Earth ChangesS


Tsunami

Weather chaos in Malaga, Spain brings flooding, snow-capped mountains

Flooding all along Costa del Sol.
© Fuengirola se queja.Flooding all along Costa del Sol.
A massive rain and hail storm brought the Costa del Sol to a standstill Monday morning after an orange alert warning from AEMET, the state meteorological service.

The warning, which is ongoing until the evening, is mostly affecting Malaga capital, the Costa del Sol and Guardalhorce Valley areas. Emergency services have received hundreds of calls about flooding of ground floor homes and businesses. Luckily so far there have been no serious injuries other than shock. Most of the damage done has been to personal property and vehicles.

One woman became stuck in her car when trying to cross to the other side of an underpass below the Cercanias commuter train line in Torremolinos. She was unable to leave her car on her own, but a local person managed to get her out and to safety through the hatchback of the car.


Seismograph

Santorini landslides raise alarm after Cyclades earthquakes in Greece

The stark image captures the raw power of nature unleashed on the idyllic landscape of Santorini. Credit: Video screenshot, Facebook/Ermoupolis Meteorological news A video capturing landslides
© Ermoupolis MeteorologicalThe stark image captures the raw power of nature unleashed on the idyllic landscape of Santorini.
A video capturing landslides on Santorini highlights the potential risks after a series of earthquakes in the Cyclades' sea region, sparking concerns about the possibility of a major quake.

Six tremors whose magnitude exceeded 4 were recorded between 09:36 and 11:29 on Monday, with the largest at 11:29 having a magnitude of 4.9 and an epicenter 25 kilometers south-southwest of Arkesini, Amorgos. This was followed by another quake of magnitude 4.9 at 2:17 p.m. on Monday, with an epicenter 18 km south-southwest of Arkesini, Amorgos, and 231 km southeast of Athens.


Attention

Teenage girl killed in shark attack in Australia

Great white shark
A teenage girl has died after being attacked by a shark in Queensland, Australia.

Paramedics responded to reports of a "serious shark bite incident" at Woorim Beach, just north of Brisbane, around 16:45 local time (06:45 GMT) on Monday, Queensland Ambulance Service wrote on X.

Police confirmed that the girl had suffered life-threatening injuries and died shortly after 17:00. Australian media reports that she was 17 years old.

The waters around the beach are home to many sharks, but the attack occurred close to shore in the popular surfing spot, which has measures to protect against sharks.

Police confirmed the girl had been swimming in the waters off Bribie Island - just off the mainland, on which Woorim Beach sits - when she was attacked by the shark, the species of which has not been identified.


Doberman

Dog attack horror as 11-month-old baby is killed by family's pet Belgian shepherd in France

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An 11-month-old baby has been killed by a Belgian shepherd as its parents tried to protect the child.

The baby boy was attacked by one of the family's three dogs in Questembert, in Belgium's Morbihan region, while watching TV with its parents on Sunday France 3 reports.

The local fire brigade rushed to the scene around 3.30pm and tried to save the baby, but the 11-month-old died of the serious injuries inflicted by the Belgian Malinois shepherd.

'The emergency services arrived quickly and the operations to keep the child alive lasted an hour and a half,' Boris Lemaire, the mayor of Questembert, told Le Telegramme.

The father had tried to save his son and was also bitten by the family dog, according to De Telegraaf.

Comment: (Note: Questembert, Morbihan is in France not Belgium as stated in the report.)


Attention

Rare pod of killer whales spotted off the coast of Orange County, California on January 30

A pod of orcas showed up off Newport Beach on Jan. 30, 2025, a rare appearence for the group that has only been spotted a handful of times and never documented off Orange County’s coastline.
© Molly BattsA pod of orcas showed up off Newport Beach on Jan. 30, 2025, a rare appearence for the group that has only been spotted a handful of times and never documented off Orange County’s coastline.
A pod of killer whales made an unexpected visit off the coast of Orange County Thursday.

The pod of CA56 killer whales (orcas) was spotted by a Davey's Locker whale-watching boat about 12:30 p.m. just two and a half miles from Newport Beach harbor.

Video showed the whales getting remarkably close to the boat as the passengers and crewmembers looked on.

This particular pod of orcas is rarely seen, with Thursday's sighting believed to be the furthest southern documented sighting, Davey's Locker & Newport Landing spokesperson Jessica Rodriguez said.


Attention

'Super pod' of 1,500 dolphins captured on video off the coast of California on January 24

A cluster of dolphins swim across Carmel Bay on the central coast of California on Friday last week.
© Evan BrodskyA cluster of dolphins swim across Carmel Bay on the central coast of California on Friday last week.
A miles-long cluster of dolphins has been filmed leaping and gliding across Carmel Bay off the central coast of California, forming an unusual "super pod" of more than 1,500 of the marine creatures.

"They were on the horizon I feel like as far as I could see," said Captain Evan Brodsky, with the Monterey Bay Whale Watch, who captured drone footage of Friday's huge gathering of Risso's dolphins.

The sighting was rare, as Risso's dolphins typically travel in groups of only 10 to 30 animals, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

From an about 6m-long inflatable boat, Brodsky and a small team out searching for gray whales watched mesmerized as the dolphins jumped out of the bay, peeking around as they leaped in the air. This type of dolphin with its stocky body and bulbous head can weigh as much as 499kg and reach up to 3.9m long.


Tsunami

Sicily in Italy hit by flooding after month's rain falls in 4 hours (6 inches) - including extreme hail

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Firefighters rescued residents from flooded streets and cars were washed away in the Sicilian province of Messina on Sunday after a month's worth of rain fell in just four hours.

Almost 150 millimetres (six inches) of rain fell in the area, overloading the drainage system.

City officials said in a statement that the province had experienced an "event of exceptional magnitude".

Hours of heavy rainfall caused mudslides, while vehicles parked close to waterways were dragged downstream by flood waters.

Motorway operator Anas closed two sections of the Orientale Sicula state road and diverted traffic to alternative routes after the Fiumedinisi and Agrò rivers burst their banks.


Boat

Best of the Web: More flooding and extreme rainfall hits Queensland, Australia - 39 inches of rain in 48 hours

Flooding in North Queensland brings the prospect of crocodiles entering suburban areas
© 9NewsFlooding in North Queensland brings the prospect of crocodiles entering suburban areas
One person has died in the major flooding event smashing North Queensland as residents are warned things could get worse with water and power supply being affected.

An emergency alert was issued for the Bluewater area at 2.41pm on Sunday as heavy rainfall continues across the far northern parts of the state.

Anyone in the Bluewater area is being told to leave immediately due to the emergency flood warning.

"Dangerous flooding happening now at Bluewater," the alert stated.

"Leave immediately if safe to do so or move to higher ground."

Premier David Crisafulli confirmed the death on Sunday morning.


Comment: Earlier recent report from Thursday, January 30 of the flooding and heavy rain which had already hit the the region: Residents evacuated due to flooding in far North Queensland, Australia - over 15.7 inches of rain in 48 hours


Arrow Down

Landslide closes Thousand Steps in Laguna Beach, California on January 31

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A popular and heavily trafficked beach in Laguna Beach was closed Friday morning after the cliffside that overlooks it gave way and slid to the ground below.

Details: https://ktla.com/news/california/land...


Volcano

Japan: Sakurajima eruption sends ash 2,700 meters high as volcanic lightning strikes on January 30

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Sakurajima unleashed a powerful explosion at 8:13 p.m. on January 30, sending a towering plume of ash 2,700 meters above the crater.

This marks the volcano's 22nd explosive eruption of 2025, adding to its intense activity.

Witnesses also reported a rare display of volcanic lightning, illuminating the darkened skies as the eruption unfolded.