Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 50 sheep in Kashmir, India

Irfan Raina
Greater Kashmir
Mon, 23 May 2022 10:51 UTC
sheep
At least fifty sheep were killed after lightning struck a pasture at Haknar village of Gund tehsil in central Kashmirs Ganderbal district on Sunday evening.

Reports said that the sheep belonging to Abdul Salam Chopan son of Mohd Ramzan resident of Haknar got killed when the lightning struck the area during heavy rains during grazing.

Tehsildar Gund Javid Iqbal told Greater Kashmir that as per the owner of the sheep at least fourty nine animals were killed in the lightning struck.

He said a team of police, Animal Husbandry and revenue department have been sent to the place where the incident happened to take stock of the situation.

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Cloud Precipitation

Best of the Web: Tornado, huge hailstones and floods in France weather chaos

Hannah Thompson
The Connexion
Mon, 23 May 2022 10:35 UTC
Massive hailstones seen in Vercel-Villedieu-le-Camp in Doubs,
© Météo Franc-Comtoise / @Meteo_FC_ / TwitterMassive hailstones seen in Vercel-Villedieu-le-Camp in Doubs, captured by Météo Franc-Comtoise
A tornado, hailstones the size of tennis balls, and roads looking more like rivers are among the phenomena seen this weekend, as thunderstorm alerts remain in place

A mini-tornado, rain, and giant hailstones have wreaked havoc across France this weekend, with a church spire destroyed in Indre-et-Loire, cars smashed in Doubs, and flooding in Essonne and Reims.

The church in the Indre-et-Loire village of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil was damaged by a tornado, with strong gusts of wind toppling the spire. The falling stonework damaged cars underneath.

The commune's salle des fêtes was also damaged, as were surrounding vines in the village's wine-growing areas. No human injuries have been reported.


Comment: For context, these are probably among the largest hailstones recorded in France in the modern era.

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Cloud Lightning

5 dead after severe thunderstorms in Ontario and Quebec; hundreds of thousands without power

Raja Razek
CNN
Mon, 23 May 2022 03:12 UTC
downed power lines
Power lines and utility poles were downed by the storms.

Five people are reported dead after severe thunderstorms raced through parts of Canada on Saturday, according to Environment Canada.

"There were five fatalities reported and a few others injured as a result of the strong winds with this line of thunderstorms," read a weather summary for Ontario and the National Capital Region. "There was also extensive damage to trees, power lines and buildings. There were also overturned cars reported as well as widespread power outages."

The line of thunderstorms developed near Sarnia, a city in Ontario, late Saturday morning and tracked over southern Ontario towards Ottawa Saturday afternoon, according to Environment Canada.

The storm left more than 350,000 customers without power, and "many power outages continue today," the agency said Sunday.

Storms also swept through central Quebec on Saturday, resulting in broken tree limbs, uprooted trees, damage to buildings and "more than 500,000 homes without power," Environment Canada said.

Hydro Quebec said on its website that restoration of service progressed overnight and Sunday morning, and close to 500 crews were mobilized on Sunday.
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Seismograph

Shallow 6.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan


Earthquake Track
Sun, 22 May 2022 16:03 UTC
mmmm
6.0 magnitude earthquake 235 km from Katsuura, Chiba, Japan

UTC time: Sunday, May 22, 2022 15:17 PM
Your time: Sunday, May 22, 2022, 4:17 PM GMT+1
Magnitude Type: mww
USGS page: M 6.0 - 235 km SSE of Katsuura, Japan

16 km depth
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Snowflake

Parts of South Africa experience early winter heavy snowfall

Faizel Patel
The Citizen (South Africa)
Sat, 21 May 2022 11:55 UTC
Snow
© Snow Report
A few posts by Snow Report SA shows KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho blanketed with heavy snowfall

As temperatures plummet and bitter cold conditions grips several provinces, South Africa has recorded its first winter snowfall for 2022.

A few posts by Snow Report SA shows KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho blanketed with heavy snowfall.

"Nare and Polo from Sani Mountain Escape at the top of Sani Pass took these photos earlier. It appears that the snow is quite far down the pass but we can't tell how far yet. More snow is expected today and tomorrow so the conditions on the pass will likely make it impossible to drive in any vehicle for a little while."

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Boat

Bangladesh floods recede but millions still marooned, at least 10 killed - worst floods in 20 years


France 24
Sun, 22 May 2022 10:38 UTC
Floodwater breached a major embankment in Bangladesh's Sylhet region, affecting around two million people, swamping dozens of villages and killing at least 10
© AFPFloodwater breached a major embankment in Bangladesh's Sylhet region, affecting around two million people, swamping dozens of villages and killing at least 10
North-east Bangladesh's worst floods in nearly 20 years began receding on Sunday, but rescue workers were struggling to help millions marooned by extreme weather across the region that has killed around 60 people.

Floods are a regular menace to millions of people in low-lying Bangladesh and neighbouring northeast India, but many experts say that climate change is increasing the frequency, ferocity and unpredictability.

In the past week after heavy rains in India, floodwater breached a major embankment in Bangladesh's Sylhet region, affecting around two million people, swamping dozens of villages and killing at least 10.

Arifuzzman Bhuiyan, head of the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, told AFP that the floods had hit some 70 percent of Sylhet district and about 60 percent of neighbouring Sunamganj.

"It is one of the worst floods in the region," he told AFP.

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Tornado2

Rare tornado tears through Michigan town, killing two and injuring more than 40

Dennis Romero
NBC News
Fri, 20 May 2022 09:34 UTC
Damage is seen at a home after a tornado
Damage is seen at a home after a tornado came through the area in Gaylord, Michigan
Two people have died and 44 others were injured when a rare tornado struck Northern Michigan on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Michigan State Police confirmed the fatalities Friday evening and said 44 people were taken to multiple hospitals in Northern Michigan. Conditions of the patients were unavailable.

One person has been reported missing, authorities said Saturday.

The tornado that struck the city of Gaylord, about 230 miles north of Detroit, created damage consistent with an EF3 rating, and had maximum winds of 150 mph, the National Weather Service said Saturday.

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Seismograph

6.3-magnitude quake hits south of the Fiji Islands: USGS

Mohammad Ali
urdupoint.com
Sun, 22 May 2022 09:13 UTC
mmmmm
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 jolted south of the Fiji Islands at 07:06 GMT on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 589.53 km, was initially determined to be at 26.214 degrees south latitude and 178.3915 degrees east longitude.
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Seismograph

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolts Philippines, no casualties reported so far


Business Standard
Sun, 22 May 2022 09:06 UTC
mapp
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 jolted Batangas province on the main Philippine island of Luzon on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

The institute said the quake, which occurred at 5:50 a.m., hit at a depth of 132 km, about 21-km northwest of Calatagan town.

The tremor was also felt in Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan and Oriental Mindoro, Xinhua news agency reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The institute added that the tectonic quake will trigger aftershocks and can cause damage.

The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire".

Source: IANS
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Snowflake

Best of the Web: Late May snowstorm hits Colorado - up to 20 inches reported - knocks out power for 210,000

Alex O'Brien
koaa.com
Sat, 21 May 2022 14:24 UTC
Colorado Springs area gets buried under heavy spring snow
Colorado Springs area gets buried under heavy spring snow
Exactly one month until the summer solstice, Colorado is waking up to a winter wonderland.

Here is a look at the latest snow totals:

Top 5:

Near HWY 9 at Fremont/Park County Line - 20"
Black Forest - 16"
Woodland Park - 16"
Cascade - 14"
Colorado Springs - Gleneagle - 13"


Comment: Associated Press reports:
Late spring Colorado snowstorm knocks out power for 210,000

A late spring Colorado snowstorm dumped several inches in the Denver metro area Saturday and knocked out electricity for about 210,000 customers, officials said.

The wet snow weighed down tree branches and sent them toppling onto power lines, the KUSA television station reported. Much more snow fell in mountainous regions of Colorado.

By Saturday night, power had been restored to 160,000 customers but about 50,000 still did not have it back, the Xcel Energy Colorado utility said in a statement.

The small Colorado community of Cripple Creek near the base of Pike's Peak got 20 inches (51 centimeters) of snow, KUSA reported.


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