Earth ChangesS


Snowflake Cold

Thousands of tourists stranded in northern Finland as deep freeze halts flights

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Thousands of tourists were stranded in northern Finland on Sunday after flights at Kittilä airport were canceled due to severe cold.

The temperature at the airport dropped to minus 37 degrees Celsius (minus 34.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday morning, after several days of similar frigid weather, making de-icing of aircraft and other operations difficult, Finland's national public broadcaster Yle reported.

The deep freeze is expected to continue in Kittilä, which is located in Finnish Lapland in the sparsely populated north, on Monday, when the Finnish Meteorological Institute predicts temperatures of almost minus 40 C (minus 40 F).

Finns are generally used to frosty winter temperatures but this year's cold, which has affected wide regions of northern, central and eastern Europe, is more severe than in other years.

Tsunami

Flooding, high winds, snow disrupt roads, flights as storm sweeps Israel

Snow falls atop Mt. Hermon in northern Israel on January 13, 2026.
Snow falls atop Mt. Hermon in northern Israel on January 13, 2026.
Heavy rain, strong winds, and localized flooding struck Israel overnight and into Tuesday as a winter storm swept across the country, disrupting transportation, causing property damage, and prompting multiple emergency rescues.

Meteorological officials said the system is expected to gradually weaken later in the day, with unsettled weather continuing through the end of the week.

Rainfall totals varied widely, with some of the heaviest precipitation recorded in northern and central areas. Majdal Shams, in the northern Golan Heights, reported about 60 millimeters of rain, while Jerusalem received 41 millimeters. Haifa recorded 27 millimeters and Tel Aviv 22 millimeters.

Snow fell on Mount Hermon, accumulating to roughly 15 centimeters overnight, leading authorities to keep the ski site closed to visitors until at least Thursday.


Tsunami

Heavy rainfall triggers flooding and evacuations in the capital Jakarta, Indonesia

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Heavy rainfall throughout Sunday night led to widespread flooding across Jakarta, with North and South Jakarta suffering the most damage.

Hundreds of residents were evacuated to shelters as floodwaters submerged neighborhoods, particularly in areas like Semper Barat Village, where the water reached up to 70 centimeters deep.

Search-and-rescue teams worked tirelessly to ferry residents to safety, using boats to evacuate families, including women and children.

Temporary shelters were set up to provide refuge for the displaced. Local officials and the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) have issued a weather warning for further rainfall in the coming days.


Tsunami

Flash flood rips through villages as residents flee in terror in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

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Severe flooding struck Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on January 11, 2025, as raging waters tore through villages, destroying homes and bridges.


Volcano

Philippines' Mayon Volcano spews 100-meter-high lava fountain

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Lava erupted from the Philippines' most active volcano, Mayon, reaching heights of up to 100 meters early Tuesday morning in a spectacular yet potentially dangerous display.

The sporadic lava fountaining was observed at 1:39 a.m. (Jan. 13) by the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs), News.Az reports, citing Philippine media.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) shared video footage of the brief eruption on social media.


Volcano

Stunning video captures Hawaii's Kilauea volcano unleashing lava fountain on January 12

Stunning video captures Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano unleashing lava fountain
Stunning video captures Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano unleashing lava fountain
One of the most active volcanoes in the world, Hawaii's Kilauea, began its 40th eruptive episode on Monday (Jan 12), the US Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed.

The volcano, which has been regularly erupting for over a year now, unleashed a lava fountain of more than 1,500 feet (460 meters) high into the air, with thick plumes of smoke and gases rising as high as 20,000 feet (6 kilometres).

The recent eruption lasted nearly 10 hours, starting at 8:22 am and abruptly ending at 6:04 pm. Streams of lava poured from several vents within the Halemaʻumaʻu crater on Kilauea. The gas released during the eruption reacts in the atmosphere to form a visible haze known as vog—volcanic smog—which can trigger respiratory issues and other health problems.


Doberman

3-year-old dies after being attacked by dog at grandmother's home in Otter Tail County, Minnesota

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A 3-year-old boy died after being attacked by a dog at his grandmother's home in Minnesota.

Otter Tail County deputies said the incident happened around 1 p.m. on Saturday when the child climbed into an outside enclosed area where the American bulldog was kept.

His grandmother also suffered injuries while trying to stop the attack. However, she was still able to drive herself and her 5-year-old grandson to the hospital.

Authorities say the dog was put down.

The sheriff's office is continuing to investigate.

Attention

Gruesome video captures moment shark chomps on snorkeler's thigh in Brazil : 'I felt him shaking my leg'

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Gruesome video captures the moment a female snorkeler was attacked by a shark while vacationing in Brazil.

The footage shows nurse sharks circling Tayane Dalazen, 36, as she swims in Brazil's Fernando de Noronha archipelago, when one speeds towards her and chomps down on her thigh.

Dalazen, a lawyer in São Paulo, is seen desperately flailing to get the shark off her as it begins to drag her down.

Eventually, the tour guide, Nego Noronha, freed her by striking the animal.

"I felt him shaking my leg," she told Brazilian newspaper O Globo of the frightening incident, which happened on Friday.

"I thought I couldn't put my hand out because he might rip it off. Nego started punching the shark and it let go of me."


Seismograph

Significant magnitude 6.2 earthquake 123 km southeast of Kuril'sk, Russia

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The quake hit at a moderately shallow depth of 50. km beneath the epicenter near Kuril'sk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, early evening on Tuesday, January 13th, 2026, at 6:34 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.

Our monitoring service identified a second report from France's Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS) which listed the quake at magnitude 5.8. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 6.2.

Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.

Snowflake

Blizzard conditions along Sea of Japan - 1.29 meters (4.2 feet) of snow dumped

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Blizzards are affecting parts of northern to western Japan, mainly on the Sea of Japan side. Weather officials are warning that the severe conditions will peak through Monday morning.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says a strong winter pressure pattern and a cold air mass are bringing the heavy snow and winds.

A maximum instantaneous wind speed of 115.2 kilometers per hour was recorded on Miyake-jima, one of the Izu Islands, during the three hours through 6 p.m. on Sunday. Tottori Airport saw a wind speed of 98.28 kilometers in that period, while Kanazawa City recorded 88.92 kilometers.

Snowfall is intensifying mainly in the Tohoku to Hokuriku regions, parts of which were experiencing blizzards. Some areas received 10 to 20 centimeters of snowfall during the same period.

Accumulation had reached 1.29 meters in Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture as of 6 p.m. Tadami Town in Fukushima Prefecture recorded 95 centimeters, Hokkaido's Otaru City saw 56 centimeters, while Yonezawa City in Yamagata Prefecture got 33 centimeters.