Earth ChangesS


Snowflake Cold

US ski resort storm totals: Winter Storm Fern dumps up to 34 inches of snow in 24 hours in the east

Gregg Frantz
SnowBrains
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:26 UTC
Hunter Mountain, New York, is sitting on about 2 feet of fresh snow, and it’s still snowing.
© Hunter MountainHunter Mountain, New York, is sitting on about 2 feet of fresh snow, and it’s still snowing.
Winter Storm Fern lived up to the hype and was one of the biggest snowstorms in the East in years, dropping more than 18 inches on some ski resorts. The storm was predicted to affect millions of people in the South, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast over the weekend. It was forecast to bring heavy snow, ice, and brutally cold temperatures throughout the East.

Several ski resorts are reporting more than a foot of snow fell on Sunday, with ski resorts in the Northeast still receiving additional snow today. The ski resorts reporting the highest snow totals were located in the Pocono Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania and the Catskills of New York. Plattekill Mountain in New York reported the most snow accumulations from the storm, with almost 34 inches. Mountain Creek Resort, located in Northern New Jersey, reported 24 inches of snow from Winter Storm Fern.

This snowstorm forced some ski resorts to close or operate on a limited basis on Sunday; however, most planned to open today, making it a great powder day for skiers and snowboarders in the East.

Ski Resorts' Snow Totals over the last 24 hours:
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Tsunami

'Very extreme totals': Queensland communities in Australia inundated with rain with up to 8.7 inches overnight

Emily Bennett
9news.com.au
Tue, 27 Jan 2026 18:59 UTC
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Some residents in Queensland's north have been forced to flee their homes after an overnight downpour sparked a sudden flood emergency.

Etheridge Shire Council issued a flash flooding emergency warning today for people in all areas of Einasleigh, about 380 kilometres north-west of Townsville, to evacuate.

Overnight rainfall totals tipped 220 millimetres in the Copperfield River catchment.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Harry Clark said a number of locations saw "some very extreme totals".

"Indeed record-breaking for January for a number of locations through there," Clark said.

"The flooding that has resulted has been extremely rapid in some situations."

Oak Park Race Club's recorded almost 300 millimetres in 48 hours.

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Lightning

Peru: Three dead after lightning strike in Cusco region - plus another recent fatality in the Andes


AgenziaNova.com
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:59 UTC
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The victims were on board a motorcycle

At least three people, including two adults and a six-year-old girl, were struck by lightning during a heavy hailstorm yesterday on a road in the province of Cuzco, southeastern Peru.

The Andina news agency reported, specifying that the victims were riding a motorcycle when they were struck.

According to Cusco police, after receiving an emergency alert, officers went to the site, where they confirmed the death of three people, apparently members of the same family, who were found almost buried by the hail.

Comment: 8 days prior a cyclist was also fatally struck by a bolt in the same country:
A cyclist was killed by lightning while biking around the world to combat climate change.

Florian Berg had spent over a year peddling across the globe.

The latest stretch of his journey took him to South America.

But the German climate activist died while cycling through the mountains of Peru.

The 29-year-old was caught in a torrential storm in the Andes on Saturday (17 Jan) evening.

Earlier that day, he'd set off from Huaraz City to reach the Pastoruri Glacier in the mountain range.

Florian sought shelter in his tent, before being zapped by lightning.

In his final moments, he had apparently called for help.

he body of German cyclist and climate activist Florian Berg, found by police
© Jam PressThe body of German cyclist and climate activist Florian Berg, found by police
He'd contacted the German Embassy in Peru to report that he was trapped in a remote region in the severe storm.

When the embassy was unable to detect a signal from his GPS device on Sunday, they raised the alarm.

Rescuers asked for assistance from local shepherds who saw Florian hours before contact was lost.

The authorities said their information was crucial to identifying the exact search zone.

The team found Florian lifeless in his tent in a field next to his cycling equipment, as reported by Need To Know.


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Tornado2

Unstable weather brings rain and rare waterspout off Fujairah shoreline in the United Arab Emirates


Gulf News
Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:49 UTC
NCM warns of humidity, mist and changing sea conditions after rare sighting.
NCM warns of humidity, mist and changing sea conditions after rare sighting.
A waterspout was observed off the coast of Fujairah on Tuesday, as parts of the UAE's eastern region experienced rainfall brought on by unstable weather conditions.

Rainfall was reported in Kalba along the eastern coast, as well as in Wadi May in Fujairah, where residents shared images and videos showing steady showers and runoff in valleys.

The National Center of Meteorology forecast fair to partly cloudy conditions across the UAE, with low clouds developing over some eastern regions and a possibility of light rainfall. Humidity levels are expected to rise during the night and into Wednesday morning over coastal and internal areas, particularly in western parts of the country, increasing the chance of fog or mist formation.

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Lightning

Lightning strike kills woman in Fiji


Fiji Times
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:46 UTC
The late Dominika Lebotia who was struck by lighting on Friday last week.
The late Dominika Lebotia who was struck by lighting on Friday last week.
A 29-year-old woman died instantly after being struck by lightning on Saturday afternoon at the Saint Vincent grounds near Natovi Jetty, Tailevu.

Dominika Lebotia, of Qelekuro Village in the district of Namena, was reportedly walking toward the jetty when the fatal bolt struck.

Vincent Yalimai, 19, who was working with friends at the Saint Vincent School compound, recounted the tragic incident.

"We were cutting grass at the school compound on Saturday when it started to rain heavily around noon," he said. "Moments later, a thunderstorm and lightning followed."

Mr Yalimai said he and five others took shelter on the school verandah but saw Dominika walking toward the jetty.
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Sun

Small remote town shatters record as historic heatwave smothers parts of Australia

Eleanor Wilson, Adam Vidler, Patrick Brischetto, Yashee Sharma
9news.com.au
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:09 UTC
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A remote South Australian town has recorded its hottest day on record as a historic heatwave pushes temperatures near 50 degrees across several states.

Effects of the ex-tropical cyclone Luna and a high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea are creating a prolonged heat mass over South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

The system caused temperatures to soar, Australia Day events to be cancelled in Adelaide, and a heightened bushfire threat across Victoria.

Ceduna, a small town about 780km from Adelaide, had its hottest day on record after it reached 49.5 degrees today, beating its previous record of 48.9 degrees in December 2019.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore said the record-breaking temperature could nudge higher still.

Wudinna Airfield recorded the hottest January day on record at 48.4 degrees, which was equal to the temperatures recorded in December 2019.

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Arrow Down

Over 1,000 people evacuated after huge landslide during a storm in Sicily, Italy


The Straits Times
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 20:50 UTC
An aerial drone view of the landslide at Niscemi, Sicily, in southern Italy, on Jan 26.
© EPAAn aerial drone view of the landslide at Niscemi, Sicily, in southern Italy, on Jan 26.
More than 1,000 people were evacuated in Sicily after a 4km section of cliff crumbled during a storm, leaving houses perched perilously on the edge, the authorities said on Jan 26.

Land was continuing to give way due to rain that has soaked the area in recent days, said the mayor of the southern hill town of Niscemi.

No deaths or injuries have been reported following the landslide, which took place on Jan 25.

"The situation continues to worsen because further collapses have been recorded," mayor Massimiliano Conti told local news on Jan 26.

Footage taken on Jan 26 by the Local Team video agency showed a narrow vertical section of cliff falling away, causing a building that had already been ripped apart to further collapse.

The front end of a car was visible next to it, its two tyres suspended in the air over the edge of the cliff.

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Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: 'Historic' U.S. storm leaves several dead, 11,000 flights canceled, a million without power during extreme cold

Rebecca Schneid
Time
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:49 UTC
worker clears snow from the entrance to a parking lot, as a major winter storm spreads across a large swath of the United States, in New York City, on Jan. 26, 2026.
© Brendan McDermid/ Reutersworker clears snow from the entrance to a parking lot, as a major winter storm spreads across a large swath of the United States, in New York City, on Jan. 26, 2026.
More than 1 million people have been left without power and at least 13 people have died during a massive winter storm that has sown chaos across the South and the Midwest and is now barreling toward the East Coast.

Over 200 million people across the country were under some kind of weather alert as of Sunday morning. Power outages mostly affected homes in the South, including in Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky, where large snowfall is rare. Parts of the U.S. experienced dangerously low wind chills in the minus-20s to minus-30s as Arctic air pushed south. Copenhagen, New York, saw record-breaking temperatures of -49°F, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Sunday.

The storm's dangerous mixture of heavy snow, sleet, ice, and bitter cold threatens to trap millions indoors for days. Travel has been severely disrupted, with more than 16,000 scheduled flights canceled from Saturday through Monday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. On Sunday, around 11,000 flights were canceled—the most in a single day since the COVID-19 pandemic. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the D.C. area canceled all flights on Sunday, and New York's LaGuardia Airport has reopened after closing on Sunday afternoon, although no flights are expected to take off or land until Monday morning.

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Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Toronto breaks snowfall records: 56 cms (22 inches) of snow in 24 hours - January also snowiest on record


TorontoToday.ca
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:22 UTC
A person clearing snow on a side street near Lansdowne Avenue and Dupont Street.
© Gabe Oatley/TorontoTodayA person clearing snow on a side street near Lansdowne Avenue and Dupont Street.
Toronto's major winter storm over the weekend was one for the record books.

On Sunday, there was an estimated 56 centimetres of snowfall in downtown Toronto, beating the previous single-day record of 48.3 centimetres, which according to Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson, was set on Dec. 11, 1944.

The meteorologist said Toronto Pearson Airport recorded 46.2 centimetres of snowfall on Sunday. The amount beat out the region's previous single-day snowfall record of 39.9 centimetres, set on Feb. 25, 1965.

January has also been the snowiest month in Toronto's recorded history, which Environment Canada began tracking in 1937.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike at Brasilia rally injures 89 Bolsonaro supporters


Euronews
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:48 UTC
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Eighty-nine people were injured by lightning at a rally supporting former President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia, as the demonstrators gathered to demand Bolsonaro's release from prison.

Eighty-nine people were injured when lightning struck near a rally supporting jailed former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil's capital on Sunday, fire officials said.

The bolt hit as thousands gathered in the rain to demand the far-right leader's release from prison, where he is serving a 27-year sentence for his role in attempting to overturn his 2022 election defeat.

Video footage captured the moment a sudden flash and thunder sent crowds scrambling for cover beneath umbrellas and plastic ponchos in Brasilia.

Fire department officials said 47 people required hospital treatment, with 11 needing intensive medical care. Emergency responders treated dozens more at the scene.

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