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Brown bears ditch hibernation due to unusually mild winter in Pyrenees mountains


Phys.org
Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:00 UTC
brown bear

Brown bears normally kick off their hibernation at the end of November and only emerge at the start of April
Several brown bears in the Pyrenees mountains that separate Spain from France have ditched their usual hibernation for food as winter temperatures remain unusually clement, environment and animal experts said Thursday.

Earlier in January, workers at the Alto Pirineo Natural Park on the Spanish side of the mountain range watched open-mouthed as footage from cameras placed in a rocky area showed a bear and her three cubs rummaging for food when they should have been snug in their cave.

"It's not normal to find a sow with three cubs not hibernating in winter," Santiago Palazon, head of the biodiversity and animal protection division of Catalonia's regional government, told AFP.

"They had been outside of their cave for at least one week."
      Read More...
Bell

6.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off Jalisco, Mexico


abc7.com
Thu, 21 Jan 2016 19:44 UTC
map mexico
© Usgs.gov
A preliminary magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck off the Mexican coast, 165 miles west southwest of Cihuatlan, Jalisco at 10:07 a.m. PT on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.
A magnitude-6.6 earthquake struck well off the Pacific coast of Jalisco, Mexico on Thursday morning.

The quake initially registered at 6.9 in magnitude but was later downgraded to 6.6, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake struck at 10:07 a.m. PT and was centered 134 miles southwest of Tomatlan and 158 miles west of Cihuatlan, USGS said.

Jalisco's Civil Protection agency said via Twitter that it was monitoring the state's 125 municipalities to rule out any damage.

The U.S. National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake was not forecast to cause a tsunami.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
      Read More...
Attention

300 turtles and a bottlenose dolphin found dead on beach in India


Catch News
Thu, 21 Jan 2016 19:20 UTC
Turtles
© Orissadiary.com
The Puri Beach in Odisha turned into a graveyard for around 300 Olive Ridley turtles and a bottlenose dolphin. The marine animals were found dead here on 20 January.

Although turtle carcasses are usually found near Pantha Niwas on the beach during winter, the sheer number of the dead animals spooked locals.

According to news reports, the forest and marine fisheries authorities have seized two trawlers for carrying out unauthorised fishing - despite a ban which was put in place due to the nesting season of the turtles.

Collector of Puri, Arabind Agarwal, told the media that a report had been sought from the concerned agencies. He said:

Comment: See also this recent report: Thousands of carcasses of Olive Ridley turtles wash ashore in Andhra Pradesh, India

      Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

400 displaced and 1 dead after floods in Tanzania

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:45 UTC
FLOODS
Several periods of heavy rainfall in Tanzania since 14 January 2016 have caused flooding in the regions of Mwanza and Dodoma, according to local media.

At least 400 people have been displaced in Dodoma municipality after 70 houses were destroyed or damaged after heavy rain between 17 and 18 January 2016.

In Mwanza region, a young boy died when he was swept away by flood water in the city of Mwanza, after heavy rain between 14 and 15 January.

Some minor flooding was also reported in Dar es Salaam between 20 and 21 January 2016.

Flood Warnings

Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) warned that further heavy rainfall is expected, with over 50 mm in 24 hours possible in some places, including Lindi, Mtwara and southern parts of Pwani and Morogoro regions. TMA said that due to the heavy rain from previous weeks, additional rains are very likely to cause floods.
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Alarm Clock

2.3 magnitude earthquake hits Saudi Arabia


Gulf Digital News
Thu, 21 Jan 2016 16:38 UTC
earthquake
An earthquake measuring 2.3 degrees on the Richter scale hit the area near the village of Taba, 80 kilometres away from Hail City, at 6.18 am.

According to a reort in Arabic language daily Okaz, tremors which lasted for 16 seconds sparked panic among Taba villagers, who did not allow their children to go to school.

The National Centre for Earthquakes and Volcanoes director Hani Zahran confirmed the quake and dismissed any volcanic activity in the region of Hail, urging people not to panic.
      Read More...
Snowflake Cold

Very low temperatures and heavy snowfall in Mongolia; mass death of livestock


AKIpress
Wed, 20 Jan 2016 15:06 UTC
Mongolia

Yurt in snow storm
Frost-cold-winter Mongolia is experiencing very low temperatures and heavy snowfall since early-November 2015, locally named dzud (or jute, mass deaths of livestock in winter). According to the National Emergency Management Authority, snow has covered 90 percent of the total territory with conditions getting more severe, ReliefWeb reports.

Based on the latest assessment report released from the Mongolian government in early-January 2016, 50 districts in 16 provinces are currently categorized as experiencing dzud, while 120 districts in 20 provinces are on the edge of entering dzud condition.

Some local level governments have already declared dzud in their respective districts as part of the early warning and preparedness measures.

The Information and Research Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment has indicated that based on the weather forecast, continuous snowfall, snowstorms and temperatures are expected to persist on average of below -25 degrees Celsius (-13°F) during daytime and -38 degrees (-36°F) during night in the coming weeks. These will further affect more than 965,000 people, especially vulnerable herders living in the affected districts.
      Read More...
Snowflake

'Historic' blizzard expected to hit US east coast on Friday

David Lawler
The Telegraph (UK)
Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:10 UTC
Snow ploughs in Philadelphia after 2010 'Snowpocalypse'
© AP

Snow ploughs in Philadelphia after 'Snowpocalypse' storm hit US in 2010
National Weather Service warns of "life-threatenting conditions" and "impossible" travel in Washington, with snow also expected in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York

A blizzard of historic proportions is expected to hit Washington, Baltimore and other East Coast cities beginning on Friday, with snowfalls of more than two feet predicted in some areas.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard watch for the Washington area, warning that "potential life-threatening conditions are expected Friday night into Saturday night."

"Travel is expected to be severely limited if not impossible during the height of the storm," the warning reads.


Coupled with the snow - which meteorologists say could be as much as 30 inches deep in Washington - will be high winds that may reach more than 50 miles per hour.
      Read More...
Cloud Grey

Heart-shaped punch hole cloud surprises residents of Houston, Texas


Strange Sounds
Sun, 17 Jan 2016 02:11 UTC
This beautiful heart-shaped fallstreak hole appeared in the sky of Houston, Texas on January 17, 2016 and baffled many skywatchers.

Heart-shaped hole punch cloud
© Gloria Youngblood via Travis Herzog
One day after tubular clouds rolled across Texas, a heart-shaped hole punch cloud unexpectedly appeared in the sky of Houston.

Heart-shaped punch cloud
© Via twitter@CEO4SHO

Comment: Mysterious hole punch clouds appear over Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama

      Read More...
Tornado2

Unusual cold air waterspouts seen off Lake Michigan

Alana Nehring
Detroit Free Press
Wed, 20 Jan 2016 11:35 UTC
Lake Michigan waterpout

A cold air funnel spotted off the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Lake-effect snow and arctic air have both made their presence known during the last several days but another, more unique weather phenomenon was also witnessed.

Viewer Debbie Maglothin snapped a few pictures of cold air waterspouts spinning not too far from the Ludington State Park beach.

Funnels of any kind are hard enough to spot in west Michigan, but cold air funnels are even more unique.
Lake Michigan waterspouts
How does a cold air waterspout form?

- A drastic temperature difference between the air an water is required. In the most recent event, water temperatures were near 32 degrees while air temperatures were closer to 10 degrees.

- A steady breeze needs to be present to jump-start the process of evaporation.

- In most cases, this is also how lake-effect snow is produced but in some unique situations, a slight twisting motion will occur in the steam above the water. If it is maintained long enough, eventually weak funnels will develop.

      Read More...
Umbrella

Huge waves flood Havana, Cuba


Strange Sounds
Wed, 20 Jan 2016 20:26 UTC
large wave Cuba
The ocean was so furious that giant waves flooded the Malecon in Havana on January 17, 2016.

Although in the middle of the ocean, such extreme weather is extrememly rare in Cuba.

Giant wave Havana
© Sergio Abel REYES REINOSO
Giant wave Havana
The storm was so strong that the stone parapet could not hold back the assault of giant waves.

wave Cuba
© Sergio Abel REYES REINOSO
As a result, parts of Havana, the capital of Cuba and some coastal distraicts were flooded.

Here a first video of these Havana's waves:

      Read More...
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