Earth ChangesS


Arrow Down

10 Feet deep sinkhole traps minivan in Toledo

Angi Gonzalez
northwestohio.com
Wed, 02 Apr 2014 14:22 UTC
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© Nick McGillA minivan became trapped in the sinkhole on Wednesday afternoon

Another vehicle has fallen victim to a Toledo sinkhole, becoming trapped at the intersection of Adams and 15th Streets in the city's downtown Wednesday afternoon.

A witness estimated the sinkhole was about ten feet deep and two feet wide.

The minivan involved needed to be towed out of the crater after its right front wheel sank into the hole. When the van was pulled out of the hole around 5 p.m., it was clear that vehicle had been damaged.

Around 7 p.m., Toledo City crews remained on the scene in an effort to secure the area around the hole.

Crews planned to turn off the water that could be seen running under the roadway.

Officials did not know if the shut off would impact nearby businesses or homes.

This is one of several large sinkholes that have opened up in the Toledo area this year.
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Ice Cube

Harsh winter leads to starvation, death for waterfowl across Michigan

Cory Olsen
mlive.com
Wed, 02 Apr 2014 13:58 UTC
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© Cory Olsen | MLive.comDead waterfowl line the shore of Lake Macatawa near the Holland State Park Tuesday.
Harsh winter conditions have led to a large number of waterfowl deaths across the state, something Greenville resident Stephen Schnautz has seen first hand.

Schnautz, 33, a waterfowl hunting and ice fishing guide, said he's seen a variety of species that just couldn't make it through the winter.

"I've seen diving ducks, loons, swans, gulls, a little bit of everything," Schnautz said. "I've been down to the Kalamazoo River and seen dead birds on the river bank. They're everywhere."

The losses aren't just around West Michigan, Schnautz said.

"I guide on Saginaw Bay and I've seen them all the way down to Lake Erie," Schnautz said. "They're in Muskegon, Traverse City, up in Ludington, too. I've mostly seen canvass backs, redheads, long-tailed ducks and some types of mergansers.

Michigan DNR wildlife outreach technician Holly Vaughn said the die-off can be attributed to the amount of ice coverage on inland lakes as well as the Great Lakes.

"Most of the birds that are washing up are diving birds like canvass backs, redheads, long-tailed ducks and some types of mergansers," Vaughn said. "It's mostly because they weren't able to get to their main food source.

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Attention

U.S. farmers face planting issues as cold conditions and drought linger


Brainerd Dispatch
Thu, 27 Mar 2014 11:28 UTC
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"Damp soil leftover from winter, melting snow and lagging temperatures mean a lot of places are going to have a slow planting period across the Midwest, northern Plains and the Great Lakes," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dale Mohler said.
AccuWeather Global Weather Center - AccuWeather.com reports despite the official start of spring, lingering effects of the winter season will cause planting delays this year.

While the South will be right on schedule weather-wise for prime planting with looming frost concerns, delays will become more and more likely with every mile heading north.

Frozen Ground, Soil to Create Delays

Coming off a frigid, snow-filled winter for areas from the Great Lakes to the Ohio Valley and Northeast, spring will shape up to be mostly cool and wet.

"Damp soil leftover from winter, melting snow and lagging temperatures mean a lot of places are going to have a slow planting period across the Midwest, northern Plains and the Great Lakes," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dale Mohler said.
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Lemon

Lingering winter delays planting season by weeks in New Hampshire

Jennifer Crompton
wmur.com
Wed, 02 Apr 2014 11:07 UTC
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Farmers, gardeners say they're weeks behind

The calendar may tell farmers and gardeners to get out and start planting, but that's impossible right now.

The late-season cold and snow is wreaking havoc with New Hampshire's growing season.

If Abby Wiggin of Wake Robin Farm had her way, her plants would already be in the ground.

"Last year, we planted peas on March 21," she said. "It's April 2 now, and I can't get a tiller out in the field."

It's the same in fields across the state. Some farms are two to three weeks behind schedule. Home gardeners and the gardening retail business have been slow to start, too.

"As far as people coming in to shop, we're two weeks behind," said Beth Simpson of Rolling Green Nursery.
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Snowflake Cold

April snowstorm in Minnesota could be record breaking


CBS News - Minnesota
Thu, 03 Apr 2014 10:00 UTC
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© AP/Paul Sancya
Prince was wrong. It's not "Sometimes It Snows In April." It's "Always It Snows In April."

OK, it only seems that way after the brutal winter we had this year, and the extended winter we had last year. But many Minnesotans are understandably at the breaking point with the news that a spring snowstorm is expected to dump possibly more than a foot of snow in many parts of the state.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for most of the state, including the Twin Cities. The warning is in effect from Thursday afternoon until Friday night.

WCCO director of meteorology Mike Augustyniak says that the storm should begin with a wintry mix in the Twin Cities. Then it will eventually begin to turn over into heavy, wet snow late Thursday into Friday morning. The period of accumulating snow could last up to 12 hours, Augustyniak said.
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Cloud Lightning

Giant hailstones batter Hong Kong as observatory warns of further heavy rain

Ernest Kao
South China Morning Post
Sun, 30 Mar 2014 05:47 UTC
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© SCMP Pictures 'freak' giant hailstones - which are becoming more common. A 'sign of the times'?
Amber Rainstorm warning raised as people warned 'be alert'

Hong Kong was today warned to brace for more bad weather after giant hailstones last night pounded parts of the city and the Black Rainstorm signal was issued for the second time since 2010.

At 8.40am this morning the Amber Rainstorm warning was issued, with more than 30 millimetres of rain falling in just an hour, disrupting rush hour and making journeys to work difficult. The signal was cancelled at 11.40am.

As of 11am, 200 flights had been delayed, 44 cancelled and one diverted, the Airport Authority said.

The Hospital Authority confirmed that there were seven people admitted to accident and emergency departments of public hospitals during the Black Rainstorm signal raised between 8.40pm and 10.30pm on Sunday night. Of the seven casualties, ranging in age from a one-year-old to a 64-year-old, six were in stable condition and one was in serious condition.

A spokesman could only confirm that the patient in serious condition was a 29-year-old male and was currently at Princess Margaret Hospital.

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Snowflake

Snowstorm kills 900 sheep in Doğubayazıt, Turkey

Robert Felix
iceagenow.info
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 05:22 UTC
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Heavy snowfall in Turkey.

According to correspondent Mr. Polat, some animal breeders also perished because of a heart attack.

Sixty roads closed by snow

In the news we heard that the March, 31, municipal election were won by Erdogan's Ak Party, says Argiris.

What they didn't tell us is that there were difficulties reaching the polls because of heavy snowfall.

Sixty roads were closed.

"Our team is opening the road, yet again closes roads due to heavy snowstorm without cure."
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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall destroys up to 95% of apricot harvest and damages other fruit crops in Armenia


en.itar-tass.com
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 04:31 UTC
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ITAR-TASS/Alexander Kolbasov
Armenia's annual apricot harvest averages 50,000-55,000 tonnes

A recent cold spell and a heavy snowfall has killed about 90-95% of the apricot harvest in Armenia, causing a damage of $ 25-30 million, chairman of the Armenian Union of Agrarians and Peasants Grach Berberyan told journalists.

"The frost and snow killed forming blossoms," he said. "Damage was done to apricot, plum, peach, cherry trees and early-ripe species of grapes. The most affected areas are in the Ararat plain and in regions near Yerevan."

Armenia's annual apricot harvest averages 50,000-55,000 tonnes, of which 20,000-22,000 tonnes are exported and about 10,000 tonnes are further processed.

A heavy snowfall hit the republic over the past weekend. The snow blanket, according to meteorologists, reached 20 centimetres. Air temperatures dropped to three degrees below zero.
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Bizarro Earth

7.8 aftershock hits same area of northern Chile as Tuesday's 8.2 quake


RT
Thu, 03 Apr 2014 03:02 UTC
chile earthquake
© Reuters / Ivan Alvarado
A cameraman records near cars caught under rubble after an earthquake and tsunami hit the northern port of Iquique April 2, 2014.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred just before 22:00 local time on Wednesday off the northern coast of Chile, 23 km (14 miles) south of Iquique, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The epicenter of the latest quake was located at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles). Chile's emergency ministry has ordered a preventative evacuation along the northern Chilean coastline, Reuters reported.

A tsunami warning is now in effect for Chile and Peru following the 7.8 quake, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. "An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours," the PTWC reported.

"Based on all available data a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected," it added.

Another quake, measured at magnitude 6.4, also struck 47 km (29 miles) west of Iquique at around 21:00 local time Wednesday evening.

This comes one day after an 8.2 magnitude quake hit 95 km (59 miles) northwest of the same area, around Iquique.
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Bizarro Earth

The crust is moving - be prepared

Michael Snyder
The Economic Collapse Blog
Sun, 30 Mar 2014 17:27 UTC
Rift
© The Economic Collapse Blog
Why are fault lines and volcanoes all over North and South America suddenly waking up? Are we moving into a time when major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions will become much more common?

For the past several decades, we have been extremely fortunate to have experienced a period of extremely low seismic activity along the west coast of the United States. You see, the west coast lies right along the infamous Ring of Fire.

Approximately 75 percent of all the volcanoes in the world are on the Ring of Fire, and approximately 90 percent of all global earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire.

Scientists tell us that it is inevitable that "the Big One" will hit California someday, but people have gotten very apathetic about this because things have been so quiet out there for so many years.

Well, now it appears that things are changing in a big way - and not just along the California coast. The following are 12 signs that something big is happening to the earth's crust under North and South America...
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