Earth ChangesS


Snowflake

First snow falls on Australian ski fields almost 8 weeks ahead of winter

Snow falling on Tuesday at Thredbo.
Snow falling on Tuesday at Thredbo.
The first snow of the year has fallen at Australian ski resorts in NSW and Victoria.

Thredbo and Perisher in NSW as well as Hotham, Mount Baw Baw and Mount Buller in Victoria also all reported a fresh dumping of the white stuff in the past 24 hours.

But there are still another couple of months until the reports open for skiing and snowboarding, with June the month they welcome visitors.

"Someone must've shaken up our snow globe overnight. Winter mode has been well and truly activated," Thredbo bosses posted on social media.

Perisher posted a photo showing they had had a few centimeters of snow.

Further south, Mt Buller confirmed a "dusting", saying it's 60 days until the June long weekend - when the season really kicks off.


Tsunami

Kenya floods: Bus full of passengers swept away by raging waters - all rescued

The passengers had been stranded since the early hours of Tuesday morning
© KENYA RED CROSSThe passengers had been stranded since the early hours of Tuesday morning
Emergency services have been rescuing passengers who were trapped in a bus that was swept away by floods on a busy highway in northern Kenya.

The bus, with about 50 passengers, was heading to the capital, Nairobi, from northern Wajir county, police said.

The driver had attempted to cross a flooded section of the road when it happened. The bus then became stuck in some mud surrounded by raging waters.

Some were rescued from the bus's roof in the nearly 10-hour rescue mission.

"All passengers aboard the bus have now been rescued," the Kenya Red Cross said, adding that it had been a "challenging" operation to save the lives of those "marooned by raging waters".


Cloud Lightning

Big temperature drop across France and 25,000 lightning strikes

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The first of a series of turbulent weather changes begins today as temperatures across France fall by around 10C.

In central parts and around Paris, yesterday's (April 8) temperatures of 23C and 24C will be replaced with highs of just 12C or 13C.

In the east along the German border, the shift could be closer to 15C.

Only the Mediterranean coast and Brittany will remain mostly unaffected, with temperatures dropping between 3C and 4C compared to the start of the week.

In Brittany and the rest of France's western and northern coastline the storm named Pierrick is continuing to hit hard, bringing winds of 120 km/h to Normandy and high waves.


Comment: Related: Beach huts washed into the sea as storm batters Cornwall, UK


Tsunami

Beach huts washed into the sea as storm batters Cornwall, UK

Beach huts washed into sea as storm sweeps in
Beach huts washed into sea as storm sweeps in
With a Met Office yellow warning for wind across the South West in place due to storm Pierrick, named by Meteofrance, the beach huts at Castle Beach in Falmouth were washed into the sea.

High winds and towering waves in Cornwall has seen in beach huts being swept into the sea.
Predictions from the Met Office suggest general gusts of 45-55mph (72-89km/h), increasing to 60-65mph (97-105km/h) on exposed coasts, were likely to have been reached overnight. They also indicated that there could be some gusts in Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and south Devon reaching up to 75mph (121km/h).

Porthleven's sea wall suffered damage with debris scattered across Harbour Road. While in Falmouth, at least two beach huts were swept into the sea, as the dramatic videos show. Falmouth Coastguard had issued a warning about a combination of strong winds, spring tides and storm surges.


Comment: Related: Big temperature drop across France and 25,000 lightning strikes


Seismograph

Earthquake of 6.6 magnitude hits Indonesia, no tsunami alert

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A magnitude-6.6 earthquake hit Indonesia's eastern region on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey said, with no tsunami warning issued.

The quake struck off Halmahera island in North Maluku province at 0948 GMT at a depth of about 35 kilometres (22 miles), the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries after the earthquake.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was "no tsunami threat" from the quake in the Molucca Sea.

Seismograph

Shallow 6.0-magnitude earthquake shakes eastern Indonesia

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An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 hit Indonesia's eastern province of West Papua on April 9, but did not trigger a tsunami warning, according to Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency.

The earthquake occurred at around 7am, with its epicentre situated 46 km southeast of Ransiki town, and at a depth of 11 km under the seabed, the agency was quoted by local media.

The intensity of the quake was felt at III to IV MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in the Ransiki town, it added.

The agency did not issue a tsunami warning as the tremors would not potentially trigger giant waves.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes for its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes.

Boat

Southern China still lashed by heavy rains, triggering second flood alert in as many days

The water level at Yingde (5) Station in Yingcheng Town, Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province reached 30.07 meters on the 7th, exceeding the warning level of 4.07 meters.
© CCTV NewsThe water level at Yingde (5) Station in Yingcheng Town, Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province reached 30.07 meters on the 7th, exceeding the warning level of 4.07 meters.
Parts of southern China continued to be battered by heavy downpours over the weekend, with rainstorm and flood alerts issued for the second day on Sunday.

The Bei, a tributary of the Pearl River in southern Guangdong province, was declared as having recorded its first "No 1 Flood" of the year at 6.35am on Sunday - marking the earliest numbered flood in a major river since data began to be compiled in 1998.

China has seven main river systems, including the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, as well as the southern Pearl River and waterways further north.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources, China's major rivers and lakes can flag "numbered floods" when their water levels reach the warning level or register a flood of "once in two to five years" magnitude.


Boat

Drone footage captures flooded bridges and roads in rural parts of south-west Queensland, Australia

South West Aerial Services operator Alan MacDonald was able to view the levee bank's effectiveness from above, as the Warrego River reached its peak on Saturday.
South West Aerial Services operator Alan MacDonald was able to view the levee bank's effectiveness from above, as the Warrego River reached its peak on Saturday.
Footage captures flooding near the rural township of Charleville following a weekend of heavy rain in parts of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. Communities across the region have been impacted by flooding, with some isolated by road closures.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the Warrego River gauge near Bakers Bend, in south-west Queensland, recorded a peak of 10.16m on Monday morning.


Source: Katrina Lehmann | Murweh Shire Council

Doberman

Stray dogs attack, kill 11-year-old girl in Gujarat, India

Stray dogs | Representative Image
Stray dogs | Representative Image
In yet another tragic incident highlighting the issue of stray dogs in the state, an 11-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries after being attacked by a pack of strays on Sunday. The deceased, Puri, daughter of Hirabhai Piprotar, resided in the Rupmora area of Bhanvad in Dwarka.

According to reports, the attack occurred around 4:00 pm on April 7th. Puri was playing outside her residence when she was accosted by a group of stray dogs. The animals inflicted severe injuries on the child. Rushed to the Bhanvad government hospital in critical condition, Puri was unfortunately declared dead on arrival by the attending doctors.

This incident has sent shockwaves through the local community, reigniting concerns about the growing stray dog population and the dangers they pose. Public frustration over the lack of effective management strategies for strays is likely to intensify following this tragedy.

Cloud Lightning

Storm kills 11 in 5 districts of Bangladesh

Nor’wester wreaked havoc on Sunday
© Focus BanglaNor’wester wreaked havoc on Sunday morning in the riverside area of Lalmohan Dhaligauranagar Union in Bhola.
Eleven people died during nor'wester that swept Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bhola, Khulna and Bagerhat districts on Sunday.

Among them, three people died in Jhalakathi, two each in Patuakhali, Pirojpur and Bhola districts and one each in Bagerhat and Khulna districts.

The seasonal storm lashed different parts of the country on Sunday morning, damaging crops, houses and uprooting trees.

Jhalakathi, three people including two women were killed while bringing cattle from fields in Sadar and Kathalia upazilas of the district.

Sufia Begum, 85, wife of Ahmed Pada of Char Algi village, was killed when a tree collapsed on her.

Bashir Ahmed, in-charge of Barishal Division Weather officer, said the met office recorded 15.2 mm of rainfall in the morning.