Earth ChangesS


Fire

Israel hit with 'largest ever' wildfires - videos


RT
Thu, 01 May 2025 17:10 UTC
wild fire
© Mostafa Alkharouf/Getty ImagesThe flames and smoke rising in the wildfire between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared a national emergency over the situation.

Israeli firefighters continue to battle wildfires that have been raging near Jerusalem for two days. Emergency services have described them as some of the "largest ever" in the country's history.

The fires broke out on Wednesday along the main highway connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, spreading quickly due to the heat and strong winds.

The key highway and several other roads in the area were shut down, with people in at least ten communities forced to evacuate from what witnesses described as "walls of flame."

More than 160 firefighting teams and 12 aircraft were deployed to contain the wildfires.

On Wednesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "we are now in a national emergency, not just a local one," adding that "defending Jerusalem" was a priority.

Comment: See also:
Best of the Web: Israel deploys troops to control massive wildfires near Jerusalem

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Seismograph

6 magnitude earthquake strikes off Indonesia's Sulawesi Island

Saadet Gokce
Anadolu Agency
Sat, 03 May 2025 16:35 UTC
mmmm
A strong earthquake with a Richter scale magnitude of 6.0 hit off Sulawesi Island in Indonesia on Saturday, the US Geological Survey reported.

The earthquake struck at 19.51 local time (1251GMT), approximately 165 kilometers (102 miles) from Gorontalo City, according to the USGS.

The earthquake had a depth of 97 kilometers (60 miles), with the epicenter 35 kilometers (21 miles) northwest of Pohuwato, according to Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The earthquake has no potential for causing a tsunami, the agency added.
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Cloud Precipitation

Severe hailstorms pummel parts of Spain turning streets white

Eliana Nunes
The Sun (UK)
Fri, 02 May 2025 10:50 UTC
Emergency trucks cleared the ice from the streets
Emergency trucks cleared the ice from the streets
As the UK sweltered through its hottest ever start to May yesterday, Spain was battered by yet another round of severe hailstorms.

Typically sunny Piedrabuena, central Spain, has been hit by rain and hail showers, leaving streets coated in white.

Spain has started May with heavy rainfall as a powerful Atlantic front has swept across the country, bringing widespread showers, hail and cooler temperatures.

The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has issued orange alerts for severe storms, strong winds and hail in central and eastern areas of the peninsula,

These include Aragón, Castilla-La Mancha and the Valencian Community.

In Ciudad Real, towns were blanketed by a thick layer of hail after a violent morning storm.

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Doberman

Four-year-old boy dies in stray dog attack in Andhra Pradesh, India


etvbharat.com
Sat, 03 May 2025 10:42 UTC
mmmmmm
Representational (File photo)
A tragic incident had taken place in the Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh, in which a boy aged four years was attacked by stray dogs, leading to his eventual death. The harrowing incident happened in the Hanumannagar Colony of the Bethancherla town. The victim, who was identified as Mohiddeen, was the younger son of Hussain Basha and Asha, who had two sons and a daughter.

On Friday evening, the victim boy was playing outside with another child near their home when a pack of stray dogs attacked them. While the other child narrowly managed to escape from the dogs, Mohiddeen became the victim of the attack. The boy tried to flee the spot, but the dogs attacked him swiftly. He was seriously injured and died on the spot.
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Eye 2

Signs & portents: Rare two-headed snake hatched in California

Kelli Bender
People
Fri, 02 May 2025 10:28 UTC
Two-headed California king snake.
© East Bay Vivarium/InstagramTwo-headed California king snake.
A California king snake is turning heads with its heads.

On March 26, the East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley, Calif., announced that it had recently hatched a two-headed snake.

"Announcing our two-headed California Kingsnake! This Lampropeltis getula californiae hatched with two heads and is doing very well. He just reached his 6-month birthday," the reptile store captioned an Instagram post featuring photos of the snake and the creature's X-rays

According to ABC 7 News, the East Bay Vivarium held off on sharing news of the two-headed snake's arrival when the rare reptile hatched, because two-headed snakes often don't survive long after hatching.

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Seismograph

Shallow magnitude 7.4 and 6.4 earthquakes south of Chile and Argentina, tsunami warning issued


Financial Express
Fri, 02 May 2025 08:06 UTC
mmmmmmmm
A 7.4 earthquake struck the Drake Passage, located between Cape Horn and Antarctica, at a depth of just 10 km (6 miles) on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake triggered a tsunami warning, prompting Chile's National Disaster Prevention and Response Service to issue evacuation orders for coastal areas in the Magallanes region, located at the southern tip of the country.

Chile's President Gabriel Boric took to social media to urge evacuations, stating that all state resources would be mobilised to respond to the situation. Videos shared on social media showed residents calmly evacuating as sirens sounded in the background.


Comment: A mag. 6.4 quake also struck the same area about 5 hours later:
6.4 magnitude earthquake 288 km from Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

UTC time: Friday, May 02, 2025 17:59 PM
Your time: Friday 2 May 2025 at 18:59 BST
Magnitude Type: mww
USGS page: M 6.4 - 288 km SSE of Ushuaia, Argentina
USGS status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Reports from the public: 0 people


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Snowflake

Up to 6 inches of fresh snow blankets Colorado ski resorts on first day of May

Matt Lorelli
Powder.com
Thu, 01 May 2025 11:57 UTC
mmmmm
© Loveland Ski Area
Spring has officially spring, but a handful of still-open ski resorts in Colorado are waking up to fresh snowfall on the first day of May 2025.

Take a look at the 24-hour snowfall totals for the five ski resorts still open in the Centennial State. All snowfall totals obtained from each ski area's website on the morning of May 1, 2025.

Colorado Snowfall Totals, May 1, 2025:

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area: 5"
Breckenridge: 3"
Copper Mountain: 3"
Loveland Ski Area: 6"
Winter Park: 6"

Three to six inches of new snow probably isn't enough to completely refresh ski resorts, but a little bit of soft snow on the first day of May certainly won't upset skiers. The immediate forecast is looking even more promising.

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Snowflake

Late-spring blizzard hits Moscow region, toppling trees and causing power outages - up to 6 inches of snowfall


The Moscow Times
Fri, 02 May 2025 11:09 UTC
nnnnnnn
© Social media
Blizzards blanketed Moscow in snow on Friday in a historic first for the season, toppling trees onto cars and causing power outages for tens of thousands of residents in the wider region.

The snowfall marks the first time that Moscow's base weather station has recorded snow cover on May 2 in its 75 years of operations, said Mikhail Leus from the Phobos weather center.

The station at the VDNKh exhibition center measured 7 centimeters of snow, while some parts of the Moscow region saw up to 15 centimeters of snow.

Toppled trees damaged cars and downed power lines on roads, railways and parking lots. At least 26,000 residents experienced power outages overnight as emergency crews raced to restore electricity, Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said.

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Hardhat

'DVD-sized hail' reported in the Texas Panhandle, meteorologist says

Candice Avila-Garcia
MySanAntonio.com
Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:43 UTC
Spikey severe hail.
© Mike Hollingshead/Getty ImagesSpikey severe hail.
As severe weather season continues its wrath through Texas, one area in particular saw a rare moment for Mother Nature Tuesday afternoon. According to Matthew Cappucci, a meteorologist with MyRadar Weather, reported seeing 'DVD-sized hail' in the Texas Panhandle.

"Giant DVD hail southeast of Guthrie, TX," Cappucci wrote.

The National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday, April 29, indicated that severe thunderstorms were possible in areas of the southeast Texas Panhandle. Guthrie is located near Lubbock. The NWS also said that quarter-sized hail was expected with the storms. However, images shared by Cappucci showed hail sizes exceeding 4 inches. According to the NWS, hail that is DVD-sized can range from 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

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Tsunami

Christchurch in New Zealand declares state of emergency amid torrential rain and widespread flooding - 6 inches of rainfall in 24 hours


Economic Times
Thu, 01 May 2025 10:48 UTC
mmmmm
The Selwyn District and Banks Peninsula are also under a local state of emergency. In Selwyn Huts, residents were told to self-evacuate or risk being cut off. Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell travelled to Canterbury to assess the situation.

Floodwaters have submerged roads across Christchurch. In the city's southern parts, streets like Cashmere Road, Henderson Road, Summit Road, and Eastern Terrace are either fully or partially closed. Northern areas also faced major disruptions, with Avondale Road, Fitzgerald Avenue, and sections of New Brighton Road underwater.

Banks Peninsula roads have been badly hit. SH75 from Tai Tapu to Akaroa remains closed. Other closures include Gebbies Pass Road, Le Bons Bay Road, Millers Road, and several bay routes. Slips and fallen trees have made access dangerous or impossible.

Authorities have urged people to avoid non-essential travel. If driving is necessary, residents are advised to go slowly and avoid flooded roads.


Comment: Star News reports:
[...]

Meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane says it has been a wet night in eastern parts of the South Island, especially Canterbury, and for parts of the North Island.

The Canterbury region has already had 100 millimetres to 150mm of rainfall over the last 24 hours with more to come, she says.

[...]


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