Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

UK weather: Storm Isha causes power cuts and travel chaos amid 99mph winds

storms isha
© JO-SHREEVE/ReutersHigh waves due to Storm Isha hit the shore in Porthleven, Cornwall, on Sunday 21 January.
Thousands of people have been left without power as Storm Isha brings disruption to electricity and transport networks.

The storm battered the UK with heavy rain and gusts of up to 99mph with the entire country subject to wind warnings issued by the Met Office.

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said 45,000 customers were without power, while Electricity North West said thousands of properties in north-west England had lost their supply.


Comment: There has been one fatality so far:
An 84-year-old man has died after a car collided with a fallen tree as Storm Isha brought winds topping 100mph to the UK.

Police in Scotland say the man - a front-seat passenger - was pronounced dead at the scene in Grangemouth on Sunday night, while others in the car were unhurt.



Arrow Down

Landslide and flooding after heavy rain in southern Philippines kills 15 (UPDATE)

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Seven people, including five children, were killed after a landslide buried a house following days of heavy rains in southern Davao de Oro province, a disaster official said on Thursday.

Two people were injured and approximately 10 were missing, Ednar Dayanghirang, director of the regional civil defence agency, told DZRH radio.

Authorities suspended search and rescue operations due to continuing rains in a residential area for small-scale miners, he said.

Heavy rains and floods have affected more than 187,000 people in four provinces in the Davao region, data from the national disaster agency show.

Landslides and floods are frequent in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands that is hit by about 20 tropical storms annually.

Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty


Comment: Update January 21

CGTN reports:
Death toll rises to 15 in Philippines amid flooding and landslides

Severe flooding and landslides in the Davao Region of the Philippines have killed 15 people and injured five others, according to the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Sunday.



Arrow Down

60-foot-deep sinkhole opens in front of Highland City home in Florida

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© Polk County Fire Rescue
According to Polk County Fire Rescue, an approximately 15 feet wide by 60 feet-deep sinkhole opened in front of a Polk County home on Saturday.

Officials say the sinkhole is on Royal Crest Drive in Highland City

Firefighters say the street is open, and the sinkhole does not pose an imminent threat to the county roadway.

According to authorities, PCFR will continue monitoring the situation over the coming days.


Seismograph

Shallow earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hits Southwest Indian Ridge

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An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 on the Richter scale struck the Southwest Indian Ridge in the early hours of Sunday. According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the tremors were felt at around 3:39 am. The quake was at a depth of 10 km, it added.

"Earthquake of Magnitude: 6.2, Occurred on 21-01-2024, 03:39:41 IST, Lat: -39.64 & Long: 46.16, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Southwest Indian Ridge," NCS posted on X.


Seismograph

Strong mag. 6.6 earthquake - Ipixuna, Brazil

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A very strong magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit 138 km (86 mi) away from Cruzeiro do Sul, Amazonas, Brazil, in the afternoon of Saturday, Jan 20, 2024 at 4.31 pm local time (America/Eirunepe GMT -5).

The quake had a great depth of 615 km (382 mi) and was felt by many near the epicenter.

No significant damage or impact is expected from this quake and no particular alert was issued.

Seismograph

Northern Mariana Islands: Magnitude-6.1 earthquake occurs in North Pacific Ocean

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A magnitude-6.1 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean, near the Northern Mariana Islands, at around 01:48 Jan. 21. The epicenter was about 362 km (225 miles) north of Saipan. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 195 km (121 miles), and light shaking may have been felt in parts of the Northern Mariana Islands.

There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake; significant damage is unlikely. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Aftershocks are likely over the coming days. The event has not prompted any tsunami advisories.

Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found. Utility outages are possible where shaking occurred.

Attention

18 fatal shark encounters in 2023 highest for 20 years

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In 2023, public records documented a total of 84 shark attacks, with 18 proving fatal; five of these fatalities were attributed to encounters with great white sharks. Christian Kemper of TrackingSharks.com remarked, "There haven't been this many deaths in over 20 years. In some cases, the victims were completely consumed."

Among the 18 fatalities, four were surfers, three of whom hailed from South Australia. On May 13, 2023, Simon Bacanello, a 46-year-old teacher, disappeared during a great white shark attack while surfing, and his remains were never recovered. On October 31, Todd Gendle, 55, was struck by a shark described as "as long as a limousine."

Tragedy struck again on December 28 when 15-year-old Khai Cowley lost his life while surfing in South Australia. The final fatality occurred on December 30 when 39-year-old Jason Carter suffered a tiger shark attack while surfing on Maui. Despite being rushed to the hospital, he eventually succumbed to his injuries.


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Snowflake

Best of the Web: Additional feet of snow pile up in Buffalo area (6 FEET in 5 days) after western New York buried by prior snowstorm

Crews work around the clock to clear city streets of snow
Crews work around the clock to clear city streets of snow
Heavy lake-effect snow will continue for one more day downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in New York state.

Off Lake Erie, the snow band will stay south of Buffalo on Thursday morning, with snowfall rates as high as 1-2 inches per hour over the Buffalo Southtowns, the FOX Forecast Center said.

The band will then begin to move north around midday, once again bringing heavy snow to the city of Buffalo. During the afternoon, the snow band will move north of Buffalo before sliding back toward the city during the evening hours.

The lake-effect snow will end once the snow from the cross-country storm begins Thursday night. By this time, some locations south of Buffalo may end up with 7 feet of snow when combining the two lake-effect events this week.


Seismograph

6.4-magnitude quake hits Tonga

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An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 jolted 125 km NW of Fangale'ounga, Tonga, at 11:12 local time on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

There were no immediate reports of casualty or damage.

The epicenter, with a depth of 218.1 km, was determined to be at 18.928 degrees south latitude and 175.147 degrees west longitude, according to the USGS.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately issue a tsunami warning based on the quake.

Pacific island countries such as Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu lie on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones where continental plates collide producing frequent seismic activities.

Snowflake

Colorado mountains: Over 4 feet of snow for some and more to come

Sweeping avalanche buried 10 cars, trapping people for an hour.
Sweeping avalanche buried 10 cars, trapping people for an hour.
Over the last week our January blast of Winter weather has buried many Colorado mountains with 1 to over 4 feet of snow. While the eastern plains delt with an Arctic blast, our mountain areas have seen multiple waves of heavy snow and wind over the last 8 days. Steamboat Springs for example picked up 50 inches of snow since Wednesday of last week. For the month Steamboat has seen over 76 inches of snow!

Heavy snow in the Winter Park Area caused the closure of Berthoud Pass for several days due to avalanches. Berthoud Pass back currently open after avalanches, some Colorado travelers still hoping to avoid hours-long detour