Earth ChangesS


Igloo

Heavy snow hits airports and roads across Europe

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© AFPHeavy snow is pictured on cars in Linlithgow, in Scotland, on November 30, 2010. The earliest widespread snowfall of a British winter since 1993 blanketed Scotland and northeast England at the weekend and the freezing weather has started moving down England's east coast.
Snow and freezing temperatures severely disrupted airports in Germany and Britain and caused chaos and deaths on roads across Europe on Tuesday. More than 200 flights were cancelled at Frankfurt airport in Germany, the continent's third busiest, while southern German states were blanketed by snow. Large parts of Poland were covered in thick snow, causing hundreds of accidents on the roads and at least four people were killed on snowbound roads in the Czech Republic.

It was so cold in France that electricity network RTE warned of cuts in the supply as the country looked set to top record demand levels while 20 percent of high-speed train services to the hard hit southeast were cancelled. Switzerland suffered its coldest November night for 45 years as temperatures plunged below minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit), according to national weather service Meteosuisse. Even Spain and Portugal were shivering after snow fell in the northern half of the Iberian peninsula.

Britain has been taken by surprise by its earliest widespread snowfall since 1993, forcing hundreds of schools in Scotland and rural parts of England to close and causing treacherous conditions on roads and at smaller airports. Scotland and northeast England had fresh snowfall and the freezing weather has started moving down England's east coast while London had its first sprinkling of snow this winter. London City Airport, a popular departure point for business travellers, was forced at one point to suspend all flights because of snow and ice before resuming with a heavily interrupted service.

Bizarro Earth

Flooding leaves deadly trail of destruction in Venezuela

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© AFPA girl carries a mattress, rescued from her house after a landslide due to heavy rains at Roca Tarpeya neighborhood, in Caracas. Days of driving rain have sparked massive flooding in Venezuela that has killed at least 21 people and left thousands homeless, Vice President Elias Jaua said Tuesday.
Torrential rains in Venezuela have killed 17 people, closed airports, blocked roads and destroyed thousands of homes in the past few days, sparking regional declarations of disaster, officials said Tuesday.

President Hugo Chavez was being urged by several governors to declare a national state of emergency, with fears mounting that the death toll could rise because of the number of people listed as missing.

Official figures said 56,000 people had been affected by the tropical rains and 11,000 homes were destroyed.

Chavez himself late Monday spoke of 15 deaths, but the governor of the northern state of Vargas, Jorge Luis Garcia Carneiro, on Tuesday said another two people subsequently died, bringing the total to 17.

The international airport in Caracas was still operating, but at reduced capacity, and the highway leading to it was cut in several spots by mudlsides.

An electrical blackout caused by the storms also limited operations at the country's biggest oil refinery and paralysed another, smaller refinery.

Both facilities were in the state of Falcon, in the northwest, where Chavez declared a 90-day emergency.

Cloud Lightning

Torrential rains leave 21 dead in Venezuela

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© Carlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersA woman cries after being rescued from her house, which had collapsed during torrential rains, in the Tamanaquito area of Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday. At least 21 people have died and thousands have been forced from their houses after weeks of downpours.
Flooding and landslides unleashed by torrential rains have killed at least 21 people in Venezuela, forced thousands from their homes and idled an oil refinery.

The death toll rose on Tuesday as authorities confirmed eight additional deaths in Caracas and nearby states. Vice President Elias Jaua said there had been 21 deaths nationwide since Thursday and about 5,600 people fled their homes.

Gov. Henrique Capriles decreed a "state of alarm" in Miranda state, which includes parts of the capital, aiming to speed aid to flood victims. Capriles, speaking to Venezuelan television station Globovision, called on President Hugo Chavez to declare an emergency in the state.

Chavez has already declared an emergency in the western state of Falcon, which has been particularly hard hit, and the military has been dispatched to aid victims.

Alarm Clock

Moderate quake jolts Tibet; no injuries reported

A moderate quake jolted the eastern part of Tibet on Tuesday, though no casualties were reported. The 5.5-magnitude quake, which occurred at 4:39 pm local time, was located about 45 miles (75 kilometers) west of Lhasa, the regional capital of Tibet, according to the US Geological Survey.

The China Earthquake Networks Center, which reported the quake was magnitude 5.2 on the Richter scale, said the epicenter was in Gedar township in Damxung county near the capital.

Igloo

The Ice Age Cometh: Ireland records coldest November temperatures since 1947

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© John FahyA rare sighting of a bottlenose dolphin breaching at Killiney Bay in front of a snow-covered Dalkey Island, Co Dublin.
Record low November temperatures are set to be broken again today with very cold easterly winds and further heavy snowfalls. Met Éireann said that a wind chill factor would combine with heavy snowfalls of up to 25cm (10in) in east Leinster by tonight, making travel difficult and reducing temperatures.

Met Éireann said the wind chill "will make it very much colder than recent days" and added there was no sign of a thaw this side of the weekend.

Water authorities have warned of disruption to supplies which they say would "almost inevitably" follow the current cold spell.

Record low November temperatures were broken at weather stations in recent days, while Dublin airport recorded the lowest November temperatures since 1947 on Sunday.

The heaviest snowfalls today are expected to be in Wicklow, Dublin and Louth but snow is also expected to be heavy in Ulster, Connacht and, by tonight, in Waterford and the south coast. Scattered snow showers are predicted for the midlands.

The Government's emergency planning taskforce met yesterday to co-ordinate information on public transport and travel arrangements as well as efforts to keep key national and strategic routes open and clear city footpaths of ice.

Bizarro Earth

US: Earthquake Magnitude 3.9 - Off Long Island Coast

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© USGS
A minor, 3.9 magnitude earthquake was confirmed Tuesday morning off the coast of Long Island.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake occurred just over 80-miles from Southampton and 122 miles southeast of New York City. A handful of East End residents, from East Hampton to Southampton have reported feeling the quake, which a dispatcher from Southampton Town Police said shook police headquarters in Hampton Bays for seven seconds.

No injuries or damages have been reported as a result of the quake.

Bizarro Earth

9 Quakes Recorded Around Mount Bulusan in the Philippines

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© Unknown
At least nine volcanic quakes were recorded near restive Bulusan Volcano in Bicol in the last 24 hours, national disaster management officials said Tuesday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also reported weak emission of white steam from the volcano's northwest thermal vents.

"For the past 24-hour observation period, Bulusan Volcano's seismic network detected nine volcanic quakes. Measurement of sulfur dioxide emission rate yielded an average value of 36.56 tons per day. Weak emission of white steam was observed from the northwest thermal vents from 8:35 to 10:35 a.m. (Monday)," the NDRRMC said in its 8 a.m. bulletin.

Attention

Volcano Forces Airport Shut in Indonesia

Volcano Errupting
© PressTVMount Bromo spews volcanic material as it erupts in this aerial shot taken ‎from an Indonesian Air Force airplane that flew over Probolinggo, East Java, ‎Indonesia on Monday, Nov. 29, 2010.‎
Ash eruption from Indonesia's Mount Bromo volcano has forced nearby airports to close, leaving several passengers stranded in the east Java region.

Officials say civilian flights to and from Abdurahman Saleh Airport in East Java Province will remain grounded for at least five days. Tourists were not allowed to visit Mount Bromo on Friday.

Volcanic eruption from this mountain killed two tourists in 2004.

Indonesia is home to about 130 active volcanoes.

This follows the deaths of hundreds of people after Mount Merapi started its volcanic activities in late October.

Igloo

Arctic conditions paralyse Scotland

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© STVNew danger: police have warned drivers to take care on the roads.
As the snow continues and black ice warnings are issued, the country faces another day of travel chaos and school closures.

Scotland woke up to yet more snow on Tuesday morning, as severe weather warnings were issued for widespread black ice and temperatures as low as minus eight.

By midday on Tuesday most towns and cities were experiencing sub-zero temperatures with Inverness reaching a record low for November overnight - at minus 14.

Plunging temperatures meant untreated roads froze up, leaving many commuters struggling to get to work and schools facing closure for a second day running.

Snowman

Schools And Transport Hit As Snow Blankets UK

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© naTraffic comes to standstill in heavy snow on M8 near Harthill services in Scotland
Heavy snowfall has caused major disruption to Britain's transport networks and forced hundreds of schools to close, as forecasters warn of more wintry weather to come.

Almost every corner of the UK woke up to between 2cm and 10cm of snow this morning, with the East Coast worst hit by flurries and sub-zero temperatures.

The freezing conditions that have paralysed much of Scotland and the North East spread overnight to the Midlands before moving on towards the South East and London.

Severe weather warnings of heavy snowfall and widespread road ice have been issued by the Met Office across almost every part of the UK.

All airports are currently open but some flights are being delayed or cancelled. Gatwick, Luton and London City Airports have reported cancellations.