Earth Changes

US Kansas: Quick Flooding Prompts Evacuations in Manhattan

John Millburn
Kansas City Star
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 08:58 UTC

© NBC Action News.com
JUNE 2, 2011: Skytracker flies over Manhattan, Kansas, where flooding of the Wildcat Creek prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents

Heavy rain that quickly pushed creeks out of their banks in north-central Kansas chased hundreds of people from their homes for several hours Thursday, turning parts of the region into a maze of closed roads.

In Riley County, police ordered about 200 people to evacuate houses and apartment complexes before dawn Thursday in a low-lying area along Wildcat Creek in Manhattan. Several inches of rain that began falling Wednesday night swelled the creek and raised the Kansas River.

Flooding along Wildcat Creek isn't unusual, but police Capt. Kurt Moldrup said Thursday's episode was "the worst flooding that we've seen in this area." The creek began receding by midday and most roads reopened, allowing residents to go home to their houses, apartments and vehicles, many of them damaged by water.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter at St. Thomas More Church, but it appeared unlikely that many people would need to stay there Thursday night.

Rains, Snowfall Keep Mercury in Check in North India

IBN Live
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:06 UTC

In Punjab, Patiala saw a heavy downpour of 53 mm, with the minimum settling at 19 deg C, down six notches. Amritsar received a rainfall of 13.8 mm and the minimum dropped to 18.2 deg C, down five degrees. Ludhiana received 18.8 mm of rains, and the minimum settled at 18.8 deg C, seven degrees below normal. Ambala was the wettest place in Haryana after being lashed by 47.4 mm of rains. The minimum there settled at 18.3 deg C, down seven degrees, while it recorded a high of 31.9 deg C, nine degrees below normal.

In Himachal Pradesh, the higher reaches received another spell of snowfall while the mid and lower hills were lashed by heavy rains, causing a sharp fall in minimum temperatures. Keylong in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district received 18 cm of snow while Rohtang, Kunzam, Saach and other mountain passes received moderate snowfall. The Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), which opened for tourists yesterday, was blocked for a few hours but it was cleared as the snow melted. The hill state received widespread rains with Nadaun being the wettest in the region with 80 mm of rains. The minimum temperature dropped to 10 degree in Shimla.

Some parts of Rajasthan also witnessed moderate rainfall. Churu, Pilani and Bikaner received 19mm, 8 mm and 6 mm rains respectively. Kota was the hottest place in the desert state with a maximum temperature of 41.4 deg C, followed by Barmer (41.3), Bikaner (38.5), Ajmer (38.4). The state capital Jaipur recorded 36.2 deg C.

US: Keene Valley Slide Accelerating, Driven by Rain

Martha Foley
North Country Public Radio
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:00 UTC

This home's foundation has been
wrecked by shifting earth

Scientists say the record-breaking landslide on Little Porter Mountain in Keene Valley is still on the move, driven by last weekend's heavy rains.

The disaster hasn't caused any injuries, but a half-dozen homes are threatened.

Martha Foley has an update.

Small earthquake in Blackpool, major shock for UK's energy policy

Steve Connor
The Independent
Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:25 UTC

© GETTY IMAGES
The 2.3 magnitude earthquake recorded in Blackpool in April is about 12 billion times smaller than the recent earthquake in Japan

The controversial new drilling operation for natural shale gas in Lancashire has been suspended following a second earthquake in the area that may have been triggered by the process. The earthquake last Friday near Blackpool occurred at the same time that the energy company Cuadrilla Resources was injecting fluids under high pressure deep underground to deliberately blast apart the gas-bearing rock - a process known as "fracking", brought to Britain from the US, where it has been highly contentious.

Kazakhstan: Mysterious Mass Deaths of Endangered Antelopes Reported

Nancy Roberts
care2.com
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:55 UTC

Some 440 endangered saiga antelopes have been found dead in Kazakhstan in May this year; in Spring 2010 over 12,000 saigas died under similar, mysterious circumstances. A bacterial infection is thought to be the immediate cause of death, though underlying factors are not understood. Both incidents primarily affected females and their calves.

The saiga almost went extinct in the 20th century but recovered briefly. The World Wildlife Fund estimates there were over a million in the wild in the early 1990s, but they now number around 50,000 and are on the IUCN's critically endangered species list.

Vanuatu Officials Raise Alert Level Over Mt Yasur Volcano

Solomon Star
Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:10 UTC

Vanuatu's department of geohazards has closed access to the Mt Yasur volcano on Tanna Island, after a lift in volcanic activity from the beginning of this year.

A geohazards team investigated the volcano earlier this week and says there were strong explosions and emissions from all three active vents.

They have lifted the hazard rating to level 3, which closes access to the volcano.

The officials say there's significant ash fall on nearby villages but there are currently no plans to evacuate the inhabitants.

Source: Radio New Zealand International (RNZI)

Frequent Tornadoes a Symptom of Jet Stream Change

Tim Wall
Discovery News
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:33 UTC

The unusually large number of severe tornadoes this year may be a sign of large scale changes in the jet stream.

John Harrington Jr., a professor of geography at Kansas State University, notes that severe tornadoes are not unheard of historically. But when the events happen frequently such as the the destruction of Joplin, Mo., the outbreak of multiple tornadoes in Alabama, and yesterday's northeast outbreak in Massachusetts, it becomes a warning that there are changes afoot in the jet stream.

"The fact that this is happening all in one year and in a relatively short time frame is unusual," Harrington said in a Kansas State press release.

The jet stream in the upper atmosphere flows from west to east and tends to meander over the southern states during the winter and the northern states in the summer. Tornadoes tend to strike most during the spring and fall shifts of the jet stream.

US: Arizona wildfire jumps to 40,000+ acres

ABC15 / Associated Press
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:07 UTC

There's been a dramatic increase overnight in the burned acreage numbers on the Wallow fire 12 miles southwest of Alpine in eastern Arizona.

U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Jonetta Trued tells The Associated Press the wildfire has increased to more than 40,500 acres with zero containment.

Trued says the wildfire is burning dead trees and branches lying on the forest floor. When an ember hits, there's 100 percent ignition which leads to spot fires and hazardous conditions for fire crews.

US: Atlantic Disturbance Crossing Florida Today

Alex Sosnowski
AccuWeather
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 06:44 UTC

© AccuWeather
This radar snapshot was taken at 10:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 1, 2011. The system in question is affecting Daytona Beach from the east.

"The system... may behave a bit like a tropical storm with a brief period of gusty winds and localized flooding downpours."

An area of disturbed weather in the Atlantic will bring heavy, gusty thunderstorms to part of the Florida Peninsula this afternoon and evening.

The feature, which started out as a cluster of thunderstorms over the Great Lakes this past weekend, blew off the mid-Atlantic coast Memorial Day morning.

That feature has now turned southwestward and will cross the Florida Peninsula from northeast to southwest this afternoon and evening.

Areas from Daytona Beach and Cape Canaveral will be impacted first. Next, Gainesville, Ocala and Orlando would be in the path of the stormy weather this afternoon. Finally, the Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers areas are fair game for some of the thunderstorms later today.

Update: Eclipse of The Midnight Sun

SpaceWeather
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 02:26 UTC

A solar eclipse at midnight? It's not only possible, it actually happened last night. On June 1st, the new Moon passed in front of the midnight sun above the Arctic circle, producing a partial eclipse of exquisite beauty. Bernt Olsen photographed the event from Sommarøy, Tromsø, Norway:

"A rain shower threatened to spoil the show, but just before midnight the clouds parted and I got a fairly clear shot of the eclipse," says Olsen. "I'm glad I did, because we won't experience an eclipse like this again for 73 years."