Earth ChangesS


Tornado1

Two rare tornadoes hit Wisconsin in February, leaving extensive damage in rural Evansville

Tornado touches down in Wisconsin, first recorded for the state in the month of February
Tornado touches down in Wisconsin, first recorded for the state in the month of February
From a road just south of U.S. Highway 14 in rural Rock County, Justin Schott's home and the home of his father-in-law next door appeared untouched by one of Wisconsin's first February tornadoes.

But just behind those homes — the site of their family crop farm established in the 1960s — the destruction the tornado had wrought was on display.

It had leveled a concrete silo, leaving rubble in its wake. It had torn a roof off another building. Some trees were ripped out of the ground, and branches from countless others lay scattered.

Thursday evening, as the clouds over the farm grew ominous, Schott sent his wife and two children into the basement. He stayed upstairs for a minute more, where the sky was so dark he couldn't make out a funnel cloud. As he headed downstairs, his ears popped and a whooshing sound began.


Binoculars

Lone king penguin discovered thousands of kilometres from Antarctica on Australian beach

Phone photos were taken of the King Penguin
© Steve JenkinsPhone photos were taken of the King Penguin
A king penguin has been filmed on a South Australia coastline, raising questions about why the bird is thousands of kilometres away from its usual sub-Antarctic habitat.

Jeff Campbell, the chair of Friends of Shorebirds South East, was part of a group of eight people doing a bird survey along the Coorong beach when they spotted the penguin. 'It came right up to us ... It put its head back and made a braying call, quite loud, then bowed to us,' he said.

There are about 120,000 king penguin pairs on Macquarie Island, which is about halfway between Tasmania and the Antarctic. Experts say the penguin may have got off track looking for somewhere to moult.


Kayak

Major flooding leaves trail of damage on north coast of Jamaica

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Major coastal flooding left a trail of damage along the country's North Coast on Tuesday.

Flooding was reported in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Montego Bay, St. James, Falmouth, Trelawny, Negril in Westmoreland and Hanover.

Hotels and cruise ship piers were impacted.

The Met Service explains that the strong winds and coastal flooding from large waves are expected to continue across Jamaica and its territorial waters through to Friday.


Snowflake Cold

Mongolian dzud: Extreme cold weather puts 90% of country at 'high risk'

Men use sticks to wade through deep snow in rural Khovd province in far-western Mongolia. (file)
© Andrew CullenMen use sticks to wade through deep snow in rural Khovd province in far-western Mongolia. (file)
The ongoing "white and iron" dzud in Mongolia has reached a "critical" level, with over 90 per cent of the country facing high levels of risk from the unique weather phenomenon, UN agencies have reported.
About 190,000 herder households are struggling with inadequate feed, skyrocketing prices and heightened vulnerabilities, according to the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Mongolia.

Herding and livestock have traditionally been integral to Mongolia's economy, culture and way of life. Estimates indicate that there are over 64 million livestock this winter season in Mongolia.

"The increasing severity of weather conditions further exacerbates the crisis, underscoring the urgent need for humanitarian assistance and sustainable solutions to support Mongolia's rural communities and traditional livelihoods," the Office said in an update this week.

This is the second year in a row that the country has faced these severe conditions. Last winter about 70 per cent of the country was affected.


Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rain floods parts of Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Heavy rain caused major street flooding in Buenos Aires and swamped several subway stations.


Attention

Large, endangered shark washes up on Rhode Island beach

A large porbeagle shark was found dead on a beach in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024.
© Atlantic Shark InstituteA large porbeagle shark was found dead on a beach in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024.
An endangered shark weighing "several hundred" pounds washed up on a Rhode Island beach Wednesday, giving researchers a rare opportunity to study the species.

The 8-foot, 8-inch female porbeagle appeared on Watch Hill/East Beach when the tide went out, the Atlantic Shark Institute said. It's not clear yet what happened to the shark, and a necropsy is planned in Narragansett.

"While unfortunate, at that size she can provide vital information to researchers and we hope to share more when the necropsy is completed," the institute said.


Snowflake

Storm dumps 2 feet of snow in northern Arizona in 24 hours

A man with a snow blower trying to keep up with the fast-falling snow in Flagstaff.
A man with a snow blower trying to keep up with the fast-falling snow in Flagstaff.
In just one day, the National Weather Service in Flagstaff recorded 2 feet of snow. That's on top of the nearly foot-and-a-half of powder that fell over parts of northern Arizona the day before.

"So our winter storm warning is in effect through 11 p.m. [Thursday]," said NWS meteorologist Paige Konieczny. "And then similarly we have a winter weather advisory, for our northeastern portions of the state, also through 11 p.m. [Thursday]."

She expects there to be continuous snowfall into the first half of the weekend, with a possible break Friday morning.

Portions of a number of highways were closed Thursday afternoon due to weather, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.


Doberman

10-year-old girl mauled to death by stray dogs in Uttar Pradesh, India

dog attack
A 10-year-old girl was killed by a pack of stray dogs in Siddharth Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh. The incident has raised concerns about the growing issue of stray dog attacks in the region.

Cops confirmed that the minor identified as Tarannum, daughter of one Abid Ali and a Class 4 student, along with other kids was grazing goats when the stray dogs attacked her. She received over two dozen severe injuries all over her body, including her head.

Village head Vyas Pandey informed that the other children accompanying her managed to escape and raised an alarm, following which villagers reached the spot and rescued Tarannum. He added that the girl was cremated after a post-mortem examination on Thursday morning.

Circle officer (CO) of Itwa, Jairam confirmed the incident and said that police officials reached the village and contacted the girl's father to register a case but her parents refused to file a report.

Attention

Dead whale washes up on Huntington Beach shore in California

A 30-foot dead gray whale was spotted off Huntington Beach on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, likely washed ashore by the storms.
© Eric MeyerA 30-foot dead gray whale was spotted off Huntington Beach on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, likely washed ashore by the storms.
A dead whale washed up on the Huntington Beach shore Thursday.

Authorities said the whale had been decomposing for a while before they arrived. It's unclear how they are going to move the carcass.

It is in the north end of the Beach near the Bolsa Chica Reservoir.


Seismograph

Shallow 6.1 magnitude earthquake in the Kermadec Islands

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6.1 magnitude earthquake

UTC time: Friday, February 09, 2024 10:57 AM
Your time: Friday, February 9, 2024 at 10:57 AM GMT
Magnitude Type: mww
USGS page: M 6.1 - Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
USGS status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Reports from the public: 0 people

10 km depth