Earth ChangesS


Tornado2

Tornado damages homes in Greater Manchester as Storm Gerrit batters Britain

Damage to properties caused by a localised tornado in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester
© Ioannis Alexopoulos/LNPDamage to properties caused by a localised tornado in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester
Thousands of homes without power and rail travel in chaos after strong winds, heavy snow and rain

A major incident has been declared in Greater Manchester, where a "localised tornado" has swept through the Tameside area, damaging about 100 properties and leaving thousands of homes without power.

Storm Gerrit, the latest named storm to reach the UK, has also caused heavy snow, high winds and rain in parts of Scotland, where fallen trees, branches and other debris have brought down power lines.

Flood waters have risen in areas across the UK, with 20 warnings in place for expected flooding in North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, Cumbria and the Midlands.

A further 124 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, are in place in England, particularly in the north and west. There are nine flood warnings and 18 flood alerts in Scotland, and one flood warning and 17 alerts in Wales.



Seismograph

Two earthquakes of magnitudes 6.5, 5.0 near Japan coast in quick succession

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Two earthquakes of magnitudes 6.5 and 5.0 struck near Japan's coast in quick succession on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The first quake of magnitude 6.5 struck at 2:45 pm and had its epicentre off the southeast coast of the Kuril Islands, followed by the 5.0 magnitude jolt at 3:07 pm.

According to the USGS, the two quakes hit at a depth of 23.8 km while the second one occurred at 40 km around the same region.

A series of powerful quakes have occurred in Japan throughout the year and earlier this month, tsunami warnings were issued along the southwestern coast after an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

On May 5, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck off Japan's western prefecture of Ishikawa, leading to the injuries of several people and the collapse of some buildings.

Powerful earthquakes also struck the northern island of Hokkaido in February, March and August.

Boat

Severe floods hit Europe, inhabitants evacuate their homes on Christmas Day

The Saale river has flooded between Halle and Roepzig. Pic: AP
© APThe Saale river has flooded between Halle and Roepzig, Germany.
On Christmas Day, residents in parts of Germany were forced to evacuate their homes due to heavy rains and saturated ground, resulting in widespread flooding and high water levels. Particularly affected were areas in the regions of Thuringia and Lower Saxony.

Footage from the village of Windehausen in Thuringia depicted homes, fields, and streets submerged in floodwaters, with displaced individuals seeking refuge at an emergency shelter. Bodo Ramelow, the governor of Thuringia, cautioned from the shelter on Monday that it might take several days before people could safely return home.

He stated, "They will only be able to return when the cellars have been pumped out, when the electricity is back on, and when the connection to the sewage system has been restored."


Boat

Floods in Democratic Republic of Congo kill at least 62 people (UPDATE)

The hourslong rainfall in the district of Kananga in Kasai Central province destroyed many houses
The hours-long rainfall in the district of Kananga in Kasai Central province destroyed many houses
Flooding triggered by heavy rains in central Congo killed at least 22 people, including 10 from the same family, a local official said Tuesday.

The hours-long rainfall in the district of Kananga in Kasai Central province destroyed many houses and structures, the province's governor, John Kabeya, said as rescue efforts intensified in search of survivors.

Five more deaths were confirmed later on Tuesday in addition to the initially reported death toll of 17, he said.


Comment: Update

Reuters reports:
At least 40 more people have died in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities said, after heavy downpours overnight Tuesday unleashed floods and landslides that left residents digging through the mud to find bodies.

In the city of Bukavu, onlookers gathered to watch on Wednesday as a group of men hauled a car out of the mud to recover a woman's body from underneath, a Reuters witness said.

At least 20 people died in Bukavu and at least 20 more were killed in the village of Burinyi, 50 kilometers from Bukavu, according to officials in the two places.

Bukavu resident Yvonne Mukupi, who was able to stay clear of the deluge, said her neighbor was swept away by the flood waters.

"We have managed to recover three bodies under the trees, but others have not been found yet," she said.

Poor urban planning and weak infrastructure make communities like Mukupi's more vulnerable to extreme rainfall, which is becoming more intense and frequent in Africa because of warming temperatures, according to United Nations climate experts.

"When rain falls, the main waterway gets clogged sometimes because of the waste, so it gets flooded and it affects the houses," Bukavu official Emmanuel Majivuno Kalimba told Reuters at the scene, as residents worked to salvage belongings from their damaged homes.

The overnight devastation follows the deaths of at least 22 people in Kasai-Central province on Tuesday when a landslide swallowed houses, churches and roads, killing entire families and leaving people homeless.



Cloud Lightning

Australia: Child among 10 killed after severe summer storms hit country's east

Roofs were torn off homes and electricity poles ripped from the ground in Queensland
© ABCRoofs were torn off homes and electricity poles ripped from the ground in Queensland
At least 10 people, including a nine-year-old girl, have died in eastern Australia during severe thunderstorms on Christmas and Boxing Day.

Most of the deaths were in the state of Queensland, where tens of thousands of people are still without power.

Victoria and New South Wales were also hit by widespread flooding and destructive winds.

Further thunderstorms have been forecast but conditions are expected to improve over the next day.

The winds were so strong in places, they tore roofs off buildings, felled trees and ripped concrete-based electricity poles from the ground.


Igloo

Massive dark hole opens in the Sun - We are in a solar MINIMUM

Solar Cycle 24
© Armstrong EconomicsSolar Cycle 24
An enormous dark hole has opened up in the surface of the sun, emitting streams of unusually fast radiation, known as solar wind, right at Earth. The size of the temporary gap is wider than 60 Earths and extraordinary at this stage of the solar cycle. This phenomenon, known as a coronal hole, took shape near the sun's equator on December 2 and reached its maximum width of around 497,000 miles (800,000 kilometers) within 24 hours. Since December 4, the solar void has been pointing directly at Earth. Experts initially predicted this most recent hole could spark a moderate geomagnetic storm that could trigger radio blackouts and strong auroral displays. Solar winds have been less intense than expected, so the resulting storm has only weakened.

For most of its history, science believed the sun's output was constant. They finally realized that a thermal dynamic cycle beats like your heart so the sun could not exist without a steady outflow of energy. One degree less, and it would blow itself out. Hence, it is cyclical, rising and falling in intensity.
Solar Cycle 24
© Armstrong EconomicsSolar Cycle 24.
The eleven-year cycle in sunspots itself builds in intensity like the Economic Confidence Model (ECM), reaching "grand maxima" and "grand minima" over the course of 300 years. The last grand maximum peaked in 1958, after which the sun has been steadily quieting down. We have seen sun spot activity decrease at its steepest in 9,300 years, but the climate change zealots refuse to acknowledge naturally occurring cyclical weather patterns.

The last Maunder Minimum, during which the sun languished for seventy years, took place from 1645 to 1715 when the sun's brightness declined and the number of sunspots collapsed. In fact, fewer than 50 sunspots were observed within a 28-year period. Parts of the world became so cold that the period was called the Little Ice Age, which lasted from about 1300 to 1850. Now, a Solar Minimum does not mean that the sun becomes colder, but rather, it changes. As sunspots fade away, we enter a Solar Minimum.

Snowflake Cold

Beijing records longest cold wave in modern history

panda bear beijing zoo snow
© Chinatopix/APA giant panda rests on a tree at a zoo after a snow fall in Beijing
Beijing records longest cold wave in modern history as heating systems in part of China struggles

Beijing recorded its longest cold wave since records began in 1951 as the biting temperatures and snowfall experienced in the Chinese capital and elsewhere began to ease.

The temperature recorded at Beijing's Nanjiao weather station rose to above zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit)Sunday afternoon for the first time in days, state media Beijing Daily reported.

"Since temperature first dropped to below zero degrees on December 11, the temperature had remained below that line for more than 300 hours," Beijing Daily wrote.

Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall cripples life in Turkey

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A messy mix of snow and rain wreaked havoc in parts of the country, as roads were closed to traffic in the province in the eastern and southeastern Anatolian region due to heavy snowfall and blizzards causing low visibility.

Transportation was severely disrupted in the provinces of Tunceli, Hakkari, Kars and Sivas, with some vehicles stranded on the roads.

In the southeastern province of Hakkari, roads to 34 villages are inaccessible.


While the intermittent snowfall in the district increased its effect at night, the snow thickness reaching 30 centimeters in the center prompted the municipal teams to take action in Hakkari. The teams who worked hard to open the roads said they were ready 24/7 in case of a negative situation.


Cloud Precipitation

Flooding in many parts of the Netherlands

Water filled a floodplain along the Waal River in Varik, Gelderland. 26 December 2023
© NL TimesWater filled a floodplain along the Waal River in Varik, Gelderland. 26 December 2023
The rainy Christmas Day has caused significant inconvenience throughout the Netherlands. The problems are mainly in Overijssel and Gelderland, but also in Drenthe and Noord-Brabant where people were troubled by flooded basements, roads, and cycle paths. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said authorities were on top of the high water situation despite the national holiday.

"The high water is causing nuisance in various parts of the country. We are closely monitoring the situation and taking measures where necessary," Rutte wrote on X. "I wish everyone in the Netherlands dealing with the unpleasant consequences of the heavy rainfall a lot of strength." He went on to thank infrastructure workers at Rijkswaterstaat, regional water board staff, those tasked with protecting the dikes, and emergency services personnel for "working so hard, even during the holidays."


Boat

More than 25,000 people seeking shelter at 241 flood relief centres in East Coast states of Malaysia

Children wade through floodwaters in Bandar Kuala Berang, Kuala Terengganu, followiing heavy rain.
© NSTP/GHAZALI KORIChildren wade through floodwaters in Bandar Kuala Berang, Kuala Terengganu, followiing heavy rain.
The flood situation in the East Coast states has taken a turn for the worse with thousands of residents evacuated from their homes and seeking shelter at 238 flood relief centres.

According to https://infobencanajkmv2.jkm.gov.my website, a total of 25,816 people from 7,493 families are seeking shelter at 238 flood relief centres in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang as of 2.30pm today.

In Kelantan, a total of 15,119 people from 4,567 families are seeking shelter at 91 flood relief centres in eight districts namely Gua Musang, Jeli, Kota Bharu, Kuala Krai, Machang, Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh and Tanah Merah.