Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Heavy rains, lightning kill 77 in three India states


DPA
Fri, 21 Sep 2007 21:42 UTC
Torrential rains accompanied by lightning have killed at least 77 people in India's southern and eastern states over the past four days, news reports and officials said yesterday.

The southern state of Andhra Pradesh is the worst-hit with 43 dead, officials told the Hindu newspaper. Nineteen people were hit by lightning and the others were killed when their houses collapsed or by drowning.

A low-pressure system near the coastal areas of the state brought heavy rains which led to overflowing rivers that inundated hundreds of villages and crop land in seven districts.
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Bizarro Earth

Third Blue Whale Found Dead Off California Coast


Environment News Service
Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:21 UTC
Three dead blue whales have been found floating off the coast of Southern California within the past two weeks, alarming and puzzling marine mammal experts.

As many as 200 blue whales, members of the largest species on Earth, have been feeding in the Santa Barbara Channel during their annual summer migration from Mexico and Central America. About 3,000 of the world's 12,000 blue whales swim off the west coast of the Americas.

©SBMNH
A necropsy was done on the first blue whale carcass found last week near Ventura, California.
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Cloud Lightning

Heavy rain hits North Korea


People's Daily
Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:58 UTC
Heavy rains hit a number of provinces in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) this week causing enormous losses, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday.

Since Tuesday, up to 30 cm of rain fell in the provinces of South Phyongan, North Hwanghae and South Hwanghae, the KCNA said.

©MWC
The floods have wiped out large areas of farmland, North Korean state media reported.
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Life Preserver

100 trawlers with 1200 fisherman 'missing' in Bay of Bengal due to sudden storm


The Daily Star
Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:47 UTC
Over 100 fishing trawlers with some 1,200 fishermen aboard went missing in the Bay as high waves, triggered a by sudden storm, hit the trawlers on Thursday night.

The fishermen who returned to the shore said they saw three trawlers sinking in the rough sea.

Barguna District Trawler Owners' Association Adviser Golam Mustafa Chowdhury told the news agency that about 400 out of 500 fishing trawlers returned to the coast, but the fate of the rest 100 with 1200 fishermen could not be known.
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Cloud Lightning

Fierce winds whip through Labrador towns in Canada


CBC News
Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:39 UTC
Winds approaching hurricane strength wreaked havoc on people and property in Labrador towns on Thursday.

Winds gusting up to 117 km/h on Thursday evening knocked down trees, fences and power lines in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

©53 North
Residents in several Labrador communities woke up Friday to find many trees had been uprooted during heavy winds.
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Cloud Lightning

Reported Tornado Damages Fla. Homes


Associated Press
Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:04 UTC
EUSTIS, Fla. - Severe weather, including a possible tornado, damaged about 50 homes, shearing the entire second story off one home, authorities said Friday.

Radar indicated a tornado spun off from a storm system that crossed through central Florida before spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, touching down late Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service. The system was being monitored Friday, with Gulf Coast residents and the oil industry making early preparations.
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Cloud Lightning

Recent 'Extreme Weather' Trend For New York Could Span Years


wcbstv.com
Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:39 UTC
Take this recent span of dry, gorgeous weather, New Yorkers, and embrace it. It certainly towels the fact that this year has been one of the wettest - and most extreme - years in weather history for the city.

Coming off both the fourth wettest spring and summer ever, New York City could actually see its second wettest year in history if this year's strange weather trends continue. Between January and August, officials measured 46.55 inches of precipitation in Central Park, according to the National Weather Service.
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Bizarro Earth

Pine Beetle projected to kill 78 per cent of B.C.'s pine forest by 2015


CP
Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:18 UTC
The mountain pine beetle is projected to kill more than three-quarters of B.C.'s marketable pine forests within the next eight years, says a report released Monday by the Ministry of Forests.

The report says if the pine beetle kill continues at its current rate, it will kill the equivalent of almost 25 per cent of the province's entire volume of market timber.

©Unknown
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Bizarro Earth

India region sees unusual fog


Times of India
Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:08 UTC
CHANDIGARH - Fog in September? Sounds strange, but it's true. On Wednesday morning, Ambala in Haryana, and from Zirakpur to Ludhiana in Punjab experienced poor visibility due to fog.

For the past three days, Banur resident Surinder Singh has been wondering why visibility on roads is low. Surinder, a carpenter, has never seen fog in September. "It's strange despite such high day temperature, there's fog early in the morning," he said.
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Cloud Lightning

Some Gulf oil crews evacuated ahead of storm off Florida


MSNBC
Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:54 UTC
Gulf Coast residents were on watch and oil companies evacuated hundreds of nonessential workers as forecasters said Thursday that a storm system now off Florida could strengthen as it moves west.

All weather models project the storm, which was located in the Gulf of Mexico off southwest Florida, would make landfall between southeastern Louisiana and the western Florida Panhandle during the next few days after crossing the warm Gulf waters where it should gain strength.

©ACCUWEATHER.COM
This graphic shows two possible scenarios for development of a system of disturbed weather in the Gulf of Mexico.
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