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SOTT Focus: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - April 2025: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

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Solar Cycle 25's post-peak phase of sustained but declining activity started this month, yet X-class flares and geomagnetic storms indicate activity is still high, with medium levels of sunspots, so a rebound cannot be completely discarded. This activity is reflected in the extreme weather down here in April, from unseasonable snowstorms and catastrophic floods to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Arctic air plunged into mid-latitudes, triggering cold snaps and heavy snowfall in regions expecting the warmth of spring. In Seoul, South Korea, cherry blossoms mingled with the first mid-April snow since 1907, while the Alps were buried under eight feet of snow in just three days. Minnesota reeled from a 15-inch (38 cm) blizzard, and Turkey's capital, Ankara, faced icy roads under unexpected snow. These anomalies, also hitting Ukraine, Poland, and New Zealand, with surprisingly cold temperatures for Spring, highlight erratic weather patterns and the winter lingering on further and further.

Doberman

4-month-old child dies after being attacked by rottweiler in Gujarat, India

4-Month-Old Child Dies after Being Attacked By Rottweiler At Residential Society |
4-Month-Old Child Dies after Being Attacked By Rottweiler At Residential Society
A shocking incident surfaced from Gujarat's Ahmedabad, where a four-year-old baby lost her life after being attacked by a pet dog in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Monday. The disturbing incident was recorded on CCTV installed in the society. The video soon went viral on social media.

The incident took place in Ahmedabad's Radhe Residency. According to a report by Aaj Tak, Pratik Dhabi's sister took his four-month-old girl child, named Rishika, in her arms and went outside. Notably, a girl living in the same society was walking in the parking area with her Rottweiler pet dog.

However, when the girl was talking on the phone, the dog's leash slipped out of her hand, and the animal attacked Rishika's aunt. In the CCTV footage, it could be seen that when the woman with the baby in her arms fell to the ground, the dog attacked the child.

(Warning distressing footage)


Binoculars

Birds in North America give us another sign of our 'slow-moving extinction crisis' - 75% population decline between 2007 and 2021

Long-term population trends for America's birds. Credit: State of the Birds long-term population trends
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology.Long-term population trends for America's birds. .
Research finds 75% of bird species in North America are seeing a population decline

North America has a bird problem—not too many, but perhaps too few in the not-so-distant future. New research published Thursday in the journal Science reveals that 75% of the continent's bird species are on a downward spiral, seeing their populations decline between 2007 and 2021. The Washington Post calls the phenomenon "the latest sign of a slow-moving extinction crisis that threatens entire ecosystems," and one that "should serve as a canary in the coal mine for people who live alongside birds."

Researchers analyzed nearly 500 different bird species in North America using the eBird online database, which serves as a landing spot for millions of bird sightings around the globe. Especially alarming was the finding that population loss for most species was largest in spots where resident birds are most prevalent, meaning our feathered friends "are struggling even in their strongholds." The Post notes there doesn't seem to be any one overarching reason for the population declines, with theories ranging from human encroachment on bird habitats and pesticides in their food chain, to rising temps in the Arctic that are disrupting local birds' natural breeding cycle.

Volcano

Thermal camera captures moment Mount Kanlaon volcano erupts spewing ash 3km (1.8 miles) in to the air in the Philippines

Volcano eruption spews debris into sky as ash falls on villages across Philippines
Volcano eruption spews debris into sky as ash falls on villages across Philippines
A volcano in the Philippines has erupted, spewing ash 3km (1.8 miles) in to the air.

The eruption of the Mount Kanlaon volcano on the Negros island was caught on a thermal camera, showing debris falling.

A four-mile evacuation radius has been in place around the volcano, following an earlier eruption in December.

There have been no reports of injuries.


Cloud Lightning

Violent storms wreak havoc across France - 10,629 lightning strikes recorded on May 10

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Flights were also diverted from major Paris airport due to heavy rain

A trail of damage was left in the wake of the weekend's storms that battered France from north to south.

Several areas of southern France saw powerful storms descend over the weekend, leaving flooding and hailstorms in the Occitanie and Nouvelle Aquitaine regions.


Volcano

Fuego Volcano in Guatemala - great night time eruptions on May 11

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Fuego Volcano in Guatemala is back doing good eruptions at night, here is a compilation of 3 of the best.


Doberman

Woman mauled to death by street dogs in Karnataka, India

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Representational (File photo)
A 53-year-old woman was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs at Cholin Oni here on Sunday. The victim has been identified as Prema Sharanappa Cholin.

The street dogs pounced on her when she was plucking flowers from trees grown in the compound of her house in the early hours. She suffered multiple bites and was rushed to a community healthcare centre in the town, where she failed to respond to treatment and died.

The family members of the deceased woman, joined by the locals, staged a protest in front of the hospital expressing their anguish against the town municipal council's (TMC) apathy in addressing the street dog menace. The agitators blocked the highway for a while.

Lightning

Lightning strikes kill 10 across Bangladesh in a single day

Representative photo
Representative photo
A wave of thunderstorms turned deadly across Bangladesh on Saturday, claiming ten lives in lightning strikes across four districts, leaving communities in Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Chapainawabganj, and Habiganj reeling.

From farmers in fields to a child at play, the victims' stories, reported by Jago News district correspondents, paint a grim picture of nature's sudden fury and the urgent need for awareness in a country increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather.

In Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar, the afternoon sky unleashed a barrage that killed five and injured one. Shamsul Huda, 65, Abdur Razzak, 40, young Zakia Begum, 8, Md Selim Mia, 64, and Md Zamir Khan, 22, were struck in separate incidents, their lives cut short as storms swept through. Hamida Begum, 45, survived but remains critically injured, now fighting for recovery in a local hospital. "It was so sudden," said a neighbour, still shaken, describing how families scrambled for safety.

Comment: Some of the more notable reports in recent years:



Tsunami

Over 100 dead as torrential floods devastate village in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

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A devastating flood has killed more than 100 people in Kasaba, a remote village in South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, after torrential rains caused the Kasaba River to overflow its banks overnight.

The disaster, which struck between Thursday and Friday, demolished dozens of homes and left widespread destruction.

Local authorities report at least 104 confirmed deaths, with 28 injuries and approximately 150 homes destroyed. Rescue teams and villagers have recovered as many as 119 bodies, with many victims being children and elderly residents caught asleep during the surge. The floodwaters, carrying boulders, trees, and mud, tore through the lakeside community with immense force.

Volcano

In Kamchatka, Russia: Krymsky volcano spews ash to 3.5 km - air traffic suspended

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The Karymsky volcano in Kamchatka spewed a column of ash to a height of 3.5 km, which led to the temporary closure of local airports and the suspension of air traffic in the region.

In Russia, on Kamchatka, an ash emission occurred from the Karymsky volcano to a height of up to 3.5 km above sea level. This was reported by Russian Telegram channels and "Media", reports UNN.

Details

The ash plume spread in the southeast direction from the volcano — to the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Karymsky was given an "orange" aviation hazard code.

Due to the eruption of the volcano, local airports were temporarily closed and air traffic in the region was suspended.