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Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Colorado closes Tuesday because of avalanche concerns

Kevin Fixler
The Vail Daily
Wed, 11 Jan 2017 04:14 UTC
basin closure
© Dave Camara / Arapahoe Basin Ski Area |

The view of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area from U.S. Highway 6 heading to Loveland Pass earlier this ski season.
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area became the third Colorado resort to close this week when it ended operations at approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday due to significant avalanche worries. The Colorado Department of Transportation had just shut down Loveland Pass and asked that the ski area follow suit.

After 30 inches of new snow in the last 72 hours, including 15 — and counting — by Tuesday morning, A-Basin confirmed that staff began sweeping the area to request that both guests and employees briskly exit the mountain. Summit Stage buses were soon re-routed to assist with vacating the ski area.

"It's definitely a strange day up here in the high county," said Adrienne Saia Isaac, spokeswoman for A-Basin. "No one remembers a situation quite like this one, where we've closed in the middle of the day."
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Seismograph

Strong shallow 6.4 magnitude earthquake recorded near Solomon Islands


Sputnik
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 20:20 UTC
map epicentre
A strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck on Tuesday off the Solomon Islands in South Pacific, the US Geological Survey (USGS) agency warned.

The underwater quake hit 67 miles northwest of Kirakira, the capital of the Makira-Ulawa province, at the depth of 28 miles.
Strong M6.4 earthquake hits near Makira, Solomon Islands https://t.co/gjT48FzGAJ #earthquake #SolomonIslands

— The Watchers (@TheWatchers_) 10 января 2017 г.
​The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) measured the tremor at 6.7 magnitude but said a tsunami was not expected.

The Oceanic island nation is part of the so-called Ring of Fire quake zone. It is a strip of volcanoes and tectonic faults in the Pacific basin and has one of the highest levels of volcanic and seismic activity in the world.
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Attention

Man attacked by kangaroo while trying to protect daughters in Elderslie, Australia

Daniel McGookin
Stuff
Wed, 11 Jan 2017 19:16 UTC
Matthew Chenhall's injuries and, below right, with his daughters Holly and Amelia.

Matthew Chenhall's injuries and, below right, with his daughters Holly and Amelia.
An Australian dad who shielded his kids from an angry kangaroo has had his ear torn and ribs broken.

Matthew Chenhall was walking behind his two daughters along his rural NSW property when a hissing and growling kangaroo appeared, stopping the girls in their tracks.

The two-metre kangaroo stood tall and acted aggressively, he said.

Nine-year-old Amelia threw a sausage sandwich she was holding in an attempt to lure the animal away, but this only fuelled its aggressive behaviour, Chenhall said.

He stood between the kangaroo and his girls, before the kangaroo got him in a headlock position, ripped his ear and broke his ribs.

Paramedics treat Mr Chenhall.

Paramedics treat Mr Chenhall.
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Stop

Avalanche closes Colorado Interstate


Weather Nation
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 18:16 UTC
18-wheeler buried in an avalance
© Colorado Department of Transportation
Up to 15 feet of snow blanketed Interstate 70 early Tuesday morning after an avalanche swept across the highway, partially burying one semi-truck.

The avalanche happened in an area of Vail Pass known as the Narrows just after 2:40 a.m., according to Colorado State Patrol, and left Interstate 70 closed in both directions as crews worked to clear the snow from the road. CSP says the semi-truck caught in the slide was carrying mail. The driver was not hurt, and no other vehicles were involved.

This is contrary to a report from the Colorado Department of Transportation, which said three trucks were caught in the slide.

CSP says CDOT plans to clear the eastbound lanes of the highway first so crews can remove the vehicles caught in traffic. The highway is expected to be closed for a few hours.
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Snowflake

Rare giant ice circle appears briefly in Washington State river

Christoper Jobson
Colossal
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 18:10 UTC
Snoqualmie river ice circle
© Kaylyn Messer
This weekend, word spread via Facebook that a large circle of ice was spinning in small river just outside of Seattle. After seeing a quick video of it in her feed, photographer Kaylyn Messer jumped in her car and was fortunate to witness the incredible sight of this gargantuan ice disc as it spun in the current of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River.

"The ice circle was pretty captivating," Messer shared with Colossal. "You can hear the sound of the river flowing continuously. Sounds from the ice periodically interjected with very small sharp cracks and groans. Overall, it was a quiet experience to stand along the river watching the ice circle rotate."

Ice circles are a fairly rare phenomenon that occur mostly in North America and Scandinavia in slow moving rivers during the winter. The discs are formed when a large piece of ice breaks off in the river creating an effect called 'rotational shear' where the current slowly grinds away at the free-floating chunk until its smoothed into a perfect circle.

Messer shares more photos and videos of the ice disc on her blog.

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Attention

Whale carcass towed to Angel Island, California for necropsy


cbslocal.com
Mon, 09 Jan 2017 16:20 UTC
Dead whale towed to Angel Island
© CBS
Dead whale towed to Angel Island
A dead whale that washed up near the Oakland waterfront on Saturday is now tied to a pier on Angel Island waiting for clear weather so local marine biologists can investigate the cause of death.

The female cetacean is either a blue or fin whale and is between 40 to 60 feet long, said Marine Mammal Center spokesman Giancarlo Rulli.

On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard called the Marine Mammal Center to report a whale carcass floating upside down near Oakland's Howard Terminal, Rulli said.

The Center sent out two staffers to examine the animal, which is believed to be "sub-adult" and in "good body condition," although quite obviously dead.

Monday morning, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used two boats to tow the carcass to an area near Blunt Point on Angel Island, where there is ample space to haul it onto a beach for a necropsy once weather permits.
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Snowflake Cold

Europe freezes: Snow on Greek and Italian beaches, Southeast USA snow covered

Adapt 2030
You Tube
Sun, 08 Jan 2017 11:22 UTC
A man walks in a suburb of Sofia after heavy snowfall on January 7, 2017.
© Nikolay Doychinov / AFP
A man walks in a suburb of Sofia after heavy snowfall on January 7, 2017.
Europe engulfed in blizzards and record breaking snows down to the beaches of southern Italy and Greece.Coldest Orthodox Christian Christmas Eve in 120 years, Bosporus Straight closed due to sea ice and high winds, Istanbul slammed with 2+ feet of snow.

Eastern Europe's roads impassable and the Danube River freezes over.


Sources

Comment: Much of Eastern Europe is setting records for cold temperatures.



      Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills two in Chivhu, Zimbabwe

Jairos Saunyama
The Zimbabwe Daily
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:43 UTC
Lightning
Two family members from Chivhu were fatally struck by a bolt of lightning two weeks ago soon after disembarking from a local bus.

Although Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Nobert Muzondo was unreachable for comment yesterday, sources at the provincial police headquarters said the incident occurred on December 24.

They identified the deceased as Georgina Sigudhu (32) and Orlens Nyabadza (age not given), of Chirume Village, under Chief Mutekedza.

Sources said the two were struck by a bolt of lightning and died on the spot as they walked home.

Officers from Masasa Police Station later attended the scene and took the corpses to Chivhu Hospital for post-mortem.
      Read More...
Seismograph

Strong 7.3 magnitude undersea earthquake strikes near the Philippines


The Independent (UK)
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 08:04 UTC
Celebes Sea quake map
© USGS
The point where the earthquake struck.

Quake measured at a depth of 617 km, according to the US Geological Survey

A major undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck southeast of the Philippines on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake was measured at a depth of 617 km (380 miles), the USGS said. It struck in the Celebes Sea and comes five days after a smaller, 4.7-magnitude tremor in the same area, according to the USGS.

Journalist Barnaby Lo said he felt "no significant tremor" on the island of Jolo, which lies north-east of the epicentre. The US Tsunami Warning Centre has issued no warning, advisory, watch or threat after the quake.

Philippine seismologists said the earthquake was far too deep to cause any damage and casualties or generate a tsunami.
      Read More...
Cloud Grey

Cirrus clouds create 22-degree sun halo in Alabama sky

Jake Reed
WHNT19 News
Sun, 08 Jan 2017 18:22 UTC
Huntsville solar halo
© Via Instagram/spannpix
Sun halo today over East Alabama...
A veil of high and mid-level clouds spreading across the Tennessee Valley Sunday was the perfect setup to see a rare sight in the sky.

Several WHNT News 19 viewers, including Ramona Edwards and Tressi Downs, shared pictures with us of a large ring around the sun.

This optical feature is called a 22-degree sun halo.

Earthsky.org explains it very simply:
Halos are a sign of high thin cirrus clouds drifting 20,000 feet or more above our heads. These clouds contain millions of tiny ice crystals. The halos you see are caused by both refraction, or splitting of light, and also by reflection, or glints of light from these ice crystals.
      Read More...
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