Earth Changes
Thousands of South Australians left without power after lightning storm - 65,000 strikes in 24 hours
More than 65,000 lightning strikes hit Australian state of South Australia (SA) in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning as a large storm system passed through causing mass blackouts.
As of 06:00 am local time on Wednesday, more than 10,000 homes and businesses were still without power mostly in Adelaide, capital city of SA, and its surrounding towns.
Two bands of heavy rainfall hit between 09:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday night and between 03:00 a.m. and 03:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, prompting a severe thunderstorm warning.

A police officer visits the paddy field where three cows were killed by lightning in Muk Pen village, Muk Pen commune, Puok district in Siem Reap province.
Four cows grazing in a field also perished when lightning struck three villages in Puok district at around 3.30pm on Sunday.
Tep Pomsen, Puok district police chief, said on Monday that the deceased and the four injured men were ploughing and seeding a paddy field in Muk Pen village in Puok district when the tragic incident happened.
The deceased was identified as Penh Vannchara, 13, while the injured were identified as Keo Rotha, 17, Vath Mithona, 33, Pich Sambath, 41, and Han Hay, 19. All of them belong to the same village except Rocha, all were severely injured.
According to Rescue-1122, a labourer Munawar along with his son Hassan Ali was toiling whereas his 6-year-old son Ghulab Ali Shah was playing nearby when suddenly lightning struck them.
They said Munawar and his son Ghulab Ali died on the spot. Hassan Ali, Munawar's second son, sustained burn injuries.
The injured was shifted to a nearby hospital, they added.

The East side of the Paskwa fire burns in the High Level Forest Area district of Alberta in a May 9, 2023, handout photo.
Hundreds of wildfires have left much of the country blanketed in smoke and smog that brings real health risks — especially for vulnerable children and seniors, pregnant people, and those with asthma and heart or lung disease.
The tornado formed near the Point of the Mountain, raising questions about the difference between a landspout and a cold air funnel.
According to reports, the National Weather Service had issued earlier alerts today about the possibility of a landspout tornado in the area.
There was also several reports of cold air funnels seen near Coalville as the storm moved toward Wyoming.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the presence of the two whales in a Wednesday Facebook post. One whale was off Wainscott, New York, and the other in Raritan Bay, New Jersey, the agency said.
The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and Marine Mammal Stranding Center performed necropsies on both whales, according to a Friday update from NOAA.
Fatalities have been reported in the provinces of Saïda and Laghouat over the past few days, highlighting the severity of the situation. On 03 June 2023, two men lost their lives in Laghouat Province's municipality of Beidha when their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters. Witnesses recount that the driver attempted to navigate through a flooded river, resulting in the vehicle being overturned and dragged by the raging currents.
The Civil Protection authorities in Algeria confirmed on 04 June that four individuals had died in separate flooding incidents in Saïda Province.

Flood rescue in Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador, 04 June 2023.
According to disaster authorities, over 11,000 people have been affected by the recent flooding, prompting extensive rescue efforts involving boats and helicopters. Thankfully, no fatalities or missing persons have been reported.
Esmeraldas Canton, in particular, has been severely hit, with vast areas submerged under water. As a result, approximately 2,395 homes have been damaged, leaving around 10,000 people directly affected. The devastation has also extended to other vital structures, including a prison and several schools.
People from the Mezdra village of Rebarkovo are without water and electricity. In addition to the water supply network, the only road from the "Botulinovets" district to the village was also destroyed. Which makes the locals' only connection to the world a narrow grassy pathway.
Comment: Elsewhere lightning killed a fisherman in the Philippines on June 6.