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Shallow magnitude 4.2 earthquake strikes near Belfair, Washington

Mike Carter
The Seattle Times
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 06:02 UTC
Belfair quake map
© USGS

The Mason County Sheriff's Office and the USGS reported a magnitude 4.2 earthquake about 14 miles northwest of Belfair near the Hood Canal

The Mason County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.2 earthquake about 14 miles northwest of Belfair near the Hood Canal Wednesday night.

"We felt that one!" the sheriff's office tweeted just after the 9 p.m. temblor.

"We had some alarm systems go off, but no reports of slide or other damage as of now," the sheriff's office reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the epicenter of the quake was about 14 miles west of Belfair on the southern end of the Kitsap Peninsula.

The quake was felt in part of Olympia and Shelton, the USGS said.

Comment: According to the USGS the earthquake depth was 16.6 km. A 4.8M quake has also been reported today 166km SW of Port Hardy, Canada at a depth of 10 km.

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Sun

The poorest region in Brazil suffers worst drought in a century

Carola Sole
Yahoo News
Wed, 22 Feb 2017 22:13 UTC
drought in Brazil
© AFP/Evaristo SA
Remains of donkeys and cows during the region's worst drought in a century.
A cow's skull lies baking in the sun and nearby another dead cow rots, symbols of the desolation gripping northeastern Brazil during its worst drought in a century.

Farmer Kerginaldo Pereira, 30, walks through the dust and cactuses in dismay. There are in all about 30 skeletons of cattle, donkeys and other farm animals in a sort of open-air cemetery set aside in his settlement of Nova Canaa, in Ceara state, to avoid spread of disease. "Most are animals that died of thirst or hunger. Sadly, that's the reality. So many animals have died in these five years of drought," Pereira told AFP.

The semiarid northeast of Brazil, known as the Sertao, is use to rain shortages but no one can remember a drought like this. There has been almost no rain since 2012 and the leafless, desiccated landscape has the appearance of having been in a vast fire. Rivers and reservoirs that used to serve rural populations are not coping. The authorities estimate that reserves are at six percent capacity, with some completely emptied.

Experts say that a cocktail of factors has produced the disaster: a strong El Nino in the Pacific, heating of the north Atlantic and climate change that has seen temperatures in Ceara rise by 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in 50 years.
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Biohazard

Radioactive wild boars found in Czech forests, 31 years after Chernobyl disaster


RT
Wed, 22 Feb 2017 19:35 UTC
radioactive boars
© Baz Ratner / Reuters
Radioactive wild boars have been detected in Czech forests, some 31 years after the Chernobyl disaster, a veterinary administration official said, adding that they are eating mushrooms that can absorb high levels of radioactive isotopes.

The animals became radioactive due to false truffles, the underground mushrooms they feed on, Jiri Drapal at the Czech State Veterinary Administration told Reuters. The mushroom is found in the Sumava mountain region in the Czech Republic, which borders Austria and Germany.

It can absorb high levels of radioactive isotopes, including Caesium 137, which was released in great quantities after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

Comment: Japan has also been overwhelmed by radioactive wild boars since the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. Radiation levels at the reactor are now at the highest levels since the March 2011 earthquake, presaging a disaster of unimaginable consequences that is being consistently ignored by the mainstream media.

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Cloud Precipitation

'Atmospheric river' over N. California threatens levees, Bay Area reservoir spills

Liam Dillon, Joseph Serna, Rong-Gong Lin II and Veronica Rocha
LA Times
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 20:15 UTC
anderson dam
© Len Ramirez / KPIX 5
The lower spillway waterfall at Anderson Dam in Morgan Hill, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017.
An "atmospheric river" continued to batter parts of Northern California on Tuesday, causing widespread flooding.

The heavy rains prompted the National Weather Service to warn of a dam failure outside Carson City, Nev., saying that it was "not a drill" and that residents should "move to higher ground now."

But less than 90 minutes after issuing the alert, the agency changed its report to say the retention basin in Dayton, Nev., had not failed. Instead, it was full and overflowing into drainage areas, the weather service said.

Comment: Part of Highway 50 in Sierra has closed due to a collapse in the road near Bridal Veil Falls in El Dorado County:


The Anderson Dam in Santa Clara county is spilling over for the first time in 11 years.
The man-made lake reached full capacity and began cascading over the spillway and into Coyote Creek on Saturday, the latest dramatic event to unfold amid a relentless rainy season.

Flooding along Coyote Creek is expected on Tuesday as the reservoir continues to spill over.

"The update for today is that we are seeing quite a large flow of water from the current storms," said Marty Grimes, a spokesperson for Santa Clara County Water District. "It hasn't peaked yet. It will certainly spill all day today and could continue all week, depending on how much rain comes from the next storm. We expect flooding on Coyote Creek later today in a few low spots."


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Sun

Temps across US soar in near-warmest February in 3 decades

Jason Samenow
Washington Post
Wed, 22 Feb 2017 20:08 UTC
usa temperature map

Temperature difference from normal forecast on Wednesday from NAM model.
The weather this February keeps getting weirder. At a time when Arctic blasts usually sweep across the nation and Northern states are covered in snow and ice, historically warm air has flooded the eastern two-thirds of the nation.

All-time February record high temperatures are falling and the air feels more like early May.

Wednesday's average high temperature over the Lower 48 was forecast to soar to a balmy 59 degrees - "the near warmest February day during the last three decades", said Ryan Maue, a meteorologist for WeatherBell Analytics.

A stunning 2,805 record high temperatures have occurred across the nation this month compared with just 27 record lows.

Comment: The warm temperatures are likely contributing to early blooms by many plants, but a quick reversal to cold temperatures will not be good for those same plants that thought spring was here.

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Wolf

2016 U.S. dog bite fatality statistics and trends for the last 12 years


SAT Press Releases
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 18:10 UTC
Dog attack
DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, releases 2016 U.S. dog bite fatality statistics. Last year, dogs inflicted 31 deadly attacks. Pit bulls accounted for 71% (22) of these deaths, just over 7 times more than the next closest dog breed. The combination of pit bulls, American bulldogs and rottweilers contributed to 84% (26) of all deaths. 10 different dog breeds participated in lethal attacks in 2016.

2016 highlights - dog bite fatality statistics

chart
In 2016, 42% of all dog bite fatality victims were either visiting or living temporarily with the dog's owner when the fatal attack occurred — the highest percentage on record in the nonprofit's 12-year data set. Pit bulls accounted for 77% of these deaths. In 2016, 32% of all fatalities involved a dog or person new to the home (0-2 months). Of this subset, 70% were inflicted by pit bulls and children 9-years and younger accounted for 80% of these dog mauling deaths.
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Bizarro Earth

Purple rain: Thunderstorms turn Houston sky to vivid shades pink and purple

Jennifer Earl
CBS News
Mon, 20 Feb 2017 00:00 UTC
Purple sky houston texas
© Bruna Pantarotto Souza
Bruna Pantarotto Souza shares a view of a cloudy purple sky in Spring, Texas.

Houston-area residents woke up to a colorful view as severe thunderstorms began to roll in Monday morning, and this time, it wasn't a rainbow.

The sky lit up with vivid shades of pink and purple as the sun rose — and social media users couldn't help but connect the stunning sky's magenta hue with Prince's famous "Purple Rain" song.

It was unlike anything residents had seen before.

"It was raining pretty bad and I just woke up to see what was going on and saw this amazing sky," Bruna Pantarotto Souza from Spring, Texas, told CBS News. "I've never seen this before."
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Black Cat

Four including forester injured by leopard in Nepal


The Kathmandu Post
Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:21 UTC
Leopard

Leopard
Four people including two forest staffers were injured in leopard at Rajghat in Morang district on Thursday.

Tanka Lal Dhimal, 62, of Atthiyabari, Rajghat-1, and Khushi Lal Dhimal, 50, were injured at around 8 in the morning. The leopard attacked Tanka Lal when he was ploughing his farm land. He has sustained a deep wound in his left hand and back. Khushi Lal was attacked as he went to see the attack on Tanka Lal.

The leopard also attacked forester at Manglabare-based sector forest office, Hom Sagar Neupane, 35, and another forest staff Bir Bahadur Katuwal. They were attacked at around 9 this morning, Tanka BK informed. He said a technical team was invited at the behest of District Forest Office to take the leopard under control.

Those injured have been receiving medical attention at Urlabari-based health clinic.
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Cloud Precipitation

'Hectic' floods close roads in areas of South Africa

Jan Bornman
Times Live
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 14:37 UTC
fLOODS
© Rob Byrne
Major roads in the North West province have been temporarily closed due to flooding in the province.

"It's very hectic with the flooding," said Thabo Sematle, spokesperson for the North West department of community safety and transport management.

Sematle said Wolmaransstad had experienced severe flooding, causing the closure of the N12 running through the small North West town since midday on Tuesday.

He said other areas that experienced flooding was the N14 between Vryburg and Kuruman in the Northern Cape, as well as the roads leading into Ottosdal from Mahikeng and Delareyville.

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Seismograph

Swarm of nearly 300 earthquakes in Rotorua and Taupo, New Zealand


New Zealand Herald
Wed, 22 Feb 2017 13:57 UTC
A swarm of nearly 300 quakes have been recorded in the Taupo and Rotorua areas.
© GEONET
A swarm of nearly 300 quakes have been recorded in the Taupo and Rotorua areas.
Nearly 300 small earthquakes have been recorded in the Taupo and Rotorua areas since Monday last week, according to Geonet.

Geonet seismometers between Taupo and Tongariro National Park recorded the swarm of earthquakes, which are centred about 10km northwest of Tokaanu, near Turangi.

Since the quakes started on February 13 at 6pm, there have been 290 tremors. The largest was a magnitude 3.8 at 9.35pm yesterday.

Geonet said earthquake swarms were a sequence of many earthquakes striking in a relatively short time in a localised area. They are different from normal earthquakes followed by aftershocks because no single earthquake in the sequence is obviously the main shock.
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