Severe storms were expected to spread across several southeastern U.S. states on Sunday into Monday with tornadoes, highwinds and large hail possible, weather forecasters said.
A second stormfront expected to hit California late Sunday night will bring significant snowfall to the mountain regions, according to the National Weather Service, before rolling into the southern United States later in the week.
The potential for severe storms stretched from the Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi to southern Indiana and Ohio, according to AccuWeather.com meteorologist Bill Deger.
Earth Changes
© USGS
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 05:53:41 UTC
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 03:53:41 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
56.670°S, 25.018°W
Depth
9.8 km (6.1 miles)
Region
SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
Distances
138 km (85 miles) E of Visokoi Island, South Sandwich Islands
281 km (174 miles) NNE of Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands
2195 km (1363 miles) ESE of STANLEY, Falkland Islands
3532 km (2194 miles) SE of BUENOS AIRES, D.F., Argentina
Sinkhole near the village of Gurbuki Karabudakhkent in Dagestan. Scientist are trying to find out what caused this giant sinkhole.
A magnitude-6.2 earthquake that hit off the coast of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on Saturday shook as far away as El Salvador but brought no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The quake at 12:47 p.m. local time (1:47 p.m. EST; 18:47 GMT) broke windows in the Chiapas state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez and sent frightened residents into the streets in numerous cities. It was felt from the Mexican state of Veracruz, through Pacific regions of Guatemala and into El Salvador.
"It was quite long and felt with a lot of force," said Carlos Lopez Mendoza, spokesman with the Red Cross in El Salvador.
The quake at 12:47 p.m. local time (1:47 p.m. EST; 18:47 GMT) broke windows in the Chiapas state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez and sent frightened residents into the streets in numerous cities. It was felt from the Mexican state of Veracruz, through Pacific regions of Guatemala and into El Salvador.
"It was quite long and felt with a lot of force," said Carlos Lopez Mendoza, spokesman with the Red Cross in El Salvador.
© USGS
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 18:47:15 UTC
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 12:47:15 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
14.959°N, 93.107°W
Depth
66.1 km (41.1 miles)
Region
OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO
Distances
91 km (56 miles) W of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
143 km (88 miles) SSE of Tonala, Chiapas, Mexico
171 km (106 miles) W of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
811 km (503 miles) SE of MEXICO CITY, D.F., Mexico
© n/a
Instead of collecting, isolating, and guarding the millions of tons of radioactive rubble that resulted from the chain reaction of the 9.0 earthquake, the subsequent 45- to 50-foot wall of water that swamped the plant and disabled the cooling systems for the reactors, and the ensuing meltdowns, Japanese Environment Minister Goshi Hosono says that the entire country must share Fukushima's plight by accepting debris from the disaster.
The tsunami left an estimated 20 million tons of wreckage on the land, much of which - now ten months after the start of the disaster - is festering in stinking piles throughout the stricken region. (Up to 20 million more tons of rubble from the disaster - estimated to cover an area approximately the size of California - is also circulating in the Pacific.) The enormous volume of waste is much more than the disaster areas can handle. So, in an apparent attempt to return this region to some semblance of normal life, the plan is to spread out the waste to as many communities across the country as will take it.
Four people have been struck by lightning and thousands are without power as dangerous weather sweeps Perth and the outer metropolitan coast.
The State Emergency Service has warned people to stay safe as the storm sweeps through Perth and the coast from Lancelin to Mandurah.
A man was hit by lightning in Mandurah at 4am and St John Ambulance confirmed later today that a man was struck by lightning in Baldivis and was taken to Rockingham Hospital. Another person was struck by lightning in Welshpool.
None of the lightning victims have life-threatening injuries.
A St John Spokeswoman said that they had recieved a call for a fourth person struck by lightning in Myaree but that the ambulance was cancelled.
See reader pictures of the storm
© Reader Grahame Kelaher / PerthNow
Lightning strikes at Secret Harbour beach this morning at around 1am.
Lightning strikes at Secret Harbour beach this morning at around 1am.
A man was hit by lightning in Mandurah at 4am and St John Ambulance confirmed later today that a man was struck by lightning in Baldivis and was taken to Rockingham Hospital. Another person was struck by lightning in Welshpool.
None of the lightning victims have life-threatening injuries.
A St John Spokeswoman said that they had recieved a call for a fourth person struck by lightning in Myaree but that the ambulance was cancelled.
See reader pictures of the storm
Iran's state TV says the number of people injured by a Thursday earthquake of moderate strength affecting the northeastern city of Neyshabour has increased to around 230.
The Friday report says 30 of the injured people were hospitalized, with the others treated for minor injuries and released. No deaths have yet been reported.
State TV reports that many residents of the city camped out overnight in subzero weather in streets and parks, fearing further tremors.
Since Thursday afternoon's magnitude 5.5 earthquake, some 75 aftershocks have jolted the city of 220,000 about 550 miles northeast of the capital Tehran.
Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes, experiencing at least one slight quake a day on average.
Source: The Associated Press
The Friday report says 30 of the injured people were hospitalized, with the others treated for minor injuries and released. No deaths have yet been reported.
State TV reports that many residents of the city camped out overnight in subzero weather in streets and parks, fearing further tremors.
Since Thursday afternoon's magnitude 5.5 earthquake, some 75 aftershocks have jolted the city of 220,000 about 550 miles northeast of the capital Tehran.
Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes, experiencing at least one slight quake a day on average.
Source: The Associated Press
© The Associated Press
Firefighters battle a wind-driven brush fire burning through Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., Jan. 19, 2012.
Firefighters battle a wind-driven brush fire burning through Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., Jan. 19, 2012.
About 2,000 people remained under evacuation orders late Thursday as 250 firefighters battled the blaze, said Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez, who warned that a full assessment might reveal even more damage.
There was one fatality in the fire area, Hernandez said, but he declined to provide more details, saying an autopsy would be needed to determine the cause of death.
The fire, of unknown origin, broke out shortly after noon in a valley along U.S. Highway 395. Soon, more than 10,000 people were told to flee their homes.
© TEPCO
I noted last month in connection with Tepco's announcement of "cold shutdown" of the Fukushima reactors:
If the reactors are "cold", it may be because most of the hot radioactive fuel has leaked out.
The New York Times pointed out last month:A former nuclear engineer with three decades of experience at a major engineering firm ... who has worked at all three nuclear power complexes operated by Tokyo Electric [said] "If the fuel is still inside the reactor core, that's one thing" .... But if the fuel has been dispersed more widely, then we are far from any stable shutdown."Indeed, if the center of the reactors are in fact relatively "cold", it may be because most of the hot radioactive fuel has leaked out of the containment vessels and escaped into areas where it can do damage to the environment.
