Earth Changes

Iran's disappearing giant saltwater Lake Urmia turns blood-red

RT
Fri, 29 Jul 2016 18:03 UTC

A drought of epic proportions at Lake Urmia has brought the Iranian UNESCO site to the brink of disappearing off the face of the Earth, and is turning its once blue waters blood-red.

While once Urmia spanned an area five times larger than Hong Kong, its volume has decreased dramatically since 1972.

A study by hydrology experts at the University of California in 2014 painted the picture of a dying natural resource, highlighting how desiccation, or drying, had reduced the 5,000 sq km (1,930 sq mile) lake by almost 90 percent.

Its catastrophic demise has been compared to the loss of the Aral Sea, where poor irrigation and farming practices contributed to it drying up almost completely.

Scientists working with NASA's Earth Observatoryhave explained that as water levels drop during the hot summer months, microscopic algae and bacteria become more apparent, causing the unusual hue.

Huge waterspout filmed off Hainan, China

You Tube
Fri, 29 Jul 2016 19:18 UTC

Waterspout in Hainan

Waterspout hits Hainan shores in China

State television shows a tornadic waterspout a day after Typhoon Mirinae makes landfall in China's southern Hainan province.

Wildfire doubles in size to 14 square miles in Southwest Idaho

kbtx.com
Wed, 27 Jul 2016 18:54 UTC

A wildfire burning in rugged terrain in southwest Idaho doubled to 14 square miles on Wednesday, and officials closed a state highway in an attempt to use it as a firebreak.

About 23 miles of State Highway 21 are closed from north of Idaho City to south of Lowman as firefighters remove trees and brush to reduce the potential for the fire to cross the road. "We're going to make a stand against the fire there," fire spokeswoman Rae Brooks said.

The highway is well-traveled route from southwest Idaho to vacation areas in central Idaho. Officials gave no timeline for when it will reopen.

"We don't know what the fire is going to do, and we don't know how successful we'll be with our stand there," Brooks said.

About 900 firefighters backed by 10 helicopters are fighting the blaze that's burning in timber. About 35 campers have been evacuated, and 10 structures are threatened.

It's not clear what the structures are, but at least some are yurts for campers. Officials also expanded a closure in the Boise National Forest.

Record-breaking rainfall prompts flood warnings for Tri-State counties

WCPO
Thu, 28 Jul 2016 15:00 UTC

Flood watch lasts until 8 a.m. Friday

By 9 a.m. Thursday, a 101-year-old weather record had fallen in the Queen City. The official weather station for the city at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport recorded a total of 1.46 inches of rain, breaking the previous record of 1.43 inches from 1915.

Heavier amounts fell north and east of Cincinnati, with 3.47 inches reported at Lunken Airport and 4.49 inches in Anderson Township.

Flood warnings were in effect for most of Thursday morning for parts of the Tri-State as torrential downpours moved through the area Thursday morning.

Around 5:20 a.m., the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for northern Campbell and Kenton counties in Kentucky and northern Clermont and southeastern Hamilton counties in Ohio. That warning expired at 8:15 a.m., when NWS issued a flood warning for the same areas until 11 a.m. Thursday.

Massive anthrax outbreak kills 1,500 deer in Russia; largest for 75 years

Vladislav Vorotnikov
Global Meat
Thu, 28 Jul 2016 14:36 UTC

Russia is keeping one eye on its venison as vets warn the virus area could increase

An outbreak of anthrax has killed 1,500 northern deer in Russia and, with the figure set to rise, fears over exports of venison have begun to surface.

The anthrax outbreak in the Yamal Peninsula, the Arctic part of Russia, is believed to be the largest for 75 years. To fight against the disease, Russia has applied unprecedented measures, including the evacuation of farmers and their families.

Local veterinary services believe the disease probably emanated from animal burial sites - and some pastures where animals have been grazing will be banned for livestock use for the next 25 years.

"This disease has been present in our country for a long time and we have 35,000 officially registered animals with anthrax in burial sites," said Julia Demina, deputy head of Russian sanitary body Rospotrebnadzor. "These are the places where anthrax spores could be found in the soil."

Guatemala's 'Volcano of Fire' erupts spectacularly, authorities on alert

RT
Fri, 29 Jul 2016 14:37 UTC

Amazing images have been captured of Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) erupting spectacularly. Authorities remain on high alert as it continues to display intense activity.

The volcano, considered one of the most active in Central America, is being monitored by CONRED, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction of Guatemala, and INSIVUMEH, the National Institute for Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology.

Comment: Some recent activity:

Lightning bolt kills 2 and injures 3 in Rangpur, Bangladesh

The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
Thu, 28 Jul 2016 14:11 UTC

Two people were killed and three others injured by lightning in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur yesterday morning.

The deceased, Sumon Mia, 25, son of Mofazzal Hossain, and Abdur Razzak, 30, son of Abdul Matin, were residents of Arifpur village in the upazila.

Locals and witnesses said a thunderbolt struck five people while they were working in paddy field at the village around 9:00am, leaving them seriously injured.

Later, they were rushed to Pirganj Upazila Health Complex where the doctors declared the duo dead, Officer-in-Charge Rezaul Karim of Pirganj Police Station said.

Man hit by lightning as storm rips through Edmonton, Canada

Mack Lamoureux
cbc.ca
Fri, 29 Jul 2016 13:19 UTC

A car is stranded in a flooded part of the Whitemud on Wednesday afternoon.

Flooding so severe in some areas that boats had to rescue commuters from vehicles

A man was struck by lightning Wednesday as a sudden and violent thunderstorm raged through Edmonton.

Alberta Health Services confirmed the man was struck in south Edmonton at about 2:30 p.m. and was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Early in the afternoon, Environment Canada issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Edmonton and the surrounding communities of Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Morinvillle, Big Lake and Villeneuve.

Those warnings have since been lifted.

#yeg @yegtraffic @CBCEdmonton @Edmontonsun It was crazy but we are ok @TrylanS pic.twitter.com/Noz1zp50kt
— Shawna J Serniak (@DelwoodKingsMom) July 27, 2016

Four killed by lightning bolt in Bihar, India

Outlook
Fri, 29 Jul 2016 12:52 UTC

Four women were today killed in lightning strike in Bihar, while rains continued to lash northern parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, where major rivers were in spate.

Floods that occurred mainly due to heavy rains in Nepal's catchment area continued to affect the life of over 17 lakh people in 10 districts of Bihar and have so far claimed 22 lives.

Four women were killed and two others received burn injuries after being struck by lightning in East Champaran district, a police officer said.

Rains continued to lash northern parts of the country, including New Delhi, where 14.1 mm rainfall was recorded between 8.30 AM and 5.30 PM.

Huge waves close roads and destroy seawall amid weather chaos in Wellington, New Zealand

Rachel Thomas and Laura Doone
stuff.co.nz
Sun, 24 Jul 2016 12:23 UTC

While the wind and rain settled down on Sunday, rough seas continued to pound the Wellington coast.

Large waves washed away a Porirua seawall and swallowed up a Kapiti Coast beach after a weekend of wild weather that saw highways washed out, trees toppled and trampolines sent flying across the Wellington region.

Parts of the Porirua coast, including a section of Steyne Avenue, were hammered by the sea on Sunday.

State Highway 58 between Joseph Banks Drive and Spinnaker Drive as well as Grays Rd reopened about 4.30pm on Sunday, after being closed in the middle of the day due to rising sea levels.

At the time a New Zealand Transport Agency spokeswoman said the combination of high tides and storm conditions had made the road conditions unsafe.

Two Porirua roads were also closed for four hours overnight on Saturday because waves were washing over them.

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Earth Changes

Iran's disappearing giant saltwater Lake Urmia turns blood-red

Huge waterspout filmed off Hainan, China

Wildfire doubles in size to 14 square miles in Southwest Idaho

Record-breaking rainfall prompts flood warnings for Tri-State counties

Massive anthrax outbreak kills 1,500 deer in Russia; largest for 75 years

Guatemala's 'Volcano of Fire' erupts spectacularly, authorities on alert

Lightning bolt kills 2 and injures 3 in Rangpur, Bangladesh

Man hit by lightning as storm rips through Edmonton, Canada

Four killed by lightning bolt in Bihar, India

Huge waves close roads and destroy seawall amid weather chaos in Wellington, New Zealand

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