Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

14-year-old boy struck by lightning, 35,000 homes without power in New South Wales


Fiji Times
Sat, 01 Nov 2014 14:59 UTC
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© iStock
The fires coincide with storms that have rocked much of Sydney, the Hunter and Illawarra regions, leaving more than 35,000 homes without power.

A 14-year-old boy has died after being struck by lightning at One Mile Beach, north of Newcastle.

It is understood he was standing in shallow water when he was struck, suffering a cardiac arrest.

NSW Fire and Rescue's Tom Coopers said rescue crews received a call for help from a house that was struck by lightning in Lansvale in Sydney's west.

"The fire has severely damaged the roof but it's also gotten into the walls of the structure," Mr Coopers said.

"We understand that there's a woman there aged around her 40s, we believe. She's been affected by the lightning strike in someway.

"She's felt tingling sensations in her body and so [the] NSW Ambulance service will take a look at her."
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Arrow Down

Australia wildfires kill firefighter, raze 2 homes


The Associated Press
Sat, 01 Nov 2014 10:40 UTC
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© www.itv.comMan killed as Australia wildfires rage
A firefighter has been killed and at least two homes have been destroyed by Australian spring wildfires, officials said Saturday.

The 38-year-old volunteer firefighter was severely burned Friday while battling a blaze on a farm near the town of Nantawarra in South Australia state, state Country Fire Service chief officer Greg Nettleton said. The fire was later contained.

At least two homes were razed by wildfires Saturday on the outskirts of the town of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, in New South Wales state, state Rural Fire Service Inspector Ben Shepherd said.

The service's deputy commissioner, Bob Rogers, said firefighters had battled to protect homes in Katoomba from flames fanned by winds of 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour.
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Cloud Lightning

California storms go south; evacuations in Ventura County


The Associated Press
Sat, 01 Nov 2014 12:15 UTC
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© Ventura County Fire DepartmentThis image provided by the Ventura County Fire Department shows a home on San Como Lane in Camarillo Calif., inundated by mud and debris from a hillside early Saturday Nov. 1, 2014. Fire Capt. Mike Lindbery of the Ventura County Fire Department says residents from about 11 homes were evacuated early Saturday in the neighborhood of Camarillo.
Nearly a dozen homes north of Los Angeles were evacuated over mudslide concerns, a fire captain said early Saturday, after storms that rained on the San Francisco Giants' World Series championship parade moved south.

Authorities said 11 residences in Ventura County were evacuated late Friday and early Saturday after mud and debris from a hillside struck at least two of them, partially burying one man.

Capt. Mike Lindbery of the Ventura County Fire Department said the evacuations were going on in a neighborhood in the city of Camarillo.

He said heavy rains Friday night played a role in the mud flow, but he didn't know to what extent.

A fire crew rescued the man uninjured after he became mired waist-deep in mud at his home.
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Snowflake

Winter is coming: Earliest snowfall in recorded history falls in Columbia, SC

Jason Old
WISTV.com
Sat, 01 Nov 2014 14:13 UTC
snow columbia south carolina
© WISTV.com
The snow that fell in the Midlands on Saturday morning is the earliest in recorded history.

Some areas reported 2-3 inches of the white stuff. The snow stayed mostly to the north and to the west of Columbia.

At this point, most roadways are not cold enough to cause any icing or accumulations, however, you are urged to be cautious in areas where frozen precipitation has fallen. Be especially aware when driving over bridges as those will freeze first.
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Igloo

Weekend storm to bring first snowfall to New England, Great Lakes, Appalachians

Jon Erdman
Weather.com
Fri, 31 Oct 2014 14:19 UTC
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© Weather.com
Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are posted for parts of the Appalachians and snow advisories are in effect in the Great Lakes as the season's first snow targets those areas from Halloween into the weekend.

As of Friday morning up to 8 inches of snow fell in Winchester, Wisconsin and near Three Lakes, Michigan. Wind gusts up to 60 mph have also been reported in parts of Michigan.

Snow Timing

Given the expected intensity of a southward plunge of the jet stream and the magnitude and depth of cold air pulled with it, we're not simply talking about chilly rain showers, but also accumulating snow for some as well as the first flakes of the season for others.

- Friday: The cold front plunges through the Great Lakes early, then through the Ohio Valley and Appalachians. Rain will mix with, or changeover to wet snow in parts of Michigan and Wisconsin and spread to the Ohio Valley and Appalachians later in the day into the night. Bands of lake-effect rain or snow will also set up.

- Saturday: Additional snow will fall over the Appalachians and parts of the piedmont from east Tennessee and western North Carolina (possibly Upstate South Carolina) north to at least West Virginia. Some wet snow may also linger in parts of eastern Lower Michigan, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, western New York. Snow may develop later in parts of northern New England.

- Sunday: Snow, possibly heavy, in parts of northern New England and gusty winds are expected as well.

Comment: To learn more about what is behind the erratic weather and climate change, listen to the SOTT Talk radio shows below:

SOTT Talk Radio: Climate Change, Food Shortages and the Future
SOTT Talk Radio show #70: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?

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Cloud Lightning

Tropical Storm Vance threatens Mexico's Pacific coast, could strengthen to hurricane by Sunday

Kristina Pydynowski,
accuweather.com
Fri, 31 Oct 2014 21:54 UTC
tropical storm vance
Tropical Storm Vance continues to churn over the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean after developing on Thursday afternoon.

The AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center is keeping a close eye on the system, located several hundred miles south-southeast of Acapulco.

Further strengthening will occur through this weekend as the tropical cyclone remains over the warm waters of the eastern Pacific and in an environment that lacks disruptive wind shear, which can shred apart tropical systems as evident with Tropical Cyclone Nilofar.

The system is likely to strengthen into a hurricane by Sunday.
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Ice Cube

US: Cold temperatures rush into East, shock parts of South

Alex Sosnowski
Accuweather
Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:59 UTC
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The coldest air since April will blast into the Eastern states and will shock parts of the South this weekend.

In many areas, the cold air will be pushed along and enhanced by gusty winds.

The winds will be generated by a winterlike storm swinging off the mid-Atlantic coast and possibly taking a curved path back toward New England.

Gusts ranging between 35 and 50 mph will sweep from the southern Appalachians to the Carolina, Georgia and northeastern Florida coasts, initially. Next, the swath of strong winds will roll across the mid-Atlantic and New England later this weekend.
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The combination of plunging temperatures, winds and other conditions will produce shockingly low AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures. Levels will dip into the teens over the Appalachians and New England to the 20s over the interior South and along the mid-Atlantic coasts and to the lower 30s in part of Florida.
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Attention

Woman killed by wild boar in rare attack, Vietnam


You (South Africa)
Thu, 30 Oct 2014 21:32 UTC
Image
© Getty
A woman died after being trampled and bitten by a wild boar in a mountainous area of central Vietnam, a local official said Thursday.

The 39-year-old woman was working in a rice field in Pho Hoa commune in Quang Ngai province when the animal attacked her, said Nguyen Van Nho, chairman of the commune's People's Committee.

The woman died several hours later.

The boar was being pursued by hunters when it attacked the woman, and the animal was later shot, Nho said, adding that it was the first such incident reported in the commune.

"If it was not being chased, the animal would not have attacked her," he said.

Boars used to be a common sight in the area, but they have become much scarcer in recent years because of hunting.
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Attention

7 trampled to death by elephant herd in Malawi


africanspotlight.com
Wed, 29 Oct 2014 21:22 UTC
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© Chris Charlesworth
Seven people including a child have been trampled to death by rampaging elephants that strayed from Malawi's southern Liwonde National Park into a nearby village, police say.

The two beasts charged into Nyambi village, trampling an eight-year-old child, a 75-year-old man and five others who failed to outpace the gigantic mammals.

"This was the highest death toll caused by elephants in recent memory," said Andrew Mayawo, a police spokesman from Machinga district on Tuesday.

The elephants were later herded back to the national park with the help of police and environmental experts, Mayawo said.

"The problem is that the villagers have vandalised the barbed wire fence which keeps the elephants at bay."
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Snowflake

Record snowfall for Halloween in Chicago


The Chicago Tribune
Fri, 31 Oct 2014 11:07 UTC
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© Sascha Hedjbeli
Windy conditions and snow have caused hundreds of flight cancellations and delays Friday at O'Hare International Airport, officials said.

As of 11 a.m., more than 300 flights were reported canceled and delays of up to an hour were reported at O'Hare, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

According to to FlightStats, an online site that monitors air traffic, 304 flights in and out of O"Hare had been canceled.

Halloween started with a record snowfall for many Chicago-area residents. As of 8 a.m. Friday, O'Hare and Chicago Rockford Airport had one-tenth of an inch of snow, the most snow on record for Oct. 31 for the city of Chicago, according to the National Weather Service.

Scattered snow showers are expected throughout Friday morning, said Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"It's just scattered showers, but it could come down decently, briefly," Izzi said. "I doubt anything will stick though."

Precipitation should end later Friday morning for the Chicago metropolitan area, but a high wind warning will be in effect until 6 p.m., with wind gusts expected to reach 60 mph near the lake.
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