Earth ChangesS


Bomb

Florida freeze batters citrus belt, inflicts "significant damage" to central orange groves

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Tue, 03 Feb 2026 16:48 UTC
Floridians were once again warned this week to watch out for falling iguanas as an ultra-rare cold blast sent temperatures plunging to record lows of 22F in Jacksonville and 24F in Orlando. Whenever Arctic air pours into The Sunshine State, its citrus industry inevitably takes a hit, and this deep freeze comes on top of years of damage from greening disease and repeated blows from tropical cyclones that have already decimated the crop.

"There was significant damage to the remaining oranges to be picked in central Florida," said Jim Roemer, a meteorologist who publishes the WeatherWealth newsletter, quoted by Bloomberg.

Roemer added, "Many key areas were well below 28 degrees for over four hours between Sunday and this morning."
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Tsunami

Exceptional storm floods streets in Antibes, France

Amy Lyall
The Connexion
Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:05 UTC
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Three weeks' worth of rain fell in just a few hours

The town of Antibes Juan-les-Pins, in south-eastern France, flooded yesterday evening (February 3) after a storm brought three weeks' worth of rain in just four hours.

Locals took to social media to share images and videos of the continuous rainfall, lightning, and hailstones which caused streets to quickly fill with water, particularly in the west and centre of the town.

Some 86 litres of rain per square metre fell between 19:00 and 23:00 across the affected area in the Alpes-Maritimes department, reported La Chaine Météo.

The 'stationary' storm is said to have been caused by humid air rising from the Mediterranean.

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Tsunami

Downpours and floods affect dozens of municipalities in several regions of Colombia - January rainfall 64% above normal


ListinDiario.com
Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:29 UTC
People stare at the flooded street after heavy rains.
© JOAQUIN SARMIENTOPeople stare at the flooded street after heavy rains.
Colombia is facing an unusually intense rainy season that has caused flooding, landslides and emergencies in dozens of municipalities, especially in the Caribbean, Andean, Pacific and Amazon regions, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam) warned on Tuesday.

"During the month of January, rainfall patterns above normal were recorded in several regions of the national territory," the meteorological authority said in a statement, warning that these conditions will continue in the coming days.

Ideam also points out that this behavior has increased rainfall by 64.4% compared to normal, with the greatest impact in the north, center and west of the country.

Since last Friday, the most intense rains have been concentrated in the southern departments of the country such as Putumayo and Nariño; in the central departments of Caldas, Risaralda, Huila and Boyacá, and in the northwest, Antioquia.


Comment: Related: Heavy rains trigger large-scale flooding across Colombia's Medellín

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Snowflake

Japan warns of avalanches as snow deaths rise to 35


The Japan Times
Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:05 UTC
A passenger waits in front of a snow-covered bus stop in the city of Aomori on Friday.
© AFP-JIJIA passenger waits in front of a snow-covered bus stop in the city of Aomori on Friday.
Japan warned of possible avalanches in the country's northern regions on Wednesday as the temperature suddenly rose after two weeks of extreme snowfall that paralyzed traffic and collapsed houses.

Sustained snow since late January has buried northern communities like the city of Aomori under drifts of around 2 meters that left residents struggling to leave home and forced schools and businesses to close.

But the temperature rose Wednesday, reaching 8 degrees Celsius in Aomori, increasing the risk of chunks of heavy, wet snow dropping from rooftops, potentially causing injuries and even death, officials said.

"We ask affected residents to be careful and stay mindful of falling snow and avalanches," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said at a press briefing.

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Tsunami

Spain reels as Storm Leonardo batters Andalucía with floods and mass evacuations


Euronews
Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:00 UTC
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Spain woke up to flooding across Andalucía on Wednesday as Storm Leonardo dumped heavy rain on the region.

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Volcano

Indonesia's Mount Semeru volcano erupts 7 times in 3 hours


Anadolu Agency
Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:57 UTC
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Indonesia's Mount Semeru volcano in East Java erupted seven times in three hours early Wednesday, sending volcanic ash up to 800 meters (2,624 feet) above its peak, state-run media reported.

The first eruption occurred at 4.58 am (2158GMT Tuesday), producing a thick gray ash plume drifting northeast, according to Antara news agency.

Seismic activity recorded a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and lasted 138 seconds.

Subsequent eruptions followed at 6.10 am and 6.56 am, with ash rising between 300 and 700 meters, while another eruption at 7.05 am sent a 600-meter-high column northward.

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Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Cuba has its first freeze on record

Jonathan Erdman
The Weather Channel
Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:01 UTC
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Cuba's all-time record low was set Feb. 3, 2026.
Cuba just had its first freeze on record, and other records were smashed from the Bahamas to Central America from the same cold outbreak that left Florida and the eastern U.S. shivering last weekend.

On Tuesday morning, the Indio Hatuey weather station in Perico, Cuba, reported a low of 32 degrees, a new national all-time record low, according to Cuba's weather service, the Instituto de Meteorología Cuba (INSMET). The previous record of 33 degrees was set in Bainoa almost 30 years ago on Feb. 18, 1996.

Frost was apparently seen on crops around the weather station, according to a Tuesday Facebook post from INSMET.
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Seismograph

6.1 magnitude earthquake off the Kermadec Islands

Berk Kutay Gokmen
Anadolu Agency
Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:56 UTC
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A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern New Zealand on Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake occurred near the Kermadec Islands at 1039GMT and originated from a depth of 184.2 kilometers (114.4 miles), USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of damage at the time of publication.

Meanwhile, the German Research Center for Geosciences initially measured the quake's magnitude as 6.2, before revising it down to 6.1
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Snowflake Cold

Record 834 manatees spotted at Manatee Lagoon, Florida as cold snap draws more sea cows (UPDATE)

Scott Sutton and Kayla McDermott
wflx.com
Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:14 UTC
160 manatees spotted at Manatee Lagoon amid cold snap
160 manatees spotted at Manatee Lagoon amid cold snap
The chilly air across South Florida and the Treasure Coast has many of us bundled up and braving the cooler-than-average temperatures — and that includes wildlife.

Representatives at the Manatee Lagoon in Riviera Beach said Thursday that they counted 160 manatees at the facility, the highest number spotted all season.

The gentle giants are attracted to the area by the warm-water outflows from the adjacent Florida Power & Light Riviera Beach Next Generation Clean Energy Center.

With temperatures expected to continue falling through the weekend and forecast lows in the 30s, workers at the lagoon said they believe sightings will likely increase.


Comment: Update February 2

The Daytona News-Journal reports:
Nearly 1,000 manatees gathered Feb. 2 at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City as record-breaking cold temperatures continue to infiltrate Florida.

The state park provided the official manatee count Monday morning and an afternoon update hours later via Instagram.

"The arctic cold brought in a record number of manatees this morning with a river temperature of 55.9F (13.3C)," the update read. "Save the Manatee Club counted a record number of 834 manatees, the park staff counted even more."


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Snowflake Cold

Freezing in Florida: Arctic chill reaches Sunshine State, breaking at least 15 record-low temperatures records and causing power disruptions

Julian Atienza
FOX Weather
Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:15 UTC
A cold-stunned iguana on the ground in North Bay VIllage, Florida on Feb. 1, 2026.
© Jackson Dill / FOX WeatherA cold-stunned iguana on the ground in North Bay VIllage, Florida on Feb. 1, 2026.
The wrath of this winter season managed to reach sunny Florida this weekend. The arctic air that has gripped much of the eastern U.S. surged south, setting at least 15 record-low temperatures across the Sunshine State.

The cold persisted statewide Monday, with Melbourne plunging to 25 degrees, topping the record for the coldest February day that was set just a day before.

Arctic air also strained Florida's electrical grid as Floridians rushed to crank up the heat. Some 20,000 customers remained without power across the state early Monday, according to PowerOutage.us — down from 25,000 reported Sunday.

Florida Power and Light, the state's largest utility, said crews worked throughout the night to restore power, adding that its grid was performing "well" during Monday's cold conditions.

Comment: Related: Record 834 manatees spotted at Manatee Lagoon, Florida as cold snap draws more sea cows

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