Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

US: Levee in flood area to be blown up; dam spills over

Water breaches levee
© Paul Davis / The Daily American Republic via APWater flows over the Wappapello Lake emergency spillway on the St. Francis River in Wayne County, Mo., on Monday. Several roads have been closed in southeast Missouri after heavy overnight rains pushed lakes and streams out of their banks.
Army Corps of Engineers gives green light after pumping in liquid explosives

Cairo, Illinois - As more rain fell Monday across southeast Missouri on Monday, water spilled over one dam, forcing road closures, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave the go-ahead to blow up a levee in another county.

In Wayne County, water burst through the Wappapello Lake emergency spillway on the St. Francis River. Several roads were closed there and in other areas as lakes and streams were pushed out of their banks.

In nearby Mississippi County, the Army Corps of Engineers decided to blast a levee, flooding farmland but protecting an Illinois town where most residents already have been forced to flee from a rising river.

Cloud Lightning

U.S.: Flooding in central Arkansas

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It's been a turbulent spring thus far in Arkansas and this weekend was no exception.

Here in central Arkansas, flood conditions rolled in with the rains that started Saturday night and continued through Sunday. According to the National Weather Service, four to eight inches of rain fell during the weekend and more heavy rain is in the forecast through Tuesday.

Here in Benton, the Saline River serves as a handy guide as to how much rain has fallen. If the river is out of its banks, it's a sure bet that heavy rains are common throughout Saline County. The Saline River was out of its banks, indeed, and the following pictures taken about 6 p.m. in Benton on Sunday are proof.

Cloud Lightning

US: Mississippi heavy rains and freeze warnings for the plains

Heavy rain is the major story for this early Monday morning. A slow-moving cold front is forcing big downpours over the Mid MS valley this morning, and it's falling over the flood-out areas from this weekend. The radar has the rain over TX (which is actually very good news, it will help control the crazy wild fires), goes to OK and up to the NE right now. I'll show it to you on the program, and it looks like around 2-3" will fall over the mid MS Valley area. Check out the map:

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Bizarro Earth

World's Biggest Gathering of Whale Sharks


To see a single whale shark - the world's largest fish, a solitary behemoth that can grow to school bus size - is a rare experience.

Seeing hundreds gathered in one place is unprecedented.

"It's one of the most incredible gatherings of animals that's ever been recorded. It's mind-blowing," said marine biologist Al Dove of the Georgia Aquarium. "As someone who studies whale sharks, which have a reputation of being something you see once in a blue moon, the idea of finding 400 in an area of the size of a couple football fields is unheard of."

Cloud Precipitation

Rain, north wind could put record chill on Dallas-Fort Worth, but warm-up ahead

May continued its cold, soggy start Monday as heavy rains swamped highways and a stiff north wind chilled Dallas-Fort Worth.

Accidents snarled traffic on highways throughout the area, and there was minor flooding reported on low-lying roads.

The storms brought much-needed rain to the area, but the cold front that accompanied it was less welcome.

A high in the low 50s is expected Monday, which would be the coldest high ever. The previous record was 57, set in 1994.

Cloud Precipitation

US: Heavy Rains Keep Missouri Levee-Blast Plans on Track

Mid west flood map
© NOAAA series of storms has elevated river levels across the Midwest and South in the past few days.
Heavy rains overnight lifted the river level at Cairo, Ill., Monday morning to nearly a foot and a half beyond its 1937 record, as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued to pack a Missouri levee with explosives to prepare to activate an emergency floodway.

On Sunday, Justice Samuel Alito of the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request by Missouri to stop the Corps from blowing a two-mile-wide hole in a levee at Birds Point, Mo. The move would send a wall of water over 130,000 acres of prime farmland and the homes of about 200 people. Residents were ordered to evacuate last week.

Eye 1

Simmering Ecuadorian Volcano Spews Ash Sky High

Residents of Baños, Ecuador were doing what little they could on Saturday to clean their town of a thick coating of ash spewed by the "Throat of Fire" volcano after it erupted on Friday.


Cloud Precipitation

Flood waters receding slightly in northeast Arkansas, but more rain falling in rest of state

Little Rock, Arkansas - One person has died as strong storms continued throughout Arkansas on Sunday, exacerbating flooding problems in a state already saturated from recent rain.

Flood watches continued throughout most of the state. Officials are particularly concerned about the White River, which flows through north-central Arkansas before tracing a course south and east until it meets the Mississippi River. On Sunday morning, the river was at 32.3 feet at Augusta, more than six feet above flood stage, and it's predicted to crest at 33.5 feet on Thursday morning.

The flooding in the area could affect White, Woodruff, Independence and Jackson counties. There's also some concern about the Black River in northeastern Arkansas, although National Weather Service hydrologist Tabitha Clarke in Little Rock said Sunday "there's nothing that will exceed the crest they've already experienced."

Forecasters say the rain likely won't stop in Arkansas until early Tuesday.

Cloud Lightning

U.S.: Portion of Prairie County, Arkansas evacuated due to fears about flood waters from White River

Little Rock, Arkansas - Neighborhoods in Prairie County are being evacuated because of fears about rising flood waters from the White River.

Spokesman Davis Bell with the county's emergency operations said Monday that between 200 and 300 households in flood-prone areas east of the White River at Des Arc and Biscoe were being notified of the evacuation order. County officials say roads in the area will soon be impassable due to flooding.

Bell said officials are concerned about the rising waters from flash floods and whether levees along the river will be able to hold. Volunteers are going door to door to notify residents of the evacuation order.

Shelters are available in Des Arc churches, the Hazen Armory and the DeValls Bluff Gym.

Igloo

Canada: Snowstorm Blankets Parts of Manitoba., Saskatchewan.

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© Brady Strachan/CBCMotorists in the Brandon area of western Manitoba encountered snow and ice Saturday.
Residents of southeast Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba are coping with another blast of winter, with heavy wet snow causing havoc for travellers in both provinces.

On Saturday, a blizzard warning was issued for areas around Dauphin, Minnedosa, Neepawa, Russell and St. Rose in Manitoba.

The storm hit Friday night and was expected to last until Saturday evening.

People were being told to expect 10 to 20 centimetres of heavy, wet snow and strong winds that may gust to 80 km/h.