Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Severe flooding in Spain's Almería strands tourists, triggers rescues

an elderly couple had to be rescued from their caravan amid flash floods in southern Spain.
An elderly couple had to be rescued from their caravan amid flash floods in southern Spain.
Torrential rains have caused severe flooding in Almería, Spain, leaving tourists stranded and prompting urgent rescues. The Spanish Civil Guard evacuated French nationals caught in rising waters as storms battered the region. Authorities continue to monitor the situation as extreme weather impacts southern Spain.


Snowflake

Close to 50 cms (19.6 inches) of snow in March fell overnight in mountainous regions of Gangwon Province, South Korea

A cafe in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is covered in snow on Monday.
© YonhapA cafe in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is covered in snow on Monday.
South Korea was hit by heavy rain and snow from Sunday night to Monday, causing travel disruptions and safety concerns, with more snow and rain forecast nationwide starting Tuesday morning.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy snow was observed overnight in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province and the Chungcheong provinces.

Monday's heavy snowfall resulted in several accidents in different parts of the country, though no injuries or deaths were reported as of 11 a.m. Four reports were made to officials regarding stranded vehicles, leading to the rescue of 10 people. Eleven traffic accidents were also reported and 51 additional safety reports were made to officials regarding accumulated snow.

As of 11 a.m., 53 ferry services were canceled and 10 flights were grounded. Thirteen national parks remain closed to the public while 13 roads have been closed off to prevent further safety incidents.


Attention

Dead fin whale washes ashore near Delaware Memorial Bridge

Daniel Ritter from Ritter Dragonfly Dronography captured this image of a dead whale at 9 a.m. Sunday, March 2, 2025, at Pigeon Point, Delaware, just north of the Delaware Memorial Bridge
© Daniel RitterDaniel Ritter from Ritter Dragonfly Dronography captured this image of a dead whale at 9 a.m. Sunday, March 2, 2025, at Pigeon Point, Delaware, just north of the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
New video shows a dead whale that washed ashore in Delaware.

Drone pilot RITTER Dragonfly Dronography released a video of the dead whale just north of the Delaware Memorial Bridge in New Castle, Delaware, on Sunday, though there were reports of the mammal being spotted ashore as early as last week.

Officials with the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation (MERR) Institute told NBC10 the whale is a 35-foot fin whale. They believe the whale is a juvenile since the species can grow up to 80 feet long. The MERR is currently working with the United States Coast Guard and other officials on a plan to move the whale to a different location.

The fin whale is the second largest whale species on earth, behind only the blue whale, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

There are three subspecies of fin whale that are known to travel in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, the Southern Ocean and the mid-latitude Southern Ocean. Over the years, fin whales have been threatened by vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, ocean noise and climate change, according to the NOAA.


Arrow Down

Avalanche traps 42 workers under snow near India-Tibet border - 7 killed (UPDATE)

Rescuers carry workers after an avalanch
© State Disaster Response ForceRescuers carry workers after an avalanche near Mana village in Chamoli district of India's Uttarakhand state on February 28, 2025
More than 40 construction workers are trapped under the snow due to an avalanche near India's border with Tibet.

Blizzard-like conditions caused the avalanche on Friday at a camp near the mountain village of Mana in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

It initially trapped 57 workers who were clearing out snow from the camp. Fifteen of them were rescued while 42 are still missing, said Ridhim Agarwal, an official from the state's disaster relief force.

Disaster response teams are trying to reach the trapped workers at the high-altitude camp, which had been under an avalanche warning since Thursday evening, according to Indian media reports.

However, the treacherous weather is hampering their efforts, said Deepam Seth, the state's top police officer.


Comment: Update March 2

The Statesman reports:
The death toll in the Uttarakhand avalanche disaster has risen to seven after rescue teams recovered three more bodies of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers on Sunday.

The victims were buried under a mass of glacier and snow near Mana village, ahead of the Badrinath shrine. One worker remains missing.

According to the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Department, the three recovered bodies belonged to BRO workers trapped under the avalanche at Mana.

"The death toll of BRO workers in the Mana avalanche has reached seven, as three more bodies were discovered by rescue teams on Sunday. The deceased workers were from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh," said Vinod Suman, Secretary, State Disaster Management.

The bodies of all seven victims have been sent for post-mortem to Joshimath, and arrangements will be made to transport them to their respective hometowns.



Arrow Down

Enormous sinkhole suddenly opens up and swallows car in Taiwan on February 27

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This is the terrifying moment a massive sinkhole opens up in the middle of a commercial district in Hsinchu County, Taiwan on February 27. Officials say they discovered the entire platform had been illegally built to provide more parking space, and was held up by steel beams that had rusted and collapsed. An unoccupied vehicle fell into the hole, no one was injured.


Fire

Thousands evacuated as Japan's biggest fire in decades continues to burn

A wildfire in Ofunato, Japan, on March 2.
© Hidenori Nagai/The YomiuriA wildfire in Ofunato, Japan, on March 2.
Japan has deployed more than 2,000 firefighters to battle the country's biggest forest fire in three decades.

At least one person has died in the blaze, which has torched more than 5,200 acres around the northern Japanese city of Ofunato since Thursday, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA).

Although January to March is typically Ofunato's driest season, the area saw less rainfall last month than any February in more than 20 years - recording just 2.5 millimetres, compared to the usual average of 41.

About 4,600 people remain under government-issued evacuation orders as the fire continues to burn.

Some 2,000 have already left the area to stay with friends or relatives, and more than 1,200 have evacuated to shelters, officials said.


Attention

Wild boar kills farmer in Kerala, India - 8th such death for the state in a year

Representational Image
© APRepresentational Image
A shocking wild boar attack in Panur, Kannur, has left the local community reeling after Sreedharan, a 70-year-old farmer, was killed while working on his farmland on Sunday morning. The incident occurred at around 8 AM, and despite being rushed to the hospital with severe injuries, he succumbed to excessive blood loss.

Hours later, enraged locals tracked down the wild boar nearly 1.5 kilometers away from the attack site and beat to death. Witnesses claim that the boar charged at officials who were measuring land near the Priyadarshini Library, forcing the mob to chase and kill the animal on the spot.

The killing of the wild boar has reignited concerns over the alarming rise in human-wildlife conflicts in Kerala.

According to official data, 57 people have died in animal attacks this financial year (2024-25), with 15 killed by elephants, 8 by wild boars, 1 by a tiger, 32 by snake bites, and 1 in a rare porcupine attack. In 2025 alone, 12 people have lost their lives to wildlife attacks, including six from elephant encounters.

Tsunami

Deadly floods devastate southern Ecuador on February 28 - two killed

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Floods in southern Ecuador kill two, including a child, and injure three. Hundreds evacuated as rivers overflowed, damaging homes and sweeping away cars.


Cloud Lightning

Severe storm hits city of Curitiba in Brazil causing floods, power outages - 1.6 inches of rain in just 30 minutes

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Intense rainfall overwhelms infrastructure, leaving thousands without power as city responds to damage.

Curitiba faced severe disruptions on Thursday afternoon, February 27, 2025, as intense rainstorms hit the city, leading to considerable flooding and power outages throughout the metropolitan area.

The rain, which totaled 41.6 mm within just 30 minutes, overwhelmed local drainage systems and resulted in significant flooding at the Boqueirão bus terminal, one of the city's primary transport hubs.

Images from the scene displayed the terminal inundated, with water covering the walkways and shops within the facility. Commuters had no choice but to wade through the water to reach their buses. According to the local government, the heavy rainfall caused minor delays on two bus lines, but services quickly returned to their regular schedule.


Tsunami

Flash floods kill a total of at least 39 across Afghanistan (UPDATE)

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At least 21 people were killed after sudden flash floods swept through a mountainous area in Qala-e-Kah district of western Farah province, local sources told Amu.

The victims, who had traveled to the area for leisure, were caught off guard when the floods surged unexpectedly, throwing them into a deep ravine, the sources said.

At least four others were injured, and several children were among the dead.

Taliban officials have not yet commented on the incident, and further details remain unclear.

The flooding comes amid severe weather shifts across Afghanistan, with heavy rains increasing concerns over natural disasters in several provinces.


Comment: From the same source details of the fatalities from 2 other provinces in the country:
At least 10 people, including several children, were killed by flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, Taliban officials said Tuesday.

In Kandahar, the Taliban's disaster management office reported that three girls drowned in a sudden flood in the Shorandam area of the province's fifth district. A fourth child also died in the same area.

Meanwhile, in Helmand, a house collapsed in the Shahzadi area of Sangin district, killing two children, according to Hafiz Rasheed Helmandi, the Taliban's director of information and culture in the province.

In another incident, six people were injured when lightning struck a house in the Nawzad Rud area of Gereshk district, Helmandi said.

The latest fatalities add to the rising death toll from severe weather in Afghanistan. Last week, 21 people, including women and children, were killed in flash floods in the western province of Farah.

Heavy rains and extreme weather have increasingly devastated parts of Afghanistan in recent months, raising concerns over the country's preparedness for natural disasters.
Update February 28

AFP reports:
The death toll from recent heavy rain and hail in three Afghan provinces has risen by 10 to 39, disaster management officials said on Wednesday.

Flash floods ripped through the western border province of Farah on Tuesday, washing away 21 people, while three more were killed when a hail storm caused their house to collapse.

"The flood was strong, it destroyed my farm, it destroyed everything... all the lands were flooded away," Nasrullah, a 50-year-old farmer, told AFP.

"In my sixty years of life I had never seen such wind, rain, and storm," said another farmer, Mohammad Ibrahim. He said the storm was so strong it "threw the fences 30-35 metres away" and blew away everything made of wood.

The district governor, Mohammed Sadeq Jehadmal, told AFP that 50 houses and 60 shops were damaged, while "between 2,000 up to 2,500 solar panels were destroyed".

Further east, six people were killed in Helmand province, including a child struck by lightning, and nine in Kandahar province.

Officials said the deadly downpours may however help improve long-term drought conditions in several provinces, including flood-hit Farah.

"It's constantly raining and snowing in most of the provinces, which has reduced the drought," said Abdullah Jan Sayeq, spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority.


"This will enrich the water infrastructure. Agriculture will be improved and will have positive effects on livestock."