Active sunspot 1401 erupted today, Jan. 19th, between 15:15 and 16:30 UT. The long-duration blast produced an M3-class solar flare and a CME that appears to be heading toward Earth. This movie from the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the extreme UV flash:
NASA's twin STEREO spacecraft recorded an impressive CME emerging from the blast site: movie #1, movie #2. Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab confirm that the CME is heading for Earth, and they say strong geomagnetic storms are possible (although not guaranteed) when the cloud arrives this weekend. Their animated forecast track predicts an impact on Jan. 21st at 22:30 UT (+/- 7 hrs).
Earth Changes
Snow fell Tuesday in the Sahara Desert in western Algeria. A 24-hour cold spell brought snow and rain to the region. Strong wind blew the snow across roads and buildings in the province of Bechar.
Meteorologists predicted a return of good weather Wednesday. People who live in the region said the snow was good for the palm trees because it killed parasites.
Meteorologists predicted a return of good weather Wednesday. People who live in the region said the snow was good for the palm trees because it killed parasites.
© LDA
Hey, stranger! This guy must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
Hey, stranger! This guy must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
A Seattle resident recently got a big surprise when she discovered a strange-looking furry visitor on her property.
"She woke up and it was lying on her dock, hanging out and sleeping - just chilling," said Matthew Cleland, district supervisor in western Washington for the USDA's Wildlife Services, and the recipient of a photo of the bizarre intruder.
"I thought, 'That's an interesting-looking creature,'" Cleland told OurAmazingPlanet. "I had no idea what it was."
A quick glance through a book in his office soon revealed it was a ribbon seal, an Arctic species that spends most of its life at sea, swimming the frigid waters off Alaska and Russia.
Somehow, the seal turned up on the woman's property, about a mile from the mouth of the Duwamish River, a highly industrialized waterway that cuts through southern Seattle. In 2001, the EPA declared the last 5.5 miles (9 kilometers) of the river a Superfund site - an area contaminated with hazardous substances in need of cleanup.
The sighting was "pretty exciting," said Arctic seal researcher Peter Boveng, leader of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory's Polar Ecosystems Program. "It's really unusual."
© REUTERS/Robert Sorbo
Alaska Airlines passenger planes are de-iced at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, January 18, 2012, as snow blanketed most of western Washington.
Alaska Airlines passenger planes are de-iced at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, January 18, 2012, as snow blanketed most of western Washington.
The National Weather Service declared an ice storm warning early on Thursday through noon local time for eight western Washington counties.
Record-setting daily snowfall of 6.8 inches was measured early Thursday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, shattering the previous record of 2.9 inches in 1954, said meteorologist Dan DePodwin on Accuweather.com.
As a result of the storm which arrived on Tuesday evening and was nicknamed "Snowmageddon," the airport remained closed with its three runways and ramps coated with ice.
"We're still not seeing departures at this point," airport spokesman Perry Cooper said.
© 97.3 KIRO FM/Tim Haeck
Thousands without power; State of emergency declared
Passengers wait at Sea-Tac Airport after several flights were canceled on Thursday. The airport was able to open just one of three runways. Crews are de-icing planes.
Thousands without power; State of emergency declared
Passengers wait at Sea-Tac Airport after several flights were canceled on Thursday. The airport was able to open just one of three runways. Crews are de-icing planes.
Puget Sound Energy is reporting 180,000 customers without power, Seattle City Light has more than 6,700, Tacoma Power was reporting about 5,200, and PUD has roughly 5,100. And it may not be restored for some of those homes until the weekend.
Andy Wappler, with PSE, tells 97.3 KIRO FM the number is likely to rise throughout the day as the ice builds up and weighs down tree branches.
"Even when the ice storm ends, that ice won't be going anywhere."
© Unknown
People from a wide ranges of cities and countries have uploaded videos.
While some appear to be relatively obvious hoaxes, others remain unexplained and ideas as to what the noises might be range from the mundane to the arguably ridiculous.
Some people on social networking sites, online forums and video sharing sites have suggested the strange noises might be the work of HAARP or High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program. HAARP is a US-based research project that studies the ionosphere - a part of the Earth's upper atmosphere - and it has regularly been the subject of conspiracy theorists' discussions.
© USGS
The magnitude 5.5 quake hit at 4:05pm (local time) about 10 kilometres outside the city of Neyshabur, which is some 70km away from the holy city of Mashhad, the official IRNA news agency said.
"There have been no reports of casualties yet," Red Crescent official Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh told the semi-official Fars news agency, adding that windows of some houses in Neyshabur had been shattered.
The IRNA news agency said the quake lasted seven seconds and was the strongest felt in the region in 10 years.
Editor's note: USGS lists the earthquake as a magnitude 5.1 - data here.
© AP / Rick Bowmer
A crushed automobile lies under a toppled tree at a home Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in Oregon City, Ore.
A crushed automobile lies under a toppled tree at a home Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in Oregon City, Ore.
Another child and a man were rescued Wednesday evening, but rescuers searched Thursday for another adult missing in the creek in the Willamette Valley community of Albany, Ore., about 70 miles south of Portland, Ore., said fire department spokeswoman Wanda Omdahl.
The child who escaped was taken to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland.
Omdahl said she didn't know the age or gender of either child.
Rising water from recent heavy rains swelled Periwinkle Creek and carried the car from the parking lot of Mega Foods about 7 p.m. Wednesday. "We had a ton of rain," Omdahl said. "I haven't seen that creek like that since '96."
"The water just got high so fast," she said. "It's a big tragedy."
© fearbeneath.com
It is believed a three-metre tiger shark attacked the 26-year-old man this afternoon.
Police say the man's injuries are not life-threatening but it is believed he has sustained severe lacerations to his right forearm arm.
He has being flown to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment and is in a stable condition.
© scubaaddict.com
Glen Folkard was surfing on Wednesday afternoon when he was attacked by what is believed to be a bull shark.
He suffered serious injuries to his upper leg and torso as the shark struck, taking a large chunk out of his board.
Eyewitness Steve Tidey says Mr Folkard did not panic, but instead alerted nearby surfers to his plight.
"He yelled out I've been hit, I'm in trouble," he recalled.
Comment: The reader may want to check out the discussion about the sounds on Laura Knight-Jadczyk's FB page as well as the Forum discussion here.