Blue whale found decaying on Hunt's Island off Newfoundland's southwest coast

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© Norm Strickland A dead blue whale has washed up on the southwest part of Hunt's Island.
A dead blue whale has washed up on the southwest part of Hunt's Island.

Too often, scenes of dead whales are seen around shores. This whale, believed by locals to be a giant blue whale, has died and will soon begin to decay on the southwest part of Hunt's Island.

The temperature in Burgeo is still fairly cold and it is not composing fast, there is a lot of meat and blubber to decompose there.

It is more than a mile from town so the smell hasn't had any effect. After the gulls have picked holes in it, it is speculated it will sink because the holes will release the air.

Times have changed since the days of Farley Mowat and Moby Joe, people look at a dead whale now sadly, they love to see those huge beautiful mammals swimming and spraying their mists into the air.