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Extreme weather hits UK; intense thunderstorm, flash flooding, 'tornado' reported in Sheffield

Jacob Furedi
The Independent (UK)
Wed, 14 Sep 2016 14:56 UTC
Yorkshire sheet lightning

Nicola Lees stopped at the side of the road in Beckwithshaw, outside of Harrogate, Yorkshire, England to take this picture of sheet lightning.

Flash floods also strike Manchester supermarket and city centre

Residents reported a "tornado" touching down in Sheffield last night amid a night of extreme weather across the UK.

Conditions varied hugely across the country, with a high of 34.4C in Gravesend making Tuesday the hottest the day of 2016, and hottest September day since 1911.

During the evening, a number of Sheffield's residents filmed what appeared to be a tornado unfurling on the outskirts of the city.

Extreme weather was experienced across the country. Manchester City's Champions League tie with Borussia Monchengladbach was cancelled due to the heavy downpour.

In addition to the Etihad Stadium, an Asda supermarket in Greater Manchester had to be closed after torrential rain caused a flash flood in the shopping aisles.

People were also forced to wade through knee-deep water in the centre of Manchester. Residents awoke to sink holes in Manchester's streets.

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Attention

Over 700 rare birds die due to storm in Majuli, India


The Times of India
Wed, 14 Sep 2016 18:08 UTC
Adjutant storks

Adjutant storks
More than 700 adjutant storks, an endangered species, were killed in a heavy storm that lashed Majuli district on Tuesday.

Haren Saikia, a forest officer on the island, said, "The birds were found dead in the Garmur area of the island on Tuesday morning. Many of them were chicks."

He added, "The storks died as their nests were damaged by the storm which hit the island at 1.30 am and lasted an hour."

According to data available with the forest department, Garmur is home to more than 6,000 endangered bird species.
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Windsock

Super Typhoon Meranti: World's strongest cyclone this year batters Taiwan en route to China


RT
Wed, 14 Sep 2016 16:09 UTC
Super Typhoon Meranti
© NOAA/NASA RAMMB/CIRA
Hundreds of people were evacuated and thousands of homes lost power across south and east Taiwan as Super Typhoon Meranti battered the island on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said the Category 5 storm is the strongest in the world so far this year. The bureau also warned that several cities in the south and east of the island are at risk of torrential rain and flooding.

Meanwhile, China is bracing itself for the super typhoon's impact along the country's southeastern coast with scores of canceled flights and locals advised to stay indoors as Meranti approaches.

More than 500,000 homes in Taiwan lost power as Meranti struck with maximum winds of nearly 230kph. Close to 1,500 people have been evacuated from at-risk areas across the south and east, with about half of those people taking refuge in temporary shelters.

Most domestic flights have been canceled and international flights have also been affected.


Comment: Asian typhoons are becoming more frequent and intense, researchers say

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Attention

Russian scientists trapped inside an Arctic research lab for 2 weeks after 10 polar bears 'besieged' it

Julian Robinson
Daily Mail
Wed, 14 Sep 2016 16:26 UTC
Scientists have been trapped inside an Arctic

Scientists have been trapped inside an Arctic research lab for two weeks - after polar bears 'besieged' it and ate their dog (file picture)

Scientists have been trapped inside an Arctic research unit for two weeks - after polar bears 'besieged' it and ate their dog.

The five researchers have been camped out inside a weather station on the remote Troynoy island in the Kara Sea off Russia since August with 10 adult bears said to be circling the base.

One of the animals even spends its nights sleeping outside a window, preventing the Russian staff members from going outside.

Team members have run out of flares while one of their dogs has already been killed by a bear, Russian news agency TASS reports.

Russian authorities are sending out reinforcements, including dogs and new flares to scare the bears away.
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Seismograph

Shallow magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near Solomon Islands

Siobhan Fenton
The Independent (UK)
Wed, 14 Sep 2016 08:44 UTC
Solomon Islands
© TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images
Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands

The region has been struck by a number of earthquakes in recent years

A magnitude 6 earthquake has struck 89km west of Honiara on the Solomon Islands, the US Geographical Survey has said.

The quake had a depth of 10km, which is considered shallow.

It struck at approximately 18:00 local time or 07:30 UK time.

Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands.

There have been no reports of injuries or serious damage and no immediate tsunami warning has been issued.

The US Geographical Society has issued a green alert, saying "there is a low likelihood of casualties and damage". They warned that some secondary effects or further damage may be possible as "recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses."
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Binoculars

'Lost' pelican from Australia the first such bird to be seen in the Philippines


The Straits Times
Wed, 14 Sep 2016 13:35 UTC
An Australian white pelican in the coastal waters of General Santos City on Sept 12, 2016.
© AFP
An Australian white pelican in the coastal waters of General Santos City on Sept 12, 2016.
An Australian pelican that strayed hundreds of kilometres from its nearest known habitat to end up in the Philippines is the first such bird to be seen in the Asian archipelago, wildlife enthusiasts said.

The waterbird flew into a fish breeding farm on the outskirts of the southern port of General Santos in early September, resident Levy Discamento told AFP.

"We saw a small flock of swallows chasing this big strange bird. There was an air battle until the big bird gave up and ran towards the mangroves," Mr Discamento said, recounting his first sighting.

The mostly white pelican - a species which boasts the longest bill of any bird, measuring up to 47cm - has since attracted a flood of Filipino and foreign birdwatchers.

They rent dugouts to watch and photograph the bird while it gorges on fish in nearby Sarangani Bay, Mr Discamento said.

"We feel (it) is a blessing, bringing good vibes to people," Mr Jimmy Poja, a local fisherman, told AFP.
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Bug

Bee attack kills man in Uvalde County, Texas

Vanesa Brashier
Chron
Wed, 14 Sep 2016 11:55 UTC
Jerry Chapman
© Cleveland Advocate
Jerry Chapman
A 74-year-old Liberty County man died after he was attacked by what are believed to be Africanized honey bees while on a hunting lease in Uvalde County, Texas.

Jerry Chapman and his wife of 52 years, Frances, of Hardin, were at their hunting lease over the Labor Day weekend when the attack occurred.

Frances says the bees had been discovered inside an exterior compartment of their fifth-wheel travel trailer. They had entered the compartment through a small screw hole. Jerry donned a borrowed beekeeper's mask and was in the process of removing the bees when he was attacked.

"The bees must have found a way to get into the mask. He started running and threw the head gear off and ran to our truck and got inside, but they were all over his bee suit," Frances said.

Trapped inside the travel trailer with a swarm of bees surrounding it, Frances called her husband's cell phone and asked what she could do to help.
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Attention

Scientists warn of magma buildup inside Japan's Sakurajima volcano

Brooks Hays
UPI.com
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 10:18 UTC
Japan's Sakurajima volcano
© wdeon / Shutterstock
Southwestern Japan's Sakurajima volcano is seen erupting on February 15, 2011. New research suggests a much larger, more violent eruption is likely to happen within the next 25 years.
Researchers are worried Japan's Sakurajima volcano could be primed for a violent eruption. A new study suggests magma is filling the volcano's reservoir and pressure is building. The stage is set, scientists warn, for a repeat of Sakurajima's deadly 1914 eruption. The natural disaster killed 58 people, with lava flows from the stratovolcano lasting several months.

The overflow of magma filled the narrow strait separating the volcanic island from southwestern Japan's Osumi Peninsula, causing flooding in the city of Kagoshima, which has since been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern World."

Recently, a team of researchers from the University of Exeter and University of Bristol developed a new method for imaging the underground plumbing system that supplies Sakurajima with its molten rock.

The results of their imaging survey were published this week in the journal Scientific Reports.

"What we have discovered is not just how the magma flows into the reservoir, but just how great the reservoir is becoming," lead researcher James Hickey said in a news release.
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Windsock

Asian typhoons are becoming more frequent and intense, researchers say

Avaneesh Pandey
International Business Times
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 06:37 UTC
Typhoon Haiyan
© REUTERS/NOAA
Typhoon Haiyan is pictured in this NOAA satellite handout image over the Philippines taken Nov. 8, 2013.
The impact of warming oceans on fragile marine organisms such as corals is already well-documented. What is less well-known is the effect of warming seas on the intensity and destructive power of tropical cyclones pummeling the coastlines of countries in east and southeast Asia.

In a new study based on data collected by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center — managed by the U.S. Navy and Air Force — and the Japan Meteorological Agency, two researchers have found that over the past 40 years, typhoons in the northwest Pacific have intensified by 12 to 15 percent on average. In addition, the proportion of category 4 and 5 typhoons — those with wind speed between 130 and 156 mph or higher — have doubled, or even tripled, in some regions.

"It is a very, very substantial increase," lead author Wei Mei from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told the Guardian. "We believe the results are very important for East Asian countries because of the huge populations in these areas. People should be aware of the increase in typhoon intensity because when they make landfall these can cause much more damage."

Comment: Weather is becoming more extreme all around the planet. Keep up to date with the latest developments by viewing our monthly SOTT Earth Changes Summary.

SOTT Earth Changes Summary - August 2016: Extreme Weather, Planetary, Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

To understand what's going on, check out our book explaining how all these events are part of a natural climate shift, and why it's taking place now: Earth Changes and the Human-Cosmic Connection.

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Bizarro Earth

5.9 earthquake strikes Colombia


RT
Wed, 14 Sep 2016 02:43 UTC
Colombia quake map
© SkyAlert / Twitter
A powerful earthquake measuring 5.9 magnitude has struck northwest Colombia, the US Geological Survey reports.

The epicenter of the quake was located some 129 km (about 66 miles) north northwest of the country's second largest city, Medellin, at a depth of 72 km (45 miles).

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
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