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Fri, 29 Oct 2021
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Cloud Lightning

Motorcyclist killed by lightning strike near Thessaloniki, Greece

lightning
Authorities in Greece say a 58-year-old motorcyclist was killed when lightning struck him on a highway.

Police say the man was found dead 40 kilometers east of the northern city of Thessaloniki with a hole in his helmet, presumably the result of the lightning striking him.

The victim was driving toward the city in stormy conditions.

There were no details about burns on the body, but authorities say they are certain the motorcyclist's death was not the result of his 800-cc motorcycle falling after the lightning.

Source: AP

Seismograph

Hawaii shook by shallow 5.5 magnitude earthquake as Kilauea volcano eruption continues

An ash plume rises from Halemaumau Crater
© USGS/HVO webcam
An ash plume rises from Halemaumau Crater at 4 p.m. HST Sunday, June 3, 2018.
HAWAII'S Big Island has been rocked by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake at a depth of 1.14km and 5km south-west of Kilauea Volcano, near Crater Rim Drive, Pahoa, according to the US Geological Survey.

It is the largest earthquake to strike the island since a 6.9 earthquake rocked Hawaii on May 4 near the erupting volcano.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said some areas may have experienced strong shaking.

However, they have currently not issued a tsunami warning.

No damages or injuries have currently been reported.

The tremor was located near Mount Kilauea, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea Military Camp, Volcano House and Volcano Winery.

There have been over 500 earthquakes in the summit area of Kilauea in the last 24 hours.

The quake sent a plume of ash up to 8,000 ft as the wind blew in the southwest direction.

Brian Shiro, a supervisory geophysicist at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said it was the highest rate of quakes ever measured at the summit area.

Telescope

Strange skies: Red Sprites in Oklahoma, aurora Steve in Canada, iridescent clouds in Illinois and noctilucent clouds in Denmark

red sprites oklahoma 30th May 2018
© Paul Smith
Red Sprite Lightning. May 30, 2018 @ Edmond, Oklahoma, USA
The epicentre of Sprite Alley

Oklahoma is a good place to see sprites. "I photograph them often," says Paul Smith of Edmond OK. "Here are some examples from May 30th flashing above fast-moving storms in the Oklahoma panhandle."

"Venus is the bright 'star' just behind the windmill," he adds.

Oklahoma is the epicenter of a region that we call "Sprite Alley," a corridor stretching across the US Great Plains where intense thunderstorms produce lots of upward directed lightning--a.k.a. "sprites."

Comment: It wasn't so long ago that these strange sights in the sky were considered a rarity, now they're being documented daily. And it's not just up above that we're paying witness to the great changes afoot, it's below too: Also check out SOTT's monthly documentary: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - April 2018: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs


Attention

Drone footage reveals mysterious cracks in Kilauea

hawaii volcano
© Getty
A drone mission has alarmed scientists monitoring the erupting Hawaii volcano.
A drone mission has alarmed scientists monitoring the erupting Hawaii volcano, which has become one of the world's most dangerous and volatile sites.

Kilauea has shocked the world with streams of lava swallowing houses and giant fissures opening up across Hawaii.

The latest aerial drone footage of the volcano has revealed dramatic changes within the volcano spotted at one of Kilauea's main craters

There are new alarming cracks and fault seen in a collapsed crater, some of which are spewing with intense steam.

Scientists are concerned that an "expanding collapsed crater" and the debris blocking the vent could trigger a massive explosion.

Fire

Wildfires sweep through Colorado and New Mexico; hundreds of acres ablaze

Ute Park Fire

Teachers cook for first responders on the scene of the Ute Park Fire in New Mexico.
Massive wildfires in Colorado and New Mexico have torched thousands of acres and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes. A blaze known as the 416 Fire in Colorado's La Plata County has burned 1,100 acres, US Forest Service spokesman Jim Mackensen told CNN on Saturday.

The fire, about 15 miles outside the town of Durango, is 0% contained and has forced the evacuations of 1,500 residents, Mackensen said. No structures have been destroyed, he added.

By Friday evening, the blaze had prompted La Plata County Manager Joanne Spina to declare a state of local disaster.Grass, brush and timber continued to fuel the fire on Saturday morning.

The fire broke out on the west side of US 550, according to a Forest Service update posted on InciWeb, a government-operated multiagency fire response site. That highway is closed as firefighters work to prevent the fire from crossing it.

Attention

Shocking images show pilot whale died with over 80 trash bags in its stomach

Whale died from plastic bags
© Reuters
80 plastic bags found in Thai pilot whale’s stomach.
A whale in Thailand died after ingesting over 80 plastic bags. An autopsy on the pilot whale, which was found in a canal in the southern province of Songkhla, revealed that its gut was packed to capacity with trash bags.

A team of veterinarians worked for five days to free the animal from the canal. Ultimately, their efforts proved unsuccessful as the country's Marine and Coastal Resources Department reported that the whale spit out five plastic bags just prior to its death on Friday. A post-mortem found that its stomach was clogged with another 80 bags and other items with a total weight of 8kg.

Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine biologist and lecturer at Kasetsart University, said the bags made it difficult for the whale to perform its normal digestive functions. "If you have 80 plastic bags in your stomach, you die," he told Sky News.

Arrow Down

Large sinkhole appears in Berkeley County, West Virginia

sinkhole
Recent storms have caused damage throughout the Eastern Panhandle, including creating a sinkhole on the side of Tuscarora Pike in Berkeley County.

Crews say the sinkhole is reported about 15 feet deep and 10 feet wide. Currently, the sinkhole is confined to the side of the road, and crews on the scene were not sure if it will spread to the road ot not.

Crew members say they do not know how long it will take to fix, but they are expecting more heavy equipment to help get the job done.


Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 3, injures 2 in Malayer, Iran

lightning
Thunderstorms and lightning killed three people and injured two others in Malayer in the west of Iran on Saturday, according to the spokesman for Iran's Emergency Management Organization.

Mojtaba Khaledi, spokesman for Iran's Emergency Management Organization, said thunderstorms and lightning have killed three people and injured two others in Malayer County, in the western province of Hamedan on Saturday afternoon.

Immediately after the lightning struck, an ambulance was dispatched to the scene to transfer the bodies of the injured and the killed to the hospital, he added.

He gave no further details about the severity of the condition of the two injured.

On Friday, Khaledi reported death of four people and injury of nine by lighting strikes across the country.

Comment: Also over the last few days a total of at least 12 people and 40 sheep were killed by lightning strikes across India, while 2 were fatally hit in the Philppines.


Cloud Precipitation

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Water returns to ancient cities & river channels after 3000+ years of drought

Afghanistan flooding
© The Nation
At least 60 people have been killed in flash floods across 13 provinces in Afghanistan in May 2018.
With river channels filling after thousands of years of being dry in Afghanistan, and also next to abandoned ruins and the same thing happening in east Africa as lakes not full since the end of the mid-Holocene refilling, we seriously need to ask ourselves if this isn't a 3000 year + cycle we are repeating, not just a regular 400 year Grand Solar Minimum.


Windsock

Another deadly dust storm hits Uttar Pradesh, India, 17 killed

Dust storm in Uttar Pradesh, India
© ANI
Dust storm in Uttar Pradesh claims 17 lives
At least 17 persons have been reported dead in dust storm which hit western Uttar Pradesh on Friday evening.

Muradabad has the highest number of casualties (7) while Muzaffarnagar and Meerutreported two deaths each. Three persons died in Sambhal and two deaths were reported from Badaun. Relief commissioner Sanjay Kumarsaid that all these deaths have been reported due to tree or house collapse incidents.

A tin shed collapsed in Amroha killing one person. Kumar said that district magistrates have been asked to ensure that relief material are distributed within 24 hours and compensations are disbursed to affected families at the earliest.

Close to 150 persons have died in the state due to thunder storms since May 1 this year. While some deaths were reported due to lightning strikes, most deaths have occurred due to wall or tree collapse incidents.

Comment: A month ago powerful 'freak' dust storms killed over 125 people in north India, the highest death toll in decades.

While dust storms and thunderstorms are common in the country at this time, recent storms appear to be particularly intense. NASA's Earth Observatory reported that the state of Andhra Pradesh in the country's southeast was struck by about 40 000 lightning bolts in just 13 hours late April 2018. That's more than the number of strikes that occurred in the entire month of May 2017.

From the same article Ajay Singh, a climate change researcher commented:
"Even with the increasing trend, the intensity of events so far this year is anomalous. The unusual thunder and dust storms could have a combination of causes, including extra moisture from a cyclonic circulation over West Bengal colliding with destructive dusty winds. High temperatures in the area also made the atmosphere unstable, fueling thunderstorms and heavy winds."