Earth ChangesS


Seismograph

6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Jujuy, Argentina

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An earthquake measuring 6.5 magnitude struck Jujuy, Argentina on Wednesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

The quake struck at a depth of 200 km (124.27 miles), EMSC said.

Source: Reuters

Seismograph

At least 13 deaths reported as powerful magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocks Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (UPDATE)

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An magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck northern Afghanistan on Tuesday evening, killing at least one person in neighbouring Pakistan and causing strong shaking across the north in both countries.

The tremor was very deep, 194 km, and its epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the remote northern Afghan province of Badakhshan.

A 13-year old girl died when a wall in her home collapsed on her, and 34 people were injured in the northern Pakistani district of Swat, police officer Shafiullah Gandapur told Reuters.

Disaster authorities in Afghanistan said they did not have any immediate reports of casualties.


Comment: Update March 22

The Evening Standard reports:
At least 13 people were killed and more than 90 injured in Pakistan and Afghanistan after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck late on Tuesday.

Millions felt the tremors rattle the South Asian region late on Tuesday, sending terrified residents fleeing from homes and offices.

At least nine people died in Pakistan and four in Afghanistan.

The quake was felt over an area more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) wide by some 285 million people in Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

The epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountains, in the sparsely populated northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan, 40km southeast of Jurm village, at the considerable depth of 187km, the US Geological Survey said.

In Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province senior provincial official Abdul Basit said that in addition to the dead and injured, at least 19 houses were damaged.

Shafiullah Rahimi, a spokesperson for Afghanistan's disaster mitigation ministry, said late on Tuesday that two people had been killed in the eastern province of Laghman.

Large parts of South Asia are seismically active because a tectonic plate known as the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 1,000 people last year.

In 2005, at least 73,000 people were killed by a 7.6 magnitude quake that struck northern Pakistan.



Cloud Precipitation

More than 135,000 power outages reported in California after another atmospheric river brings heavy rain and hurricane-force winds

Houses sit partly underwater after the San Joaquin River flooded following rainstorms in Manteca, California on Sunday.
© Fred Greaves/ReutersHouses sit partly underwater after the San Joaquin River flooded following rainstorms in Manteca, California on Sunday.
More than 135,000 California homes and businesses were without power Wednesday morning after another atmospheric river walloped the storm-fatigued state with heavy rain and hurricane-force winds.

The storm's ferocious winds downed trees and damaged power lines across California, where at some point Tuesday most of the state's population - more than 35 million people - were under some kind of weather alert, including a brief tornado warning in Ventura County.

Utility company Pacific Gas and Electric said the storm system "exceeded all expectations," damaging electric infrastructure and knocking out power to thousands. The company said its crews are working as quickly as possible to assess equipment damaged by the storm, but spokesperson Carina Corral warned that flooding, fallen trees and other obstacles can slow down restoration efforts.


Tornado1

San Francisco hit with bomb cyclone, one dead, 230,000 without power

flooding california
© Anadolu Agency/GettyAn aerial shot of submerged homes in Manteca, San Joaquin County March 21, 2023
A 'bomb cyclone' slammed into San Francisco Tuesday evening in the latest severe storm to hit the West Coast, devastating the region with hurricane-force winds and torrential rainfall.

The weather front is the latest major storm to hit the region this year, where it unleashed flash floods and blistering wind gusts throughout the Golden State.

At least one person died after the gusts - which reached upwards of 78mph - caused a tree to fall near Portolla Valley. Meanwhile, more than 230,000 residents across California had their power wiped out in the storm.

Glass from a San Francisco high rise reportedly plummeted to the ground after the storm swept in late afternoon, however no injuries were reported from the incident.

Attention

8 dolphins found on Sea Isle City beach, New Jersey - 2 dead, 6 later euthanized

A pod of dolphins that became stranded on a beach in Sea Isle City at the Jersey Shore
The pod of dolphins that became stranded on a beach in Sea Isle City at the Jersey Shore
Two dolphins have died and six others had to be euthanized by a veterinarian after their pod became beached on the shore of this Cape May County resort town on Tuesday, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.

"All eight dolphins have been transported to the NJ State Lab for immediate necropsies," the stranding center said in a Facebook post late Tuesday afternoon. "We share in the public's sorrow for these beautiful animals, and we hope that the necropsies will help us understand the reasoning for their stranding."

A spate of marine mammal deaths off the Jersey Shore since December has triggered what at times has been an intensely emotional debate over the cause.


Doberman

Man dies after being attacked by dog in Visalia, California

dog attack
A man has died after police say a dog attacked him in Visalia.

Authorities say it happened at a business on S. Santa Fe St. near Walnut Ave. just before 8 am Tuesday.

The man was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Authorities are not releasing the man's identity at this time, and they have not said what happened to the dog.


Ice Cube

Heavy Lake Erie storm turns nearby cars into thick ice cubes

Ice Encases Cars Beside Lake Erie
Ice encases cars beside Lake Erie
After a heavy storm rolled over Lake Erie and through Buffalo, New York the area was blanketed in ice and snow.

The city of Buffalo got absolutely blanketed in snow this Winter. The recorded snow total for Buffalo has reached an eye-watering 133.3″ so far. That is 44.1″ above normal for Buffalo.

We are officially into Spring but there's always a chance of more snow like the heavy Lake Erie storm that turned cars into ice cubes last weekend. The massive lake effect snow storm his Buffalo on Saturday, March 18th.

The @BuffaloWeather Twitter account which tracks severe weather in Upstate New York from the Great Lakes to the Adirondacks shared videos and pictures that look other-worldly.

Suffice it to say a flamethrower might be needed to thaw this SUV out that was left parked too close to Lake Erie. It turned into a legitimate ice cube.


Snowflake

Utah celebrates over 700 inches of snowfall in record time

Brighton Resort celebrates over 700 inches of snow this season
Brighton Resort celebrates over 700 inches of snow this season
Brighton Resort officially reached a monumental 703" of snowfall for the season on March 20, 2023, the earliest in the season that this has occurred since Utah began recording snowfall in 1943. To celebrate, Ski Utah, Visit Salt Lake, The Utah Office of Tourism and Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City will combine forces to unfurl an impressive 700" banner on the side of the brand new Hyatt Regency in Downtown Salt Lake City later this week.
"Ski Utah is thrilled to witness this historic season. Skiers and snowboarders from around the world have been able to enjoy copious quantities of The Greatest Snow on Earth®. We knew we had to celebrate this feat in a big way in the middle of Salt Lake City."

- Nathan Rafferty, President of Ski Utah

Binoculars

Alpine swifts, usually rare visitors to Britain and Ireland turn up in large numbers

This Alpine Swift was well twitched at Oldbury Power Station, Gloucestershire, from 15-17th
© Ian BollenThis Alpine Swift was well twitched at Oldbury Power Station, Gloucestershire, from 15-17th
Britain and Ireland is currently experiencing a major influx of Alpine Swift, with birds reported from more than 60 locations during the past week.

The influx began on Monday 13th with an extraordinary group of seven over Dungarvan, Co Waterford - the biggest flock ever recorded in Ireland. After another bird in Cheshire on 14th, further new individuals appeared in Co Cork, Cornwall and Gloucestershire on 15th, as suitable departure conditions in northern Iberia and a 'funnel' of south-westerly winds produced a large-scale arrival of common summer migrants across Britain and Ireland, with Sand Martin and Northern Wheatear appearing in particularly good numbers.


Snowflake

Mid-March snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, India leaves fruit growers worried, life thrown out of gear

Fresh snowfall on Monday in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir
© PTIFresh snowfall on Monday in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir
Fresh snowfall on Monday in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district has left farmers a worried lot due to fear of damage to fruit crops as the trees are currently in bloom.

According to officials, snowfall ranging between two inches to one foot was recorded in different high-altitude areas, including Kota Top, Jatani, Kansar, Thanhala, Baach Dhar, Shankhoja, Chenera, Kaljugasar and Sivili.

Amid the continuous snowfall, the district administration has issued an advisory asking people not to venture near avalanche-prone areas and has also suspended vehicular traffic on Bhaderwah-Basohli-Pathankot and Bhaderwah-Chamba interstate roads.