Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

More thunderstorms hammer Iowa

Another round of thunderstorms brought more heavy rain to eastern Iowa early Wednesday, sending the Little Maquoketa River out of its banks north of Dubuque.

No homes were flooded, but several roads and farm fields were under water, said Dan Bannon, lead dispatcher with the Dubuque County sheriff's office.

He estimated the area received 7 inches of rain.

Padlock

Woman calls beekeeper to evict swarm from lounge chair

BANGOR, Pa. - A woman was dragging a lounge chair into the shade of a tree when a sudden buzzing told her it was already occupied - by thousands of bees.

"They were swarming like crazy and I ran into the house," Sheila Sabatine said.

Cloud Lightning

Record storm in South China kills 37

At least 37 people were killed during a record 16-hour thunderstorm in south-west China that included 40,000 lightning strikes, state media said.

The city of Chongqing received more than 26cm (10 inches) of rain, the most in a 24-hour period since records began more than a century ago.



©AP
Rescuers had to evacuate stranded residents in Chongqing.


Cloud Lightning

More flash floods coming to UK, warn forecasters

Forecasters are warning of further flash flooding with torrential downpours expected to hit Britain in the coming days.

The alert came as residents were evacuated from one street in Filey, North Yorks, yesterday following a flood.

©PA
An RNLI lifeboat crew assisting people following flash floods in Filey.

Cloud Lightning

US West Under Highest Wildfire Alert

The nation's wildfire preparedness was raised to its highest level Thursday as dozens of new fires started in the bone-dry West, including a rapidly growing blaze on the grounds of the Idaho National Laboratory.

The West had been at level four for only a few weeks when officials decided to raise it to level five, effective Thursday.

Magic Wand

Underground lake may ease Darfur crisis

In the dry wasteland of Sudan's war-racked Darfur region, the imprint of an ancient 8,000sq-mile underground lake has been discovered by geologists from Boston University. If confirmed, a lake as big as the area of Wales could replenish the region for a century. It is also raising hopes that one cause of the devastating civil war could be alleviated if drinking water is pumped to the surface.

Cloud Lightning

More than 50 people killed in Sudanese flooding

More than 50 people were killed and 20 injured in Sudan's worst floods in living memory which have partially or completely destroyed 18,000 homes, the head of civil defense said on Thursday.

Star

Sizzling Hot Weather Bends Tram Rails in Bulgaria



©Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency)

The sizzling weather that swept Bulgaria this month started to cause damage to the transport infrastructure in Bulgaria's capital city of Sofia.

The tram rails on major streets in downtown city have begun to curve, which could lead to heavy road accidents.

Bulb

Nuclear crisis in Japan as scientists reveal quake threat to power plants

The world's biggest nuclear power station stands directly above an active earthquake faultline, which provoked an atomic spill this week, seismologists revealed yesterday.

Bizarro Earth

Nairobi put on red alert as earth tremors intensify

East Africa region has been experiencing a number of tremors for the past four days as geologists warn of an eminent earthquake is building up.

The frequent tremors have been felt in Kenya since Thursday, 12 July 2007. The strongest of the earthquakes was reported yesterday at 5:10 (GMT) from the same location as the earlier six (around Lake Natron in northeastern Tanzania) and measured 6.0 on the Richter scale.