Earth ChangesS


Tsunami

North Queensland in Australia cops yet more major flooding

The Ollera Creek Bridge between Ingham and Townsville has collapsed
© Aaron KellyThe Ollera Creek Bridge between Ingham and Townsville has collapsed
Fresh bursts of monsoonal rain have seen flood threats renew in Queensland's north.

Towns remain cut off tonight, after highways went underwater - while the collapsed Ollera Creek Bridge has closed again, after reconnecting communities.


Comment: An earlier report from about a week prior: More flooding and extreme rainfall hits Queensland, Australia - 39 inches of rain in 48 hours


Snowflake

Hokuriku region of Japan experiences record snowfall - 19.6 inches in 12 hours

A car is covered by snow in Niigata City on Saturday.
© KyodoA car is covered by snow in Niigata City on Saturday.
The strongest cold wave of the season has caused record snowfall in the Hokuriku region since Friday night.

In 12 hours from Friday night to Saturday morning, 50 centimeters of snow fell in Niigata City, and 38 centimeters in Aikawa, Sado City, both of which are the highest ever recorded, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Snow has also fallen in areas that usually get less snow, such as Kyushu, Shikoku and the Pacific side of the Tokai region.

Nagoya observed one centimeter of snow for the first time in about a month.

The maximum amount of snow forecast to fall though Sunday morning is expected to be 80 centimeters in the Kanto-Koshin region, and 70 centimeters in Tohoku, Hokuriku and Kinki regions, the agency said.

On the Sea of ​​Japan side, authorities urged caution against poor visibility due to a whiteout.


Comment: See also this report from February 4 of earlier, exceptional heavy snow in another region of the country: Record-breaking snowfall hits Hokkaido as cold front sweeps Japan - 120 cms (nearly 4 FEET) of snow in just 12 hours with more heavy falls forecast


Arrow Down

At least 30 missing after China landslide

Emergency workers search the site of a landslide in Jinping, Sichuan province, on Saturday.
© WeiboEmergency workers search the site of a landslide in Jinping, Sichuan province, on Saturday.
At least 30 people have been reported missing after a landslide in south-western China, according to Chinese state media.

The landslide struck Jinping village in Sichuan province at 11:50 local time (03:50 GMT) burying 10 houses and trapping several residents. Two people were rescued.

A command centre has been set up at the scene according to a statement by the county's emergency management bureau.

China's President Xi Jinping has ordered an "all-out" rescue of those trapped.

Hundreds of emergency workers are searching for survivors, according to a statement from China's Ministry of Emergency Management.


Doberman

Woman killed in dog attack in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

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A woman died Thursday after she was attacked by a pack of dogs at a residence in Tuscaloosa County.

At around 9 a.m., deputies, along with NorthStar EMS, the Echola fire department and Animal Control, responded to 13000 Block of Boyd Road on a medical call, said Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.

A 911 caller reported that a woman was being attacked by a pack of dogs in front of the residence. Deputies arrived and attempted lifesaving measures, but the woman did not survive.

The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit assumed command of the investigation.

The mauling occurred in the yard and on the property that the dogs belonged to and the woman came to the residence to feed the dogs for the owner who was out of town, Kennedy said.

He said the woman's death appears to be a non-criminal incident and out of respect for the woman's family, no other details will be released.

Doberman

Woman killed in dog attack in her own home in Colorado City

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A woman is dead after she was the victim of a dog attack in her southern Colorado home.

The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a call at a home on Jefferson Boulevard in Colorado City Monday night and found a 76-year-old woman who was unresponsive. Colorado City is located south of Pueblo and north of Walsenburg.

There were several dogs loose in her home and a dozen or more dogs in cages, they said in an update Friday. They're attributing her death to a dog attack.

The sheriff's office said they worked with Animal Law Enforcement to seize "numerous" dogs from the home and a related property.

The woman's name will be released by the Pueblo County Coroner's Office.

Source: KUSA-TV Denver

Seismograph

6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes south of Fiji Islands

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An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 jolted south of the Fiji Islands at 22:27 local time on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

There were no immediate reports of casualty or damage, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The epicenter, with a depth of 59.2 km, was determined to be at 23.918 degrees south latitude and 176.143 degrees east longitude, according to the USGS.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately issue any tsunami warning based on the quake.

Pacific island countries such as Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu lie on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones where continental plates collide, producing frequent seismic activities.

Tsunami

5 hours of heavy rains trigger flash flood in Nazca, Peru

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A flash flood hit Nazca in Peru's southern Ica province on Thursday (February 6) following five hours of heavy rainfall. Onlookers watched on in the city as a storm drain, also known locally as an 'quebrada', surged dramatically, sweeping away mud, stones, and trees, according to local media.


Tsunami

7 killed in floods, landslides in northeast Brazil

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Seven people were killed in floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in the Brazilian northeastern state of Pernambuco, according to Xinxua.

The heavy rains have been recorded since Wednesday afternoon in the city of Recife, the capital of Pernambuco, according to the institution's report cited by the local news network Globo.

The mayor of Recife, Joao Campos, suspended classes in several areas of the city, while more than 90 families had to be evacuated from high-risk areas due to the landslides.

At least 18 municipalities that make up the metropolitan area of Recife have announced a halt in the distribution of drinking water due to pumping problems caused by floods.

Recife remains on high alert due to the rainfall in the last 24 hours, according to the mayor's office.


Tornado2

2 waterspouts surprise tourists on the beaches of Tulum, Mexico on February

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Two waterspouts formed on the beaches of Tulum, surprising several tourists who did not miss the opportunity to record the moment.

On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, a series of videos began to circulate on social media showing the formation of two waterspouts on the beaches of Tulum, so several tourists who were in the area began to share the moment.

Through social media, the moment of how two waterspouts in Tulum surprised bathers during their day at the beach in the Mexican Caribbean has been shared; this phenomenon was recorded

TV Azteca Quintana Roo shared images of these natural phenomena.


Binoculars

Alberta is experiencing an 'invasion' of northern owls: expert

Great grey owl sightings in central and southern Alberta have spiked this winter in an invasion, or irruption, caused by weather conditions and food availability.
© Amir SaidGreat grey owl sightings in central and southern Alberta have spiked this winter in an invasion, or irruption, caused by weather conditions and food availability.
Sightings of rare owls are on the rise in Alberta, which has many dubbing it Owlberta.

Great grey owls and northern hawk owls, two enigmatic species that are typically difficult to find, are now being seen at an unusually high rate in Alberta, with social media and the internet flooded with photos of them over the last few months.

There's a scientific reason behind the sudden surge in sightings, according to STRIX Ecological Consulting biologist Lisa Takats Priestley.

"We are experiencing an invasion of great grey owls and northern hawk owls in central and southern Alberta," said Priestley, who is Birds Canada's coordinator of the Alberta nocturnal owl population survey.

The invasion, known by researchers as an irruption, is a phenomenon that has brought these birds from remote locations to more developed areas in droves.