Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Pine Beetle projected to kill 78 per cent of B.C.'s pine forest by 2015

The mountain pine beetle is projected to kill more than three-quarters of B.C.'s marketable pine forests within the next eight years, says a report released Monday by the Ministry of Forests.

The report says if the pine beetle kill continues at its current rate, it will kill the equivalent of almost 25 per cent of the province's entire volume of market timber.

©Unknown

Bizarro Earth

India region sees unusual fog

CHANDIGARH - Fog in September? Sounds strange, but it's true. On Wednesday morning, Ambala in Haryana, and from Zirakpur to Ludhiana in Punjab experienced poor visibility due to fog.

For the past three days, Banur resident Surinder Singh has been wondering why visibility on roads is low. Surinder, a carpenter, has never seen fog in September. "It's strange despite such high day temperature, there's fog early in the morning," he said.

Cloud Lightning

Some Gulf oil crews evacuated ahead of storm off Florida

Gulf Coast residents were on watch and oil companies evacuated hundreds of nonessential workers as forecasters said Thursday that a storm system now off Florida could strengthen as it moves west.

All weather models project the storm, which was located in the Gulf of Mexico off southwest Florida, would make landfall between southeastern Louisiana and the western Florida Panhandle during the next few days after crossing the warm Gulf waters where it should gain strength.

©ACCUWEATHER.COM
This graphic shows two possible scenarios for development of a system of disturbed weather in the Gulf of Mexico.

Bizarro Earth

2.2-magnitude earthquake shakes Dublin

The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 2.2 struck at 4:36 a.m. this morning near Dublin.

According to the USGS, the epicenter of the quake was three miles west of Dublin and three miles southwest of San Ramon.

Arrow Up

Number of Far East wildfires doubles, area increases tenfold

The total area of fires raging in the Russian Far East has increased tenfold, from 18 to 170 hectares (44.5 to 420 acres), in the past 24 hours, a source in the local emergencies service said Thursday.

The number of fires in Far Eastern taiga doubled - from four to eight - but currently pose no threat to the local population or the infrastructure.

Cloud Lightning

Typhoon Wipha claims at least nine victims in China

At least nine people have been killed in China as a result of Typhoon Wipha, Xinhua news agency reported Thursday.

The typhoon, which hit China Tuesday night, has also left three missing. Over two million people have been evacuated.

As China lacks a specialized emergency ministry to deal with natural disasters, mobilized units of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the police have been trying to cope with the task.

Cloud Lightning

Ivo strengthens into hurricane near Mexico

Tropical Storm Ivo strengthened into a hurricane on Wednesday as it headed over the Pacific toward Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Ivo had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was some 500 miles south of the peninsula's beach and golf resort Los Cabos, popular with U.S. visitors.

Cloud Lightning

Early winter storm for Southern California

Cooler weather and high winds moved into Southern California today in advance of a storm that could bring snow to the mountains and the first rain to Los Angeles in about 150 days.

Bizarro Earth

Dead birds found in Koroneia Lake, Greece

Some 200 dead birds have been found at Lake Koroneia near Thessaloniki, prompting experts to express fears yesterday that there could be a repeat of the disaster three years ago when about 30,000 birds died near the lake due to poisoning.

Cloud Lightning

Rain pounds Tohoku, Japan, 3 missing

Torrential rain lashed the northern part of the Tohoku region Tuesday, leaving three people missing due to floods after record downpours hit some districts. Akita and Iwate prefectures were hit particularly hard, and authorities were searching for the missing people and attempting to restore utilities.

©Unknown
Buildings are engulfed by muddy waters from the flood-swollen Yoneshirogawa river in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture.