Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Number of lightning strikes skyrockets in Tokyo this summer (3-fold increase)

Ryota Goto
The Asahi Shimbun
Tue, 03 Sep 2024 10:23 UTC
Lightning strikes behind the control tower at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on July 6. (Yuki Shibata)
© Yuki ShibataLightning strikes behind the control tower at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on July 6.
Lightning strikes in Tokyo in July and August more than tripled in number from the summer average, prompting heightened measures against equipment failures and warnings to avoid injuries from the electrical discharges.

Tokyoites may be safer in thunderstorms than people in rural areas because lightning tends to hit tall buildings. But as summer temperatures have risen, the threat from lightning strikes has also increased, particularly in the capital.

On the evening of July 22, lightning struck the headquarters of Metrol Inc., a precision equipment manufacturer in Tachikawa in the Tama region of western Tokyo.

The company's fax machine malfunctioned, and some orders could not be placed or received.

After the machine was fixed, another lightning bolt struck on July 24, knocking out the fax machine again.

The lightning storm in the neighborhood prevented a technician from immediately going to the site to repair the machine.

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Cloud Lightning

Storm sets off floods and landslides in Philippines, leaving at least 14 dead

Jim Gomez
AP
Sun, 01 Sep 2024 13:12 UTC
Residents use rubber paddles from a toy boat as they wade along a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024
© Aaron FavilaResidents use rubber paddles from a toy boat as they wade along a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines.
A storm set off landslides and unleashed pounding rains that flooded many northern Philippine areas overnight into Monday, leaving at least 14 people dead and prompting authorities to suspend school classes and government work in the densely populated capital region.

Tropical Storm Yagi slammed into Casiguran town in the northeastern province of Aurora Monday afternoon and gained strength with sustained winds of 85 kilometers (53 miles) per hour and gusts of 105 kph (65 mph), according to the weather bureau.

The storm, locally called Enteng, gained speed and was moving northwestward at 20 kph (12 mph) toward the country's northernmost provinces. It was forecast to strengthen further, possibly becoming a typhoon, before blowing away toward southern China in the next two days, the weather bureau said.

At least 14 people died, mostly due to landslides and drownings, officials said.

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Arrow Down

Sinkhole emerges in Taiwan with sudden 'boom', damaging 2 motorbikes & water pipes on August 31

Tharun Suresh
Mothership.sg
Mon, 02 Sep 2024 12:38 UTC
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© Zhang Chaoxin/China Times.
A sinkhole emerged on a pavement in Douliu, Taiwan on Aug. 31, 2024, according to China Times.

The pavement in front of a housing agency on Wenhua Road, Douliu City collapsed with a sudden "boom" into a 7m-long, 4m-wide, 1.5m-deep sinkhole.

Passers-by near the site, including agents working at the housing agency, customers at a breakfast shop opposite the road, and people at a nearby clinic heard the "boom" and were "shocked":

Fortunately, no one was on the pavement at the time.

However, two motorcycles which were parked on the spot fell into the hole and were damaged.

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Seismograph

Strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hits Papua New Guinea


BNO News
Sun, 01 Sep 2024 10:30 UTC
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A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake has struck Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea, with strong shaking felt across the area, according to seismologists. There was no immediate word on possible damage.

The earthquake, which struck at 7:13 a.m. local time on Monday, was centered near Tokuaka on the southern coast of the island, about 178 kilometers (111 miles) southeast of Buka.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.4, down from an initial estimate of 6.6. It struck at a depth of about 41 kilometers (25 miles), making it a relatively shallow earthquake.

An estimated 32,000 people live within 30 kilometers (18 miles) of the epicenter, according to the United Nations.
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Boat

Rain fury kills 10 in Andhra Pradesh, India - several districts flooded


NDTV
Sun, 01 Sep 2024 12:09 UTC
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Heavy rain wreaked havoc in Vijayawada and Guntur towns of Andhra Pradesh with several residential areas remaining flooded on Sunday and throwing normal life out of gear.

Rain has been lashing several parts of the state under the impact of depression in the Bay of Bengal, which crossed the coast at Kalingapatnam in the early hours of Sunday

Ten people have been killed in various rain-related incidents since Saturday. Five people were killed and four injured in the landslide at Moghalrajpuram in Vijayawada.

Low-lying areas in Krishna and Guntur districts were inundated due to heavy rain and overflowing tanks and lakes.

Though rain receded on Sunday, several residential colonies remained submerged. Residents said they spent sleepless nights. They lost all their belongings and many complained that they were without food and water as no help came from authorities.

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Cloud Precipitation

Homes flooded and streets submerged after torrential rain in eastern Romania on August 31


Euronews
Sun, 01 Sep 2024 11:52 UTC
A woman carries a child through flood water in Constanta, August 31, 2024
A woman carries a child through flood water in Constanta, August 31, 2024
Agigea, Tuzla, Costinesti, Eforie, Mangalia and Vama Veche have been the most affected with hundreds of homes flooded and many streets submerged.

There has been significant damage to property in a string of towns along Romania's eastern coast after torrential rain caused extensive flooding.

Agigea, Tuzla, Costinesti, Eforie, Mangalia and Vama Veche have been the most affected with hundreds of homes flooded and many streets submerged.

In Venus, tourists staying at one hotel found their cars full of water on Saturday morning.

And the popular tourist resort of Vama Veche is currently without electricity and an extensive cleanup operation is underway to repair the beach.

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Doberman

18 year old man fatally attacked by 3 American bully dogs in Thailand


Aseannow.com
Sat, 31 Aug 2024 11:03 UTC
Picture captured from CCTV.
Picture captured from CCTV.
In a shocking incident, an 18-year-old man was found dead on his bed after being viciously attacked by three American Bully dogs. The gruesome discovery was made by his mother and older brother, who returned home to find his lifeless body covered in bite marks, with blood splatters throughout the house.

The incident occurred at around 15:30 on August 31, when Police Lieutenant Nattapong Wongwang, an investigator from Tha Hin Police Station in Lopburi, received a report of a fatal dog attack at a residence in Village 3, Tai Talat Subdistrict, Mueang Lopburi District. The police, along with a medical team and rescue workers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, rushed to the scene.

Upon arrival, authorities found the body of the young man lying on his bed in a downstairs bedroom. The victim had sustained multiple wounds, consistent with a dog attack, on his face, arms, and legs. The bed was in disarray, and it is believed that the victim had been dead for over 12 hours. Blood trails were found throughout the house, indicating a struggle.

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Cloud Precipitation

Torrential rains trigger urban flooding in Saudi Arabia


Geo.tv
Sat, 31 Aug 2024 13:28 UTC

Comment: For about the fourth time this year...


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Saudi Arabia was struck by thunderstorms and flash flooding on most of its Red Sea on Friday with footages on social media showing roads inundated and cars stranded in floodwater, according to The National.

The rains are expected to last until Tuesday prompting the directorate to urge the citizens to remain on alert and adhere to safety guidelines issued through media as per the Saudi Gazette.

The National reports that visuals of stranded vehicles in Madinah have been circulating on social media sites.

Due to the heavy rainfall, two bodies have been found in a wadi Dhahab in Al Lith near the Red Sea coast, according to the statement released by the country's civil defence authority.

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Cloud Lightning

New weather alert after 14 killed by lightning strikes as storms lash Yemen

Saeed Al-Batati
Arab News
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 18:03 UTC
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Weather chiefs in Yemen issued a new warning on Tuesday after 14 people were killed by lightning strikes in the northern province of Hajjah.

Lightning killed three people during thunderstorms in Abbes, three in Kuhlan Affar and eight more in other parts of the province. The National Center of Meteorology said there would be severe weather conditions over the next 24 hours.

Heavy rain since July has caused flash floods that have killed over 100 people and displaced many more in Hodeidah, Ibb, Hajjah, Sanaa, Marib, and other provinces. At least 600 people were injured by flooding in Hodeida and Marib alone, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said, and 13 people were still missing in Hodeida and Taiz.

It said a total of 38,285 families — nearly 268,000 people — had lost their homes. "Public infrastructure, including schools, roads, and health facilities, have been affected. Livelihoods that were already hanging by a thread have been swept away," OCHA said. "Severe weather is expected to persist into September, with additional alerts for heavy rainfall."

Comment: Related: Monsoon floods tear through a village in Yemen and kill 33 people, 38 missing

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Black Cat

Woman killed by leopard in Pune, India - 5th such incident for district in 5 months

Gayatri Vajpeyee
Hindustan Times
Wed, 28 Aug 2024 13:12 UTC
Stock image of leopard
© Getty
In a case of human-leopard conflict in Pune district, a woman, 55, died in a leopard attack in Jambut village of Shirur tehsil. This is the fifth such incident in the Junnar Forest Division since March. In another incident which occurred over 25 kilometres from Jambut village, a man, 60, was seriously injured in a leopard attack. The Forest Department has launched a full-fledged operation to capture the leopard/s in the Jambut area.

Recalling the Jambut village incident, Pratap Jagtap, range forest officer of Shirur, said, "Muktabai Bhau Khade, 55, who died in the leopard attack was living alone in Jambut village. She was found missing by her neighbours on Monday, August 26. The neighbours along with the locals searched for her but could not find her. Suspecting a leopard attack, they reported this to the forest officers and the police. A search ensued and at around 4 pm on Monday, forest officials and villagers found Muktabai's body in a sugarcane field behind her home. She had multiple grievous injuries. Due to the rain, the body had started decomposing. The body was taken to the hospital for a post-mortem where the doctor upon primary checking confirmed that the injuries were from an animal attack which took place nearly 24 hours ago."
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