Earth ChangesS


Phoenix

Etna, fear-mongering in Chile and New Zealand, Philippine volcanoes and a new crater lake at Grimsvötn

Erik Klemetti
Big Think
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 08:53 UTC
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© Eruptions reader KirbyA webcam capture of activity at Chile's Puyehue-Cordón Caulle seen on June 22, 2011.
This week ended up being a little busier than I expected - I had to make that quick transition from wedding/honeymoon to beginning to prepare for my field/labwork coming up in July. These things, sadly, don't turn on a dime anymore. So, I've glossed over a pile of interesting volcanically-related events this week in favor of longer posts, so today I will try to make up for it a bit.

Italy: Now, sometimes I worry that Boris thinks I don't take Etna seriously enough. It has had a number of explosions and ash emissions over the past few weeks (see below) that didn't get nary a mention in a post, and for that, I am sorry. If you have missed it, Etna might not be in full eruption but is still putting on a show as this image posted by Dr. Behncke proves. Much like Kilauea, Etna is just such a constant performer that it almost becomes underappreciated (well, by me).
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Cloud Lightning

Heavy Rains Continue to Flood Midwestern USA


The Telegraph, UK
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:54 UTC

Thousands of residents in North Dakota are forced to leave their homes after the Souris River bursts its banks and levees are breached.

Heavy rains and melting snow have raised water levels in Canadian reservoirs in the Souris River basin over the past few weeks, which has caused unprecedented water releases further south in North Dakota.

More than 12,000 residents have been ordered out of flood-threatened areas after levee defenses failed.

The Souris River is expected to hit nearly 1,563 ft above sea level by the weekend, beating the previous flood record set in 1881.

With forecasters predicting more rain, record flooding is expected to continue throughout August, affecting Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.
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Cloud Lightning

Tropical storm in Philippines kills 11, forces 40,000 out of homes


CNN
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:12 UTC
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Children pedal their bicycle down a flooded street after heavy rains in Valenzuela City, north of Manila on June 23, 2011.
Heavy rains and high winds from Tropical Storm Meari lashed the Philippines Friday, killing at least 11 people and displacing 40,000 people, an emergency management agency said.

The storm has been menacing the Philippines since Tuesday, when 11 fishermen went missing along the coast of Luzon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The storm was forecasted to move Saturday toward Basco, Batanes, the smallest of the Philippine provinces, the council said. By Sunday, the storm was expected to be 370 kilometers (229.9 miles) west northwest of Okinawa, Japan, the agency said.

Flash floods were reported in a number of Philippine communities, including Ligao City where one woman was reportedly washed away by floodwaters, the council said in a statement posted on its website.
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Bizarro Earth

7 killed, 3 missing as bad weather hits Vietnam


The Associated Press
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:04 UTC
Officials and state media say flash floods and whirlwinds have killed seven people, left three others missing and injured 60 in northern Vietnam.

Disaster official Tran Van Nham of Yen Bai province said Friday that authorities have recovered the body of a 20-year-old man and are searching for three people who were swept away by flash flooding while walking across a stream Thursday.

In the northern port city of Hai Phong, a woman was killed Thursday by a falling tree, another person died when a house collapsed and four others were killed when they were struck by lightning, according to a statement from the Hai Phong Department for Flood and Storm Control.

It said the whirlwinds injured 60 people, and high winds destroyed or damaged more than 900 homes.
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Cloud Lightning

Connecticut, US: Heavy Rains Cause West Haven Flooding Issues

Jeff Saperstone
NBC
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:52 UTC
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Afternoon thundershowers caused heavy rain, resulting in several streets, backyards, and businesses to have flooding problems.
Heavy rain on Thursday afternoon caused flash flooding in many spots around Connecticut.

Several streets in the City of West Haven were washed out and some homes and businesses suffered minor flooding.

Richard Booth's backyard was under several feet of water.

"This is twice this year so far," Booth said. "It drowned out the garden and took over the whole backyard."

Thursday was not the first time his yard has flooded. A berm the city installed several years ago causes the water to collect there, he said.

West Spring Street was one of the hardest hit streets. There was at least a foot and half of water in the road as cars and buses tried to drive through and neighbors tried to clear out storm drains as the rain continued to fall.
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Cloud Lightning

Alaska, US: Heavy rains close parts of Taylor, Steese highways

Tim Mowry
News-Miner
Thu, 23 Jun 2011 07:55 UTC
7:55 a.m. update: The Steese Highway has been reopened between 152-158 miles, but travel is not advised. Many areas are one lane; the road is rough with many soft spots. If travel is necessary, please use extreme caution and be prepared for delays, crews are working on repairing the road.

Mudslides and washouts caused by heavy rain closed parts of the Steese and Taylor highways on Thursday, cutting off access to Yukon River communities at the end of each road.

Multiple mudslides blocked the 160-mile Taylor Highway from Tok to Eagle between miles 114 and 116, according to the Department of Transportation.

Washouts on the 161-mile Steese Highway from Fairbanks to Circle City closed the road at 152 Mile. Several areas of the road between miles 152 and 158 that were washed out, according to DOT.
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Arrow Down

Temperatures to go down 10 degrees across Turkey, heavy rain expected


Todays Zaman
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:02 UTC
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Heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected in most parts of the country.

Temperatures across Turkey are expected to fall by as much as 10 degrees Celsius across Turkey over the weekend, with meteorologists predicting heavy rainfall and strong winds in most parts of the country.

Turkey will see cold and rainy weather starting on Saturday night when an expected wave of cold weather coming in from the Balkans hits the country.

İstanbul is expected to be sunny all day on Saturday and temperatures are likely to be around 28 degrees. Torrential rains are expected to hit the Marmara region, including İstanbul on midnight on Saturday and will affect the whole western Black Sea region on Sunday morning. Storms are also expected to accompany the heavy rain and officials have warned of possible thunderstorms in the region.
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Cloud Lightning

New York, US: Heavy rain, flash flooding hit Tier


pressconnects
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 23:59 UTC
National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for northern Broome County and southern Chenango County until 2:45 a.m. Friday.

According to the NWS, a rainstorm dumped about 1 inch of rain in the immediate Binghamton area by 9:30 p.m. Thursday, with localized rainfall amounts of up to 4 inches in parts of northeastern Broome County.

Serious flash flooding as a result of the heavy rains caused the closures of several state, county and town roads Thursday night, according to the Broome County Emergency Services Office.
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Cloud Lightning

Wisconsin, US: Heavy rains cause flood concerns on Wolf River

Noah Larson
WFRV
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:55 UTC
Recent heavy rain have been wreaking havoc on summer plans and that has residents keeping an eye on the rising Wolf River, but it's going to take a lot more to wash out some people in Outagamie County.

Tom Dix has had his fair share of close calls.

"We've had all the steps underwater a couple of times actually," Dix said.
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Bizarro Earth

Active Week For Ring Of Fire As Earthquake Rattles Alaska

Mark Dunphy
Irish Weather Online
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 23:29 UTC
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake (revised down from 7.4 by the USGS) in Alaska, USA, late Thursday was the latest in a series of strong earthquakes to hit nations located along the Pacific Ring of Fire during the past week.

Among the other nations to record moderate to strong earthquakes this week include Japan, Fiji, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Antarctica.

The "Ring of Fire" is an arc stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. The Ring of Fire is composed over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.

Pacific Ring of Fire and the earthquakes from the last 7 days
© WIKI / USGSPacific Ring of Fire and the earthquakes from the last 7 days.
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