Earth ChangesS


Fire

Nebraska battling its largest wildfires in history - 800,000 acres burned and at least one person killed

Claire Cameron
Scientific American
Wed, 18 Mar 2026 22:07 UTC
An aerial photograph of Nebraska’s Morrill Fire.
© Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1/inciweb.wildfire.govAn aerial photograph of Nebraska’s Morrill Fire.
Swaths of Nebraska are engulfed in fire, with some 800,000 acres burned and at least one person killed. The wildfires, which are the "largest wildfires in our history," according to a post on X by state's governor Jim Pillen, are being driven by a powerful heat wave across the western U.S.

Temperatures in the 80s Fahrenheit have combined with low humidity, high winds and extreme drought to increase the risk of fire in the state for at least the coming week. Already, the fires have been burning for days.

The largest of the fires, called the Morrill Fire, is less than 20 percent contained at the time of writing, according to a federal wildfire monitor. The blaze, which began on March 12, rapidly grew because of high winds. It is between about 550,000 and 643,000 acres in size. The Morrill Fire's cause remains unclear.

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Tsunami

Best of the Web: Hawaii Storm: 100,000 without power amid flash floods - 15 inches of rain in 24 hours, 46 inches in 5 days - heavy snow on summits (UPDATED)

Marni Rose McFall
Newsweek
Sat, 14 Mar 2026 13:22 UTC
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Forced evacuations as water rises at Otake camp
Over 100,000 people are without power in Hawaii as a rare storm pummels the entire state with dangerous thunderstorms, high elevation snow, and several inches of rain.

The storm stretch comes as the Kona low weather system drags tropical moisture over the islands, raising the threat for at least a foot of rainfall in the hardest‑hit areas.

Governor Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation on Monday. "A Kona low weather system is expected to produce prolonged heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding statewide, with the highest likelihood of flooding impacts across the smaller islands and urban areas," a news release from Green's office said.

Now, the website Power Outages is reporting on the failures impacting customers across the state. As of reporting on Saturday morning, there were more than 120,000 customers without power in Honolulu.

Honolulu was the hardest hit area. The East of Honolulu is reliant on power lines bringing electricity to the area from Windward Oahu. According to a report from Hawaii New Now, these transmission lines have been damaged, impacting service in the area.


Comment: Update March 15

BigIslandNow.com reports:
A powerful Kona low continues sweeping through the Hawaiian Islands, bringing strong winds and heavy flooding rainfall. The entire Big Island was put under a flash flood warning shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday, March 14, as heavy rains continued to fall.

Hawaiʻi County officials say residents should continue to avoid all unnecessary travel because of significant risks of flash flooding and strong, locally damaging winds.

The storm produced heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts Saturday throughout large areas of Hawaiʻi Island, as well as flash floods that closed multiple sections of Highway 11 in Kaʻū. causing the county to urge residents in those areas to shelter in place.

Some areas in Kaʻū received 10 to 15 inches of rain in 24 hours. Moderate to heavy rainfall was expected to remain in place over Kaʻū through Saturday evening, leading to significant flash flooding.
Update March 16

SFGATE.com reports:
Hawaii saw multiple rain records fall after a slow-moving kona storm dropped major precipitation across the different islands.

The island of Maui saw the heaviest rainfall, with multiple areas reporting over 20 inches of rain and one location logging as much as 46 inches of precipitation March 10-15, according to the National Weather Service.


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Doberman

Michigan newborn killed in apparent dog mauling in Novi

Scott Wolchek and Jack Nissen
fox2detroit.com
Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:39 UTC
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A tragic story is unfolding in Michigan after police say a newborn baby was killed by the family dog.

Novi police have not released many details on the case, only that a baby girl that had just been brought home from the hospital had died in a suspected dog attack.

What we know:

Novi police were called to a mobile home park on Liberte Drive late Tuesday morning after a 5-day-old newborn had died from a dog attack.

Officers responded to the Oakland Glens Trailer Park off 13 Mile Road after a family member found the baby girl with puncture wounds that were consistent with a dog attack.

Police did not say who was inside the home at the time of the attack.

The dog has since been taken by Oakland County Animal Control. Its fate will depend on the outcome of the investigation. It's of average size. It's a mixed breed.

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Volcano

Lava flows reach ocean on Réunion island for first time in nearly two decades


Euronews
Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:51 UTC
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Lava from the Piton de la Fournaise volcano has reached the ocean on France's Réunion island for the first time in nearly two decades, drawing residents and tourists.

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Snowflake

Up to 31 inches of snow fell during 48-hour blizzard in Michigan's Upper Peninsula - 52 inches in 3 days (UPDATE)

Sarah Moore
Lansing State Journal
Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:46 UTC
With more than 2 feet already on the ground in some areas, snow continues to pummel northern Michigan
With more than 2 feet already on the ground in some areas, snow continues to pummel northern Michigan
Blizzard conditions will taper off into Tuesday, March 17, for Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the northern Lower Peninsula. Snowfall reports show 31 inches fell in the central U.P., with additional inches underway.

On Monday, March 16, a blizzard warning, ice storm warning, winter storm warning, lakeshore flooding, and a wind advisory are issued for Michigan — ice is forecast to accumulate in the northeast-central Lower Peninsula, and snowbelt areas are expected to see up to 20 inches by Tuesday morning, March 17, per the Probabilistic Precipitation Portal. Statewide, wind gusts will be strong from 45-60 mph.

On 6:30 a.m. Monday, March 16, 31 inches of snow was reported in Three Lakes (located in the central U.P) via the National Weather Service's online local snowfall reports — which was a 48-hour accumulation. A nearby city, National Mine, reported 30 inches of snow.


Comment: Update March 17

MLive.com reports:
Massive blizzard snow totals are in, 52 inches was Michigan's top snow

Snowstorm totals from the March 14 to March 17 blizzard.NOAA
© NOAASnowstorm totals from the March 14 to March 17 blizzard.
The massive storm system brought heavy snow for two to three days over Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Michigan. Here are the official snow tallies from the National Weather Service offices in northern Michigan.

And the winner is, or the loser, depending on your perspective, is Round Lake, MI, which is in Alger County in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, about 13 miles south of Munising, MI.

These are snowstorm totals for the entire stormy period.

Round Lake — 52.0 inches
Cusino Lake — 48.5 inches
Herman — 45.0 inches
Forest Lake — 42.5 inches
Three Lakes — 40.0 inches
Mount Arvon — 39.0 inches
National Mine — 38.6 inches
Negaunee — 37.6 inches
Gwinn — 36.0 inches
Sundell — 36.0 inches
Menominee — 34.0 inches
Big Bay — 33.6 inches
Escanaba — 33.5 inches
Newberry — 28.4 inches
Champion — 27.5 inches
Watton — 27.5 inches
Garden — 26.9 inches
Manistique — 26.5 inches
Carlshend — 25.8 inches
Gladstone — 24.5 inches
Deerton — 24.2 inches
Iron Mountain — 24.1 inches
Crystal Falls — 24.0 inches
Kingsford — 23.4 inches
Mineral Hills — 22.0 inches
Sands — 20.5 inches
Gaastra — 20.0 inches
Garden Corners — 19.8 inches
Ironwood — 14.5 inches
Hurley — 11.6 inches
Bergland — 11.5 inches
Paulding — 8.1 inches
Allouez — 7.1 inches
Watersmeet — 6.5 inches
Bessemer — 5.9 inches
Pelkie — 5.8 inches
Painesdale — 4.8 inches
Hancock — 4.0 inches
Houghton — 3.0 inches
Redridge — 1.8 inches


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SOTT Logo Media

SOTT Focus: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - February 2026: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs


Sott.net
Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:19 UTC
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Widespread flooding and landslides across Europe, Asia, and South America, alongside record snowfalls and deadly avalanches in Japan and the Alps, marked this month. Volcanic eruptions occurred at Mount Semeru in Indonesia and Kanlaon in the Philippines, while a powerful cyclone struck Madagascar. Multiple meteor fireball sightings were reported globally, and severe storms caused power outages and disruptions in several regions.

Early in the month, solar activity included multiple X-class flares that triggered geomagnetic storms and auroras visible in parts of the U.S. and Europe.
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Doberman

Woman mauled to death by stray dogs in Maharashtra, India: CCTV captures brutal 15-minute attack


Lokmat Times
Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:38 UTC
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A 33-year-old woman died after a pack of stray dogs attacked her near Ambethan Chowk on the Pune-Nashik highway in Chakan early Monday morning. The incident occurred in the city's Chakan area around 2:15 am and was captured on CCTV.

The footage shows six to seven dogs surrounding the woman, identified as Shobha Waghmare - who seems to be wearing a white saree. As a couple of dogs ran towards her, she made a gesture of shooing them away. Within a few seconds, at least six to seven dogs surrounded her and started attacking her.

The woman can be seen trying to save herself, but failed to do so. At one point, the woman's white saree turned into a blood-soaked red. She died on the spot, officials said. Waghmare's mutilated body was found by passersby in the morning.

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Volcano

5 kilometer-high eruption column at Kanlaon Volcano in the Philippines

Carla P. Gomez, Zacarian Sarao
Inquirer.net
Sun, 15 Mar 2026 11:42 UTC
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Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island had an moderate explosive eruption on Sunday evening, its third this year, the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs) said.

According to Phivolcs in a statement, the eruption occurred at the summit of the volcano at exactly 06:07 p.m.

The eruption generated a 5 kilometer-high eruption column that drifted to the southeast and northeast.

"This is the third event at Kanlaon this year, following similar eruptions in 19 and 26 February 2026," Phivolcs said.

Meanwhile, Alert Level 2 remains raised over Kanlaon Volcano with prohibited entry into its 4 kilometer Permanent Danger Zone.

Under Alert Level 2, sudden steam-driven (phreatic) eruptions and signs of impending magmatic activity are possible.

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Volcano

Mount Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia erupts, sends pyroclastic flows up to 1.6 km southwest


Antara
Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:06 UTC
mmmmm
Mount Merapi, straddling Indonesia's Yogyakarta and Central Java Provinces, produced two pyroclastic flows early Monday, traveling a maximum of 1.6 kilometers toward the southwest, officials said.

Agus Budi Santoso, head of the Yogyakarta Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center (BPPTKG), said flows descended toward the Kali Krasak (Krasak River) between midnight and 6 a.m. local time.

"Two pyroclastic flows were observed toward the southwest (Kali Krasak) with a maximum run of 1,600 meters," Agus said in a statement Monday in Yogyakarta.

The flows had amplitudes of 18-33 mm and durations of 175-188 seconds, according to BPPTKG observations.

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Snowflake

Rare March snow hits the island of Majorca, Spain


Majorca Daily Bulletin
Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:55 UTC
mmmmm
"The strongest snowfall this winter in Mallorca" is how geographer Alberto Darder has described the recent weather event affecting the island over the past hours. The snow began to fall late on Saturday, 14 March, and continued until around 2am on Sunday.

Darder specified that snow fell from altitudes of 800 metres upwards, marking the lowest snow level observed this winter on the island. This was unexpected, especially since the national weather service, the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (Aemet) in the Balearics, had forecasted snow only above 1,000 metres. As visible in videos shared by Darder from the Serra de Tramuntana, the snowfall was intense.

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