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Queensland's drought this summer is the worst on record

Cassie Hough and Eliza Rogers
ABC News
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:52 UTC
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Queensland drought map for March 2014
It is official - this drought is Queensland's most widespread on record, with almost 80 per cent of the state now drought-declared.

Queensland's Agriculture Minister has announced the largest drought-stricken area ever for the state, with 15 new shires added to the list.

This takes the number of drought-declared shires to 38, and it is the first time large sections of the Queensland coast have been included.

Shires of Banana, Bundaberg, Cherbourg, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Moreton Bay, Noosa, North Burnett, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Western Downs have been added to the already long list, effective from March 1.

Minister John McVeigh says the failed wet season is the reason so many shires have been declared at once.

"It's really only that coastal strip of Queensland of roughly Rockhampton through to Cape that is not in drought, bar some other small locations around the state, so that does confirm that this is a more significant drought event than Queensland has ever seen before," he said.

"The wet season in these newly declared shires has been very poor with many areas missing out altogether. February, normally one of the wettest times of the year, has been particularly dry.
      Read More...
Arrow Down

Three metre-deep sinkhole on school field in Ramsgate, UK

Tom Barnes
Isle of Thanet Gazette
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:45 UTC
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School staff believe the hole could be a remnant of the Townley House estate
A three metre-deep sinkhole has opened up on the playing fields of Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School in Ramsgate.

The hole has left staff baffled since it was first discovered when one student's foot fell through the ground as he was playing football around a fortnight ago.

The pit has now grown to approximately one metre by two metres wide and is between 10 and 12 feet deep.

"We will be keeping all children and staff off the field until it has been surveyed. Hopefully by the end of this week we will have an idea of exactly what's happening underground."

Staff do not believe that the opening is a conventional sinkhole, but a long forgotten well or cesspit linked to the Townley House estate.

Teacher Chris Freeman said: "It doesn't appear to be a normal sinkhole, like the one that opened up on the M2 for example.

"It is bad enough that it has stopped our games until we can find out what caused it. Our playing fields have suffered enormous amounts of flooding- they have been saturated since Christmas.

"Some of the school grounds used to be part of the Townley House estate and we believe this could be either a well or an old Victorian cesspit linked to the estate.

A team of geophysical surveyors from Maidstone will inspect the field next week to determine what has caused the hole and whether it poses any further danger.

The school is also checking Victoria era plans of the area to try and solve the mystery of what has actually caused the hole.

      Read More...
Galaxy

Heaven and Earth: Unusual natural events and strange phenomena from around the world in February/March 2014

Last Messages
YouTube
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:07 UTC
Image
© Martin Rietze/National
This video compiles footages of strange phenomena of all kinds, including awesome natural events or beautiful phenomena from around the world in the last few weeks. Just a small sample of what we've seen already this year!

In the past month or so we have seen: Unusual solar activity including an X class flare - Aurora Borealis much further south than usual, including southern UK - Huge waves off coast of California, Brazil, UK - England battered by record storms, floods and sinkholes - Severe drought in California, followed by extreme storms and floods - US cities in the East frozen still - Strange skies over Europe - Ecuador Tungurahua volcano erupts - Strange 'hailstone' falls over Nevada - Weird pulsating orange Earth phenomena melts ice and boils water - Amazing sinkhole in the Corvette Museum - New York sinkhole swallows car - Popocatelpetl Volcano, Mexico eruptions - Sakurajima, Japan spectacular volcanic eruption - Large fireball over Maine, USA - Huge eruption from Volcano Pacaya in Guatemala
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Attention

Rare deep sea creature washes up on Dorset beach, UK

Emma Walker
Dorset Echo
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:33 UTC
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A rare sea creature which is only usually seen at the depths of the ocean was found washed up on a Dorset beach.

Biomedical scientist Paul Harris was walking along West Bexington Beach when he stumbled upon a Sea Mouse, which can usually be found buried up to 6,600ft beneath the waves.

The rare creature, which feasts on dead animals and is covered in colourful hair, is a type of marine worm.

Dorset's coast has been battered by severe storms in recent weeks and tonnes of rubbish, dead seabirds and unusual finds have been washed up on the county's shores.
      Read More...
Arrow Down

Massive sinkhole repaired in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A.J. Bayatpour
fox6now.com
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:10 UTC
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Massive sinkhole at Palmer & Townsend in Milwaukee

A massive sinkhole that formed at the intersection of Palmer and Townsend on the Milwaukee's north side created a world of headaches for homeowners and DPW crews.

"It was like two days ago when it first started. I was coming out of the crib and I heard some water rushing so I looked over there and I couldn't see where it was coming from. I looked down and it was a hole the size of a golf ball," said Anthony Gray who lives near the sinkhole.

The sound of rushing water was the sound of a broken watermain. In order to clamp down on the problem, workers needed to dig up the street and turn off the water.
      Read More...
Arrow Down

Fire crew at sinkhole on Skipper Road in Tampa, Florida


The Tamba Bay Tribune
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 09:58 UTC
Image
© CLIFF MCCBRIDE
A small hole opened Thursday at the Breezewood Mobile Home Park off Bearss Avenue in Tampa
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is on the scene of a what is being called a 6-by-9 foot depression in the ground of a mobile home park off of Skipper Road in Tampa.

Two homes were evacuated at the Breezewood Mobile Home Park, 1701 Skipper Road.

The Code Enforcement department and Tampa Electric are sending representatives to the scene.
      Read More...
Arrow Down

Sinkhole swallows two vehicles near Hayden Lake, Idaho


KBOI 2
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:24 UTC
Image
© Kootenai County Sheriff's Office
Three people were taken to the hospital after two vehicles drove into a sinkhole early this morning near Hayden Lake, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office says.

Deputies say they found two vehicles that had driven into a large washout on Rimrock Road. Investigators say a culvert under the road failed due to heavy runoff.

The hole ended up being 10 feet wide and about eight feet deep.
      Read More...
Snowman

More winter wildfire weirdness: Shenandoah National Park wildfire in Virginia grew to 450 acres before being put out by... a snowstorm!


Daily Journal
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 07:10 UTC
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Shenandoah National Park in Virginia is on fire, and is covered in snow... huh?!
Crimora, Virginia - Firefighters battling a wildfire in Shenandoah National Park have gotten some help from Mother Nature.

The National Park Service says rain, sleet and snow late Sunday and most of Monday dampened the Rocks Mountain Fire before it reached containment lines.

The fire burned about 450 acres in the park's South District northeast of Crimora before the storm.

Firefighters will look for hot spots when the snow melts.

Shenandoah Superintendent Jim Northup says in a news release that the goal is to contain the fire to the park.

The fire was reported of Feb. 28. The cause is under investigation.

Riprap, Wildcat Ridge, Rocks Mountain and Paine Run trails remain closed.

Source: Associated Press
      Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Storm brings 100-year flood to Christchurch, New Zealand

Tom Yulsman
Discover Magazine
Wed, 05 Mar 2014 03:24 UTC
Image
© NASA
NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of a powerful storm swirling off the coast of New Zealand on March 4. The storm has caused what has been reported as a 100-year flood in the city of Christchurch.
The satellite image above shows the powerful storm that brought gale force winds and 36 hours of heavy rainfall to New Zealand, triggering what has been described as a 100-year flood in the city of Christchurch.

The city has been beset by flooding before, as well as a devastating magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 2011 that killed 185 people.

Authorities warned residents to consider the floodwaters contaminated. It's unclear how many homes were flooded. One account puts the number at up to 100.
      Read More...
Dollar

Ice storm costs South Carolina $360 million in timber

Paresh Dave
Los Angeles Times
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 03:04 UTC
Image
© Bruce Smith / Associated Press / February 19, 2014
Trees near Lodge, S.C., show damage from the February ice storm.
Snow, sleet and frozen rain damaged a year's worth of South Carolina's timber harvest last month, making it the most damaging storm in the region since 1989, officials reported.

About 11% of the forestland was significantly affected by the pre-Valentine's Day storm, which left an inch of ice across half of the state. Though most of the $360 million in damage was considered "light" by the South Carolina Forestry Commission because some of it could be salvaged, the agency declared a disaster and called on timber companies Wednesday to save as much as they could.

The rest of the South also felt the wrath of the storm, which shut down schools and businesses and snarled traffic from Feb. 10-13.

The storm claimed about $65 million worth of timber in Georgia, the state's Forestry Commission said last week. Among casualties there was the famous Eisenhower Tree, a pine on the Augusta National golf course that was said to have repeatedly caught the former president's tee shots.

Comment: Also see: UK storms caused 'greatest tree loss in a generation'

      Read More...
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