Massive amounts of rain are set to soak large parts of NSW, southern and central Australia with falls of up to 100mm starting from later today amid warnings of widespread flooding .
The drenching will be "one of the biggest rain events in recent history'' according to The Weather Channel.
Tom Saunders, Senior Meteorologist at The Weather Channel said this morning that the rain will start today over Victoria, South Australia and southern NSW.
"Thunderstorms will drop up to 100mm of rain, enough to cause severe flash flooding,'' he said.
"The rain and storms will head north on Tuesday and stall over NSW and central Australia until at least Friday.
"Daily rain will exceed 50mm in some regions, enough to cause flash flooding.
"With rain continuing through the week, weekly totals should easily climb above 100mm across the Murray Basin, northern South Australia and the southern Northern Territory.
"Canberra and Sydney's wettest days should be Wednesday and Thursday.''
Earth Changes
© USGS
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 22:37:56 UTC
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 11:37:56 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location:
44.590°N, 6.727°E
Depth:
3 km (1.9 miles) (poorly constrained)
Region:
FRANCE
Distances:
92 km (57 miles) SW of Torino, Italy
102 km (63 miles) SE of Grenoble, France
107 km (66 miles) NNW of Nice, France
582 km (361 miles) SE of PARIS, France
© RIA Novosti. Ivan Afanasiev
Crack in apartment in Kyzyl
Crack in apartment in Kyzyl
"Judging from the data received from our stations, this is not the continuation of the Tyva earthquake that occurred in late 2011 with its epicenter at the Academician Obruchev Ridge but signals a new series of earthquakes," said Viktor Seleznyov, director of the Geophysical Institute at the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The earthquake, the second powerful tremor in East Siberia in the past two months, had its epicenter located 107 km (66 miles) east of the city of Kyzyl near the border with Mongolia, at a depth of 15 km. The earthquake struck at 10:20 a.m. Moscow time (06:20 GMT) with a magnitude of 6 to 7 points in the epicenter.
The earthquake caused no casualties or damage, according to preliminary data reported by the Russian Emergencies Ministry.
© Colin Underhill/Alamy
Farmers in England's south and Midlands are having to make tough decisions as spring approaches.
Farmers in England's south and Midlands are having to make tough decisions as spring approaches.
Farmers in drought-stricken areas of the country are facing crucial decisions in the next few days and weeks over what to grow this year - and their plans could mean rising food prices for hard-pressed consumers this summer.
Most of the south-east of England was officially declared to be in drought last week, and large swaths of the Midlands and south of England were confirmed as "at risk", with hosepipe bans and other restrictions likely to be introduced soon.
Farmers are particularly at risk as the spring growing period approaches. Soil moisture in the key agricultural region of East Anglia has reached a record low, and many farmers have had their licences to take water from rivers and underground sources curbed. Some key crops - such as potatoes, carrots, onions and lettuce - require much more water than alternatives, and farmers must sow the seeds for many of these staples within days or weeks.
© Unknown
Continuous deaths of crows in Azad garden had alarmed the CMC authorities earlier this month. Flock of crows infected by the mysterious diseases were regularly being found dead in the garden. After the authorities of district veterinary polyclinic were summoned for inspection, they had suggested for closure of Azad garden for two weeks. Accordingly the garden was closed for the public till February 25. Intense fogging was carried out in the garden and entire premise was dusted with lime powder as a preventive measure to curb spread of any virus outside.
While speculation was rife about the spread of some deadly avian disease among crows, vets from polyclinic had collected samples of crows and forwarded it to HSADL, Bhopal. Even as period of closure came to an end on Saturday, no report was received from the Bhopal-based lab. Meanwhile, the deaths of crows in garden premises have continued and over 85 deaths have been reported so far. But intensity of deaths of crow has reportedly diminished since last few days.
© USGS
Earthquake Location
Earthquake Location
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 06:17:19 UTC
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 01:17:19 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
51.731°N, 95.921°E
Depth
11.7 km (7.3 miles)
Region
SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
Distances
101 km (62 miles) E of Kyzyl, Russia
333 km (206 miles) NE of Ulaangom, Mongolia
375 km (233 miles) SE of Abakan, Russia
3758 km (2335 miles) ENE of MOSCOW, Russia
Taipei: A shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake sent panicked people fleeing onto the streets in Taiwan's second-largest city of Kaohsiung on Sunday as rail services were temporarily suspended.
The quake struck 57 kilometres (35 miles) east of the city at 10:34 am (0234 GMT) at a depth of just four kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.
The Hong Kong Observatory measured the quake at magnitude 6.0, while Taiwan's Seismology Centre put the magnitude at 6.1. TV footage showed residents of Kaohsiung running into the streets, fearing their buildings might collapse. Services on a high-speed railway linking Kaohsiung with Taiwan's capital of Taipei in the north were halted temporarily, railway officials told AFP.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. The greater metropolitan area of Kaohsiung has a population of nearly three million people. Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
In September 1999, a 7.6-magnitude tremor killed around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's recent history.
The quake struck 57 kilometres (35 miles) east of the city at 10:34 am (0234 GMT) at a depth of just four kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.
The Hong Kong Observatory measured the quake at magnitude 6.0, while Taiwan's Seismology Centre put the magnitude at 6.1. TV footage showed residents of Kaohsiung running into the streets, fearing their buildings might collapse. Services on a high-speed railway linking Kaohsiung with Taiwan's capital of Taipei in the north were halted temporarily, railway officials told AFP.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. The greater metropolitan area of Kaohsiung has a population of nearly three million people. Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
In September 1999, a 7.6-magnitude tremor killed around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's recent history.
© Associated Press
Wild boars are found all over Pakistan, and are one of its major agricultural pests, which can weigh up to 180 to 220 pounds (80 kilograms to 100 kilograms) and have razor sharp teeth. Adult males come armed with upward curving tusks.
Wild boars are found all over Pakistan, and are one of its major agricultural pests, which can weigh up to 180 to 220 pounds (80 kilograms to 100 kilograms) and have razor sharp teeth. Adult males come armed with upward curving tusks.
With a police officer wounded and the presidential palace breached, the Pakistani capital has launched a fresh offensive against a uniquely feared enemy in the Muslim country, the city's ever expanding population of wild boar.
Each night, packs of the hairy beasts emerge from Islamabad's river beds, parks and scrubland to rifle through the overflowing rubbish bins of its mostly wealthy residents and growing number of restaurants.
City authorities are laying poison and have announced free hunting permits to cull the wild pigs' numbers. But to make sure residents don't get caught in the crossfire, they only allow shotguns. There have been few takers. Hunters are wary of getting arrested by the police, or even worse, getting mistaken for a terrorist.
The animals can weigh up to 180 to 220 pounds (80 kilograms to 100 kilograms) and have razor sharp teeth. Adult males come armed with upward curving tusks. While they scurry off at the site of humans, they charge when cornered, alarmed or wounded and are a major cause of traffic accidents in the city.
The latest chapter of man versus hog played out in a city center police station last week.
"Someone shouted 'watch your back' but before I could look round the animal had hit me," said Sajjad Hussain, who was on duty when the animal slipped in past the high, razor wire-topped blast walls after guards opened the gates to let in a car.
Hussain had a gash in his stomach that required eight stitches and is on medical leave.
© Lano Lan
Visitors at the mud volcano in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Lahad Datu, where its pool has overflowed to about the size of a football field, three times bigger than its normal size.
Visitors at the mud volcano in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Lahad Datu, where its pool has overflowed to about the size of a football field, three times bigger than its normal size.
Volcanic mud has been spewing at least twice to three times more actively than normal since last week. This has created an overflow of the sulphuric substance that has spread over an area as big as a football field. Apart from excited guests at the nearby Tabin Wildlife Resort, the number of wild animals, too, appears to have increased at the mud pool.
(Volcanic mud is believed to contain curative properties with iodine, bromine, calcium and magnesium. According to Wikipedia, since the mud solution has no significant toxic substance, it is used as a curative agent for mud baths at spas. Mud baths have existed for thousands of years and can now be found in high-end spas in many countries of the world.)
The mineral-rich pool serves as a salt lick for animals at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, including endangered species such as the Sumatran rhino and the pygmy elephants.
© MSNBC
Meteorologist Tim Ballisty predicted that Chicago could receive "a half foot or more" of snow.
"On Thursday into Friday, look for a stripe of snow to lay down from the Dakotas into Iowa, northern Illinois, far northern Indiana and lower Michigan," he added. "The bulk of the heaviest snow will fall south of Milwaukee -- closer to the Wisconsin/Illinois border."
Appearing on NBC's Today on Friday, weather.com's Mike Seidel reported that at least 130 flights had been delayed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. He added that prior to Thursday, Chicago had received only 16 inches of snow all winter.
