Earth Changes

Kashmir remains cut off due to heaviest January snowfall in a decade

Deccan Herald
Thu, 23 Jan 2014 08:27 UTC

Kashmir remained cut-off from the rest of the country for the second day today with road and air links to the Valley snapped due to snowfall, the heaviest in a decade in the month of January.

The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed for traffic, while no flights operated from the airport here following heavy snowfall yesterday. However, there were no reports of fresh snowfall from any part of the Valley during the night.

"The national highway is closed for traffic today. No vehicle will be allowed to ply on the road," a Traffic Department spokesman said here.

He said the 294-km arterial highway - the only road-link between Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country - was being cleared of snow and could be made motorable later in the day.

No flights to and fro Srinagar Airport operated yesterday due to continuous snowfall. However, there are chances of the airport being made operational in the afternoon.

More winter wildfire weirdness as forest fires break out in Oregon

Brent Weisberg
KOIN 6 News
Fri, 24 Jan 2014 06:33 UTC

© KOIN 6 News
Two wildland fires, with a total size of 125 acres, are burning along the Oregon Coast near Arch Cape, which is south of Cannon Beach, Jan. 24, 2014

The Oregon Department of Forestry confirms two wildland fires, with a total size of 125 acres, are burning along the Oregon Coast near Arch Cape, which is south of Cannon Beach.

The Shingle Fire was first reported at around 10 a.m. Thursday on private timberland. As of 9:45 a.m. Friday, crews estimated the fire to be about 25 acres in size. The Falcon Fire, which likely spawned off the Single Fire, was reported shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday in the same general area. The fire has grown in size to an estimated 100 acres, according to ODF spokesman Tom Bennett. Both were still burning as of 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Both the Shingle and Falcon fires rekindled from slash burns, officials told KOIN 6 News.

The fire area is located near the tunnel that leads to Arch Cape. There have been no evacuations as no structures are threatened. The closest structure was more than two to three miles east of the fires, Bennett said. Residents in some coastal towns should expect smoky conditions. Firefighters had hoped a logging road would help stop the spread of the Falcon Fire. However, the wind allowed it to jump the road.

Comment: Sure, it's 'mild' in Oregon relative to the extreme cold in the eastern US, but it's still only reaching daytime highs of 11C!

See also:

Winter wildfire weirdness continues as warnings spread to chilly Arkansas

While East Coast freezes, West Coast burns: crews battle wildfire in Rural Placer County, California

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.1 - 39km SSE of Adipala, Indonesia

US Geological Survey
Sat, 25 Jan 2014 00:48 UTC

Event Time
2014-01-25 05:14:20 UTC
2014-01-25 12:14:20 UTC+07:00 at epicenter

Location
8.004°S 109.238°E depth=83.2km (51.7mi)

Nearby Cities
39km (24mi) SSE of Adipala, Indonesia
41km (25mi) S of Kroya, Indonesia
53km (33mi) SW of Gombong, Indonesia
54km (34mi) S of Banyumas, Indonesia
330km (205mi) SE of Jakarta, Indonesia

Technical Details

Radioactive waste dumped by oil companies is seeping out of the ground in North Dakota

Aaron Cantú
AlterNet
Fri, 24 Jan 2014 17:52 UTC

After oil companies and state executives in North Dakota hid the news from the public that nearly 300 oil spills occured between 2011 and 2013, radioactive toxic sludge is brimming back up to the surface, bubbling forth from the ground and mixing with fresh water across the state.

In late 2013, the shale oil industry in North Dakota received national attention when a train carrying explosive "Bakken" oil derailed and exploded near the town of Cassleton on December 30. Eighteen rail cars attached to the train also spilled 400,000 gallons of crude oil--one of the biggest spills ever recorded in the United States.

The train accident, along with the hundreds of other spillages over the last two years, was symptomatic of the hydraulic fracturing fever that has gripped the North Dakota since 2006, when a petroleum geologist discovered a massive oil field producing from the Bakken rock formation deep beneath the western part of the state.

North Dakota is now the number two oil producer in the country (behind Texas), and it is producing about a million barrels of oil a day. Environmentalists say the speed of the boom has not only encouraged sloppy practices that lead to spills, but has also resulted in a proliferation of illegal chemical dumping in landfills and fracking wells.

Russia predicts Far East tsunami in 2014

RIA Novosti
Fri, 24 Jan 2014 16:58 UTC

Russia's Emergencies Ministry warned Friday that an earthquake and ensuing tsunami are expected to hit Russia's Far East this year.

The earthquake is predicted to strike off the southwestern coast of Sakhalin Island, to the north of the epicenter of a 2007 quake in the town of Nevelsk, the ministry said.

It was not immediately clear when the tsunami was expected, or whether it would pose any danger to local residents. The Nevelsk quake killed two people, injured dozens and left some 2,000 people homeless.

UK: River Thames fish found dead after Goring flood levels recede

BBC News
Thu, 23 Jan 2014 15:55 UTC

Thousands of trapped fish have been found dead on land near the River Thames after flood waters receded.

A mixture of perch, roach, dace, ruffe and minnow were found on Goring farmland in Oxfordshire on Thursday.

The Environment Agency (EA) said the unusual incident was due to the "severity and longevity" of the floods.

Fisheries officer Tom Sherwood said he urged the public to report any fish found in trapped areas.

Death toll mounts as unusually long Thai cold spell continues

The Bangkok Post
Thu, 23 Jan 2014 12:31 UTC

The unusually long cold spell across the North, Northeast and Central regions has killed 63 people in the past three months and Bangkok has suffered its coldest night in three decades.

Sophon Mekthon, director general of the Disease Control Department, said on Thursday that the 63 fatalities were reported in 27 provinces between Oct 22, 2013 and Jan 19, 2014.

Most of the fatalities were men. The youngest was a one-month-old baby and the oldest was 81 years old. A Cambodian and a British national were among the victims.

The northern border province of Chiang Rai had the most deaths, with six, followed by Sa Kaeo and Nakhon Ratchasima in the Northeast with five each.

Forty-five provinces have been declared cold-spell disaster zones and more than 25 million people have been affected by the cold weather.

Fox becomes latest to freeze solid in Scandinavia's lakes, following fish and moose

Sara Malm
Daily Mail, UK
Fri, 24 Jan 2014 12:09 UTC

The fox was found frozen solid in the ice on a lake in southern Sweden

A fox has become the latest victims to the freezing temperatures on Scandinavia's waters as it was found frozen solid in a lake in southern Sweden.

The animal was discovered by a skater on Lake Bunn, near Jönköping, who originally thought it was a piece of foam rubber, but found the poor fox dead in the ice with its head just above the surface.

It follows recent 'animal ice deaths' in Scandinavia, where an entire shoal of fish were photographed off the coast of Norway just days after a moose had suffered the same fate.

Largest waves in decades hit Hawaii - 'surf up to 40 feet'

Pete Thomas
Grind TV
Fri, 24 Jan 2014 07:51 UTC

A massive north swell is arriving in California and expected to build Thursday night into Friday morning, signaling a green light for the much anticipated Mavericks Invitational surf contest at notorious Mavericks near Half Moon Bay. How powerful the swell turns out to be and what type of conditions prevail remain to be seen. But it's the same swell that slammed parts of the Hawaiian islands on Wednesday and Thursday, luring throngs of spectators to the shores.

Hawaii News Now described it as "the largest swell in decades" and published a slide show showing massive waves breaking on Oahu's North Shore, near the fabled Waimea Bay. A headline atop a Honolulu Star Advertiser story on Wednesday screamed, "Surf up to 40 feet expected to roll in today."

As a result of all the publicity, nightmare traffic jams ensued on the highway leading from Oahu's south side to the north shore. The problem for surfers, however, was that strong offshore winds created stormy conditions, leaving most of the popular spots unrideable when the swell was peaking Wednesday.

High surf advisory in effect in Southern California - 'Massive waves along the California coastline through this weekend'

Yahoo News
Fri, 24 Jan 2014 11:58 UTC

A strong storm system over the central Pacific will send a swell that is expected to produce massive waves along the California coastline through this weekend, forecasters warned. Kasey Montoya reports from Seal Beach for the KTLA 5 Morning News on Friday, Jan. 24, 2014.

via KTLA Los Angeles

New Lt. Governor of Virginia Winsome Sears: "We're going to have safer neighborhoods, safer communities, and our children are going to get a good...

parzival

Bill Gates is going to be the one with the uncertain future,,, * New Lt. Governor of Virginia Winsome Sears: "We're going to have safer...

parzival

The more we hear about adverse affects the more we will merely shrug. It's a catch 22. Is that an asteroid trail in the photo?

sass

Welcome to the new normal. The more sensory exposure we have about such things, the less it is an issue.

sass

more misbehaving phuqqin' jewzskies starring on the sott; speaks for itself

Jibrish

Earth Changes

Kashmir remains cut off due to heaviest January snowfall in a decade

More winter wildfire weirdness as forest fires break out in Oregon

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.1 - 39km SSE of Adipala, Indonesia

Radioactive waste dumped by oil companies is seeping out of the ground in North Dakota

Russia predicts Far East tsunami in 2014

UK: River Thames fish found dead after Goring flood levels recede

Death toll mounts as unusually long Thai cold spell continues

Fox becomes latest to freeze solid in Scandinavia's lakes, following fish and moose

Largest waves in decades hit Hawaii - 'surf up to 40 feet'

High surf advisory in effect in Southern California - 'Massive waves along the California coastline through this weekend'

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