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Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

No Magnitude 5+ earthquakes so far today.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Depression 1E (the first tropical depression of the eastern Pacific hurricane season) is located about 685 mi...1105 km SW of Manzanillo Mexico with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...WNW or 295 degrees at 15 mph...24 km/h.

91E and newly formed Invest 92E are areas of disturbed weather in the eastern Pacific with potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Texas, Ohlohoma, Mexico (Update)- The widespread flooding caused by heavy rains in Texas and Oklahoma have now left 18 dead and 40 missing or unaccounted for, in addition to more than 4,000 damaged properties and 2,500 abandoned vehicles in the Houston area alone. Storms dumped record rainfall on the Plains and Midwest, caused major flooding and spawned tornadoes, including one twister that killed at least 13 people in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Acuna.

Disease

Lassa Fever – United States of America

On 25 May, PAHO/WHO was informed that the United States Centre for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) and the New Jersey Department of Health had confirmed a fatal case of Lassa fever. The case was diagnosed on 25 May in a person returning to the U.S. from Liberia.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Telica (Nicaragua): After a week of calm, a new phase of explosive activity occurred yesterday at the volcano, beginning with a moderately large explosion at 12:02 local time. An ash plume rose approx. 3 km above the summit.

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): Unrest continues at the volcano. Strong steam emissions, sometimes mixed with light ash continue, accompanied by elevated seismic activity inside the volcano. Manizales observatory reported several episodes of volcanic tremor associated with the movement of fluids and gases and ash emissions. Additionally, tiny rock-fracturing earthquakes were recorded, located mainly under the southwestern, northern and northeastern parts of Arenas crater at depths between 1.8 and 8 km. SO2 emissions remains high and the steam and ash plume reached up to 1500 m above the volcano's summit.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.6 Earthquake hits Antofagasta, Chile.

5.5 Earthquake hits the Biak region, Indonesia.

5.4 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Biak region, Indonesia.

Environment

Heat Wave in India - Update

More than 1100 people have now died in a major heatwave sweeping India, authorities said Wednesday, as forecasters warned searing temperatures would continue.

Southern India has borne the brunt of the hot, dry conditions and many of the victims are construction workers, elderly or homeless people unable to heed official advice to stay indoors.

Roads have melted in New Delhi, where forecasters said they expected the high temperatures to continue into next week - adding to the misery of thousands living on the capital's streets with little shelter from the hot sun.

Brahma Prakash Yadav, director of Indian Meteorological Department, said top temperatures in the capital would remain around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) - the national benchmark for a heatwave.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Alberta, Canada

Around 7,000 people have been evacuated from the path of wildfires in Alberta, Canada.

More than 1,600 firefighters are battling more than 70 wildfires including 55 of which were sparked by lightning.

Nearly 2,000 workers have been evacuated from Cenovus and Canadian Natural Resources Limited oil facilities in the Cold Lake region. Around 4,700 residents of the Wabasca hamlet have been evacuated. Wildfire also forced evacuation of 67 people near Slave Lake.

At least 233,000 barrels per day of oil sands production, 9 percent of Alberta's total oil sands output, have been suspended because of the fire risk.

Disease

Tanzania Cholera - Update

U.N. aid agencies report better sanitation and clean drinking water is containing a cholera epidemic among Burundian refugees in Tanzania, but there are fears that the deadly disease could spread to the local Tanzanian population.

The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) reports measures to control cholera in western Tanzania’s Lake Tanganyika area appear to be working. More than 4,000 cases of cholera have been reported among newly arrived Burundian refugees there, and the disease has killed 30 people.

The epidemic peaked in early May with 915 cases, but has since subsided to around 100 cases per day. UNHCR says this is due to improved hygiene standards, increased supplies of safe drinking water, and close cooperation by Tanzanian health authorities.

More than 64,000 Burundian refugees have fled to Tanzania this month, trying to escape political turmoil and a failed military coup in Burundi. They are living in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions — a perfect breeding ground for cholera.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Wolf (Galápagos Islands, Ecuador): As of yesterday evening, the eruption has decreased a lot in intensity. Lava fountaining at the 1 km fissure vent had essentially stopped. The lava flows, still far from the sea, were only weakly alimentated and advancing slowly.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 Earthquake hits the western Indian-Antarctic ridge.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Invest 90E has dissipated while 91E remains an area of disturbed weather in the eastern Pacific with potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Bulgaria - A state of emergency has been declared following torrential rainfall and floods in the northwestern Bulgarian town of Mezdra. The trains between Mezdra and Ruska Byala were temporarily suspended. The overflowing river Iskar has prompted evacuations in Vodenets.

USA, Mexico - At least 17 people have died in Mexico and the US after extreme weather lashed regions along the border over the weekend and into Monday. A tornado that struck Ciudad Acuña on the Mexican side of the border killed 13 as it destroyed more than 200 homes and flung cars against buildings. In the US at least four people were killed and 12 missing in flash floods. The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, on Monday expanded the emergency disaster zone in the state, adding 24 counties to a list of 13 affected by storms and flooding. Oklahoma was also hit hard.

Disease

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) - Update

Between 18 and 23 May, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 4 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 1 death.

Spain and Italy hit by devastating 'olive ebola' outbreak

Spanish olive groves are at risk of being wiped out by a strain of “olive ebola” which has ravaged the crop in Italy.

The bacteria Xylella fastidiosa, believed to have originally come from the United States, has torn through southern Italy since it first appeared in late 2013.

Dubbed “olive ebola” by a Blanca Landa, a researcher at the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture, is threatening to wipe out decimate entire groves across southern Spain.

"It is unforgiving. The Italian farmers we met told us they had taken better care of their olive groves than their children and now they are irrevocably damaged. In barely a year it can wipe out an entire plantation.”

It is causing serious concern for Spanish officials as Spain is the biggest olive oil producer in the European Union.

There is no cure for the disease, which causes "olive quick decline syndrome", and all affected trees must be felled.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Wolf (Galápagos Islands, Ecuador): A large eruption might have started at the largest volcano of the Galapagos Islands - Volcán Wolf on the northern end of the archipelago's biggest island Isabela.

Starting this morning at 08:04 UTC, Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) has issued several alerts of ash plumes reaching up to 35-50,000 ft from the volcano, based on GOES-EAST satellite imagery. The latest report< from 10:38 UTC (about an hour ago), i.e. mentions a high-altitude ash plume moving ENE at 50,000 ft at 30 knots, while a lower portion of the plume is moving south at 45,000 ft altitude. If the observed plume is in fact from an eruption, it should by now be extending more than 150 km distance and soon picked up by other satellite data.

As day breaks on the archipelago, the first images start to emerge and media pick up on the spectacular eruption. From images it seems that a large effusive-explosive eruption is occurring. Tall lava fountains produce an immense ash plume that rises to up to 45,000 ft (14 km) altitude, if the estimations by VAAC Washington are correct. At the same time, several lava flows descend from the vent(s), likely a fissure on the volcano.

The last eruption of Wolf volcano, a 1710 m tall shield volcano, was in 1982. That eruption, too, started with an explosive onset accompanied and followed by effusion of large lava flows from a 1 km long fissure.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.7 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.7 Earthquake hits the north Pacific Ocean,

5.4 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.3 Earthquake hits south of Tonga.

5.2 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Sea of Japan.

5.1 Earthquake hits the central Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.1 Earthquake hits eastern Honshu, Japan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Invest 90E and 91E remain areas of disturbed weather in the eastern Pacific with potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Canada - A severe storm has brought hail and flash flooding in Cache Creek, British Columbia early Saturday evening. Flash flooding from the Bonaparte River swept away two mobile homes and several vehicles.

Texas, Oklahoma, USA - Heavy rainfall has triggered flash flooding in parts of Oklahoma city and Texas. Two people have been reported dead with hundreds of homes washed away or severely damaged by floodwaters. Officials in Elk City, Okla., and Wichita Falls, Texas have issued evacuation orders. The Weather Channel has reported major flooding on several major surface streets south of Highway 9 in Norman. Homes have been reported flooded in Anadarko, Brooksville and Cache areas of Oklahoma. The flash floods have forced the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to close at least 15 highways statewide. At least three tornadoes have been reported near Sulphur, Oklahoma. Another tornado has been reported in in Sasakwa. Tornado warnings have been issued for San Antonio and Austin, Texas. Tornadoes confirmed in Austin, Williamson and Harrison Counties and in southwest Houston.

Turkey - A landslide at a dam construction site in northwest Turkey has claimed the lives of two people and injured two others.

Bangladesh - A heavy storm has claimed the lives of at least four people and affected Dinajpur Sadar, Chirirbandar, Phulbarhi and Nababganj Upazilas. The storm damaged electric poles and caused power outages throughout the district.

Environment

Heat Wave in India

More than 430 people are reported to have died in a heat wave sweeping India, with temperatures reaching 48C (118F) in some areas.

Most deaths have taken place in the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where more than 140 people have died since Saturday.

Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh recorded 48C while temperatures rose to above 44C (111F) in the capital, Delhi.

Authorities have urged people to stay indoors and drink plenty of fluids.

Heat wave conditions have been prevailing in the two worst-affected southern Indian states since mid-April, but most of the deaths have happened over the last week.

The worst-hit state has been Andhra Pradesh where 246 people have died from the high temperatures in the last week, most of them in the last few days.

Disease

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) - Updates

On 18 May 2015, the IHR National Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates notified WHO of 1 additional case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

On 20 May 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of the Republic of Korea notified WHO of the first laboratory confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. On 21 May, two additional confirmed cases were reported.

On 21 May 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of Qatar notified WHO of 1 additional case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

Between 11 and 13 May, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 12 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 2 deaths.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.4 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

6.1 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.8 Earthquake hits New britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.1 Earthquake hits Tarapaca, Chile.

Two 5.0 Earthquakes hit the Solomon Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No further tropical storm development.

NewsBytes:

Philippines - A tornado in Banga town in South Cotabato province in the Philippines has destroyed at least eight houses. The tornado also caused power outage in the area.

China - The death toll in China's latest round of flooding has risen to at least 57, including two schoolchildren aboard a bus carrying more than twice its authorized passenger load that plunged into a pond, authorities said Saturday. At least 13 other people are missing in floods that have ravaged mountain districts of six provinces and autonomous regions in central and southeastern China. More than a quarter-million people have been moved to temporary shelters, and major damage has been inflicted on buildings and crops. Among the dead were 16 people killed in the collapse of a nine-story building in the city of Guiyang following a landslide.

Nepal - A landslide in Suri VDC-2 in the Dolakha district in Nepal has claimed the life of an elderly man. The April 25 earthquake has weakened the land structure in the area, making it more prone to landslides.

Nepal - Another landslide at Ramche-9, Kafaldada has blocked the Kaligandaki riverblocking the water flow and creating a two kilometre long lake. Local residents have been placed on high alert. Thousands have fled the area.

Nepal - A sandstorm in Kathmandu, Nepal temporarily closed the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). Strong winds gusting with a maximum speed close to 80 km/hr hit Kathmandu valley Saturday evening. One person died in a wind related accident.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Shiveluch (Kamchatka): KVERT reported that during 8-15 May lava-dome extrusion onto Sheveluch’s N flank was accompanied by incandescence, hot block avalanches, and fumarolic activity. A daily thermal anomaly was also detected in satellite images. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The eruption continues with no significant changes. Viscous magma effuses slowly from the summit vent and continues to grow a new lava lobe on the upper southern flank. Collapses of parts of this unstable lava mass generate small to moderate pyroclastic flows.

Ambrym (Vanuatu): Activity at the volcano remains elevated. Lava lakes are active in Bembow and Marum craters. Geohazards maintains volcanic Alert Level 2: "The danger remains in the caldera area around the volcanic craters of Benbow and Marum (including Maben-Mbwelesu, Niri-Mbwelesu and Mbwelesu) and on volcanic ash and gas prone areas exposed to trade winds."

Colima (Western Mexico): Explosions continue to occur from time to time. On 16 May an ash plume rose from Colima to an altitude of 5.5 km (18,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 95 km ESE before dissipating. A new lava dome might have started to grow inside the summit crater, where a flat, elevated ash-covered area is visible on a recent aerial photo.

Ubinas (Peru): Activity remains low at the volcano. No explosions have occurred recently, only mild to moderate steam emissions, sometimes mixed with light ash, reaching up to 1-1.2 km height and drifting mainly east and northeast. On the other hand, SO2 emissions were elevated and seismic activity, in particular rock-fracturing earthquakes, picked up a bit during the past week. This suggests that the internal pressure has increased compared to earlier this month.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

Two 6.8 Earthquakes hit the Solomon Islands.

5.4 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits offshore Tarapaca, Chile.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

Two 5.1 Earthquakes hit the Solomon Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits near the coast of Papua, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Two areas of disturbed weather have the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Australia - People in the Pilbara are being told to prepare for the possibility of flooding, and to relocate equipment and livestock. Moderate to heavy rainfall is forecast until Wednesday for areas between Onslow and Bidyadanga, with possible falls of more than 90mm in some coastal areas.

Texas, USA - The National Weather Service in Fort Worth issued a flash flood watch for all of North Texas beginning this afternoon until Sunday evening.

Disease

Global Bird Flu Epizootic Emerging

Record outbreaks of bird flu in 35 countries around the world since early last year have killed tens of millions of poultry, or forced farmers to cull the birds.

In Iowa alone, 40 percent of all egg-laying hens, or about 25 million birds, are dead or will soon be euthanised.

A total of 33.5 million chickens, turkeys and ducks have faced similar fates nationwide since last December, mainly from the H5N2 strain of avian influenza.

While the virus has yet to infect humans, a global epidemic of the H5N1 strain in 2004 led to several cases in people, half of which proved fatal.

The H5N8 strain first appeared in the Korean Peninsula and China early last year. It has since spread to Egypt, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Infected birds were later discovered in West Africa and North America.

Health and agriculture officials fear the virus could be picked up by migratory wild birds and spread even farther.

Culled poultry being thrown on a bonfire during a previous outbreak of avian influenza in Hong Kong.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Siberia - Update

The area of wildfires in the Zabaykalsky Krai in eastern Siberia has started growing again because of dry and windy weather and reached 14,100 hectares, the region’s forestry ministry said on Friday, TASS reports.

"As of 8am local time, 30 wildfires are blazing in the region on an area of 14,100 hectares. Ten of them have been localized in an area of 5,500 hectares. A total of 940 people are extinguishing fire, including 239 parachutists. Also, 170 equipment units have been employed in the work," the ministry said.

Wildfires are registered in 10 regions of the Zabaukalsky Krai, where forests have been blazing since March 19. Strong winds fanned fires, and they struck residential areas in several areas. More than 200 houses in 18 settlements were damaged.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Bulusan (Luzon Island, Philippines): During 13-15 and 17-19 May PHIVOLCS reported that six or fewer volcanic earthquakes were recorded at Bulusan. Weak steam emissions were occasionally observed rising from the SW vent and from a vent on the upper NW flank; plumes drifted SW, WNW, or drifted downslope. PHIVOLCS maintained Alert Level 1, indicating abnormal conditions, and reminded the public of the 4-km radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ).

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.0 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits offshore Atacama, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Texas, USA - Wichita Falls, about 125 miles northwest of Dallas, issued a mandatory evacuation order for hundreds of residents in vulnerable neighbourhoods due to rising water levels on the Wichita River. Wichita Falls and other parts of Texas that had been in an extreme drought for about a year have had their water situation improve vastly this month due to storms that have helped to fill depleted lakes.

China, Update - At least 15 people have now been reported killed and thousands more forced from their homes by flooding in southern and central China, with more rain forecast in coming days. Local authorities said Thursday that Jiangxi province has been hardest hit, with eight people killed and 65,000 displaced. Just to the south, the Guangxi region suffered five deaths with six other people listed as missing. Two other deaths were recorded in Hunan province, one of China’s main rice producers, where 2,000 other people were moved to shelters. Fujian evacuated 17,000 people from danger areas, but no one was reported dead or missing in the coastal province. Heavy rain forced the delay or cancellation of hundreds of passenger flights as flood waters in some areas rose to more than 2 metres (6 feet).

Global Warming

Earth Absorbing 50 Percent of CO2 Emissions

The Earth appears to be increasing its ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the burning of fossil fuels even as the planet warms, according to a new study from scientists at Woods Hole Research Centre in Massachusetts.

Writing in the journal Biogeosciences, they say various aspects of the environment have increased their CO2 absorption in proportion to the increase in emissions.

“Without it, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere would be twice what it is, and climate change would be much further along,” said study co-author Richard Houghton. “But, there is no guarantee that it will continue.”

He adds that the land and oceans have, for the last 55 years, been taking up about half of the carbon emitted.

The findings do nothing to counter the scientific consensus that drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions must occur in the near future to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 118.4 degrees Fahrenheit (48.0 degrees Celsius) at Sibi, Pakistan.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 109.3 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 78.5 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.

Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.

Disease

Cholera Among Refugees in Tanzania

At least 27 people have died in an outbreak of cholera at a Burundian refugee camp in Tanzania, humanitarian workers said Thursday.

An estimated 50,000 refugees from Burundi live at a camp in the village of Kagunga, where cholera is suspected of sickening another 15 people, UNICEF said. The World Health Organization says up to 90,000 people live at the camp in the village.

More than 112,000 have fled Burundi in recent weeks during an attempted military overthrow of the government. Many are living in camps along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, where conditions are poor.

Between 500 and 2,000 people arrive each day, overwhelming the health system infrastructure where there is already limited camping space, poor hygiene, and inadequate sanitation and drinking water.

WHO says non-cholera-related cases of diarrhea have climbed to more than 1,000.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Florida, USA - Update

The Mud Lake Complex of fires, comprised of several fires caused by lightning strikes in the Big Cypress National Preserve near Naples, has now exceeded 30,000 acres.

The fires have burned a total of 30,250 acres with about 13 percent contained.

Various preserve habitats including dense, course grass; pine timber; and cypress domes, have burned.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Aso (Kyushu): Overall, activity has decreased and incandescence has not been seen during the past nights. The current activity is dominated by strong steam and gas emissions from crater 1 and, to a lesser degree, from crater 2 in the western end of Nakadake crater complex. Intermittent small phreatomagmatic (magma-water interaction) explosions with typical cock-tail emissions of dark ash and blocks, followed by steam trails continue to occur from crater 1. Access to Nakadake remains restricted.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): A peak of activity occurred yesterday, with two strong explosions that produced ash plums that rose to 17,000 ft / 5 km altitude. The activity was followed by continues, noisy smaller explosions and ash venting which lasted and slowly decreased during the night. Today, two normal-sized explosions have taken place so far.

Lokon-Empung (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): An explosion occurred Wednesday (20 May) at 15:22 local time and produced an ash plume of approx 1.5 km height. The eruption was accompanied by strong explosion sounds, that caused concern in nearby villages and the town of Tomohon. After the initial explosion, mild ash venting continued for a while. The eruption came from two vents, both the Tompaluan crater and the new crater west of it that had formed in October last year. The eruption had been expected by VSI's volcanologists who noted changes in seismic activity since early May and saw a rapid increase in earthquakes 2-3 hours before the actual event.

Fuego (Guatemala): Activity at the volcano has increased during the past days. Strombolian explosions have been small, moderate and large and occurring frequently. Ash plumes rose to 1 km above the crater and incandescent jets 150 m above the crater. Most explosions generated shock waves and locomotive-like degassing sounds. Ash fall occurred in areas to the W and SW, in the villages of Morelia, Panimache, Sangre de Cristo.

Chaitén (Southern Chile and Argentina): The alert level of the volcano was raised to "yellow", after an increase in seismic activity was detected. Chaitén had a famous catastrophic plinian eruption in 2008, which followed centuries of quiescence and ended in the construction of a new lava dome.

Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion): The eruption continues with stable lava effusion accompanied by stable tremor levels since Monday. Lava fountaining at the vent reaches up to 40 m height and the lava flow continues to move slowly towards the coast, from where it was still 3 km distant yesterday evening.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.6 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.5 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.

5.1 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Peru-Ecuador border.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

China - At least 14 people died and two others are missing following severe rain storms across most of southern China in the past three days, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. This is in addition to 16 residents who remain missing after their apartment block collapsed after it was struck by a landslide in Guizhou province on Wednesday. Thousands of passengers have been stranded at airports by flight delays and cancellations.

Disease

Cholera in Kenya - Update

At least 65 people are confirmed to have died in a nearly five-month-old cholera outbreak in Kenya, with infections also continuing to rise in the capital Nairobi, health officials said Wednesday.

Health Minister James Macharia said 326 new cases have been reported over the past week nationwide, a nearly 50 percent increase over the previous week and bringing the total number of cases to 3,223.

Five new deaths have also been reported in Nairobi over the past week.

The rise in cases has been blamed on heavy rains in the capital and Rift Valley region that have polluted drinking water supplies, although cases have also been reported in the coastal city of Mombasa.

New Avian Flu Outbreaks in India

There have been two outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 serotype in domestic birds in India. The outbreaks were confirmed by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, in Bhopal.

One of the outbreaks occurred on a farm with a population of 21814 birds, of which 940 died from the disease. The other outbreak occurred in a 201264-strong population of village birds, 41040 of which died from the disease. The rest of the birds in both areas were destroyed to prevent the spread of avian influenza.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.5 Earthquake hits the Pacific-Antarctic ridge.

6.0 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.8 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.5 Earthquake hits Tajikistan.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

Global Warming

Antarctic Ice Shelf in Last Throes of Collapse

A vast Antarctica ice shelf that partly collapsed in 2002 has only a few years left before it fully disappears, according to a new study.

Radar data reveals that the Larsen B ice shelf could shatter into hundreds of icebergs by 2020, researchers reported Thursday (March 14) in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

"It's really startling to see how something that existed on our planet for so long has disappeared so quickly," lead study author Ala Khazendar, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, told Live Science.

An ice shelf is like a floating ice plateau, fed by land-based glaciers. The Larsen B ice shelf existed for 12,000 years before it fell apart in 2002, separate studies showed. The ice shelf is on the Antarctica Peninsula, the strip of land that juts northward toward South America. Larsen B is about half the size of Rhode Island, some 625 square miles (1,600 square kilometres).

Because the ice shelf is already in the ocean, its breakup won't further boost sea level rise. But Khazendar and his co-authors also discovered that the glaciers feeding into Larsen B's remaining ice shelf have dramatically thinned since 2002.

"What matters is how much more ice the glaciers will dump into the ocean once this ice shelf is removed," Khazendar said. "Some of these glaciers are most likely already contributing to sea level rise because they are in the process of accelerating and thinning."

The Leppard and Flask glaciers thinned by 65 to 72 feet (20 to 22 meters) between 2002 and 2011, the new study reported. The fastest-moving part of Flask Glacier sped up by 36 percent, to a speed of 2,300 feet (700 m) a year.

The glaciers that were behind the vanished section of the Larsen B ice shelf sped up by as much as 8 times their former rate after the ice crumbled over a six-week period in 2002, earlier studies showed.

The northwestern part of the Larsen B ice shelf is also becoming more fragmented, the researchers said. But the southeastern part is cracking up. A huge rift has appeared just 7.5 miles (12 km) from the grounding line, where the ice loses contact with the ground and starts floating on the ocean, the study reported. This crack marks where the ice shelf may start to break apart, the researchers said.

The Antarctica Peninsula is one of the world's fastest-warming places, with an average rise in air temperature of 5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.8 degrees Celsius) in the past 50 years, according to the British Antarctic Survey. This March, the northern tip of the peninsula set an unofficial heat record of slightly above 63 F (17 C).

Researchers think the surface warming is melting the ice shelves, triggering a cascade of events that eventually leads them to catastrophically collapse. But recent research also points to melting from below, from warmer ocean water.

Disease

Warning of Hepatitis in Mexico

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is cautioning travellers visiting Mexico in the wake of a recent hepatitis A outbreak.

According to the CDC, as of May 1, more than two dozen cases of hepatitis A have been reported by U.S. travelers who visited Tulum, Mexico, a popular tourist destination, between Feb. 15 and March 20 of this year. As a result, the CDC is recommending that travelers headed south of the border get vaccinated for hepatitis A.

The organization also advises travelers to eat and drink safe foods and beverages as well as to practice good hygiene and cleanliness.

Health Warning in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (May 14) called on the public to maintain vigilance against hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection, as the latest surveillance data shows that Hong Kong is entering the peak season for both.

“The CHP recorded an increasing number of institutional outbreaks of HFMD in the recent two weeks. There were nine and 10 institutional HFMD outbreaks in the week ending May 9 and the first four days (May 10-13) of this week respectively as compared with between zero and four outbreaks per week in previous months.”

As for EV71 infection in 2015, the CHP recorded 18 cases as of May 15, among which one patient developed a severe complication. Fifteen of the cases were recorded in recent four weeks.

“The summer peak season for HFMD and EV71 is usually from May to July. The local activity is expected to increase in the next few weeks.

Wildfires

Wildfires - British Columbia, Canada - Update

The Little Bobtail Lake fire has now destroyed about 24,000 hectares of forest near Prince George is believed to have been started by people.

The blaze had been 20-per-cent under control Saturday, but winds that gusted from 35 to 50 km/h resulted in the fire expanding, so that it was just 15-per-cent under control as of Monday.

On May 10, 65 homes in Bulkley-Nechako were ordered evacuated, although only two people are receiving support because many of the homes are recreational cabins. Another 774 homes are under alert, which means their occupants must be ready to leave on short notice.

In Fraser-Fort George, 130 homes were evacuated May 10 and of the 13 people that left those homes, 11 are still receiving help. A further 122 homes are under alert.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): After a very busy 17 May, with several strong explosions sending ash plumes to up to 16,000 ft (4.5 km) altitude, the volcano has been relatively calm during 18 and most of 19 May. A filming team of VolcanoDiscovery being on location, we could observe hour-long phases of near-continuous mild to moderate ash venting. After approx. 10 hours of almost no visible activity, a probably strong explosion occurred yesterday night at around 11 pm, lasting several minutes, producing numerous lightning and heavy ash fall on the eastern sector. Cloud cover prevented detailed observations.

Dukono (Halmahera): Activity seems to be on the rise - the volcano continues to produce near-continuous ash-rich explosions. Ash plumes to approx. 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude have been reported almost daily over the past days by Darwin VAAC.

Turrialba (Costa Rica): Several new mild to moderately strong ash eruptions have occurred at the volcano during the past days. In particular, on 16 May, one of the most intense phases of ash emissions so far took place from the volcano's western summit crater between midnight and 15:40 local time. Ash plumes extended up to 50 km to the west and caused mild ash fall in places as Heredia and Alajuela towns. A 5 km exclusion zone around the crater is in place.

Reventador (Ecuador): The volcano's activity remains elevated. Mild to moderate explosions occur frequently from the summit vent, where viscous lava is being extruded and also produces an active lava flow, approx. 300 m long on the southwestern flank. IGPEN reported dozens of explosions on most days, and up to more than 60 on a peak of activity on 8 May.

Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion): The eruption continues with strong lava effusion. As of 19 May evening, the lava flow had been at 3 km from the coastal road, having advanced 750 m during the past 24 hours. Its advance is likely to be slower from now on, as the front is now in the flatter area of the "Grandes Brulés". Nevertheless, hopes are rising that the flow might reach the sea.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits the Bougainvile region, Papua New Guinea.

5.2 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits Guatemala.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): Explosions (strombolian to small vulcanian style) continue at the volcano, sometimes strong enough to produce ash plumes visible on satellite images.

Dukono (Halmahera): An ash plume was detected yesterday extending 70 km east at estimated 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude.

Kilauea (Hawai'i): The summit lava lake has dropped significantly during the past week and is now again 50 m below the rim of the pit crater inside Halema'uma'u. After a few days of repeated small overflows at the end of April until early May, the lake had been perched for a few days at its highest level, started to drop after 10 May, first slowly, then more rapidly. During the past days, it has stabilized at approx. 50 m depth.

Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion): The new eruption continues, although only the lowest vent seems to be still active by now. It continues to feed a large lava flow now headed towards the vast coastal flat to the east. In the course of today, it reached the steeper section of the Enclos, the "Grandes Pentes" and started to descend there. At this point, the lava flow, approx. 4-5 km long could be seen from the popular "lava road" (which might be closed off soon).

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Typhoon 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 72 nm west of Iwo To, Japan, is tracking northwestward at 09 knots.

NewsBytes:

Colombia - A torrent of mud and debris roared down an alpine town in western Colombia before dawn Monday, killing at least 58 people in a flood and mudslide triggered by heavy rains. Dozens have suffered light injuries and an unknown number of people are still unaccounted for.

Disease

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – United Arab Emirates

On 13 May 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) notified WHO of 1 additional case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.5 Earthquake hits the Mid-Indian ridge.

5.4 Earthquake hits east of the South Sandwich Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Mariana Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits off the coast of Pakistan.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Typhoon 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 245 nm south-southwest of Iwo To, Japan, is tracking northward at 08 knots.

NewsBytes:

USA - A powerful storm system stretching from Texas to Minnesota brought flash flood warnings early Sunday after kicking up at least 29 damaging tornadoes overnight and pounding the region with baseball-sized hail. Thousands of customers were without power but there were no immediate reports of any deaths or injuries. Tornadoes touched down Saturday in southwestern Oklahoma near the towns of Elmer and Tipton. Another tornado touched down briefly near Elk City along Interstate 40, and there were several other possible tornadoes. The severe weather damaged homes, and downed power lines and entire barns across the Plains states. Thirty-four cars of a cargo train derailed and toppled over in Lyon County, Kansas, after stopping because of the severe weather.

Missouri, USA - The small town of Mosby, Missouri, wound up under water Sunday morning, prompting a request for the entire community to evacuate.

India - Eight people are feared dead, with another 200 people stranded, after a flash flood struck a forest river near Bhadrairuppu in the Virudhunagar district on Sunday night. Heavy rain has led to the flash flood, which has also severely hampered rescue operations. Thousands of pilgrims from all parts of the state had travelled to the the Saduragiri temple to perform rituals on Amavasi day.

Disease

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

Between 4 and 9 May, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 5 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

Foot and Mouth Disease in Namibia

The ministry of agriculture, water and forestry has announced the outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in northern Namibia on Saturday. The ministry said in a statement that an outbreak of foot-and- mouth disease was detected at Ohangwena region.

All movements of cattle across the Namibian/Angola border are suspended with immediate effect. The ministry further urged Namibian cattle farmers who have grazing camps for thousands of cattle inside Angola to strictly adhere to this directive.

Farmers were ordered not to move from and into the affected areas cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and wild animals, meat, milk, manure, hides, skins, bones, trophies and other potentially infectious material such as thatch grass, hay, straw and crop residues.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion): A new eruption, so far small, began this Sunday at 13:45 from a fissure vent at the the southeast slopes of the Dolomieux crater inside the Enclos next to the Château Fort cone.

An intense seismic crisis with 5-7 earthquakes per minutes started 55 minutes before the onset of the eruption, as magma pushed its way to the surface. A few minutes after the beginning of the quakes, significant deformation of the Dolomieu crater rim could be measured as well.

The prefecture of La Réunion triggered alert phase 2 and closed access to the Enclos.

The new eruption seems to be similar in its (small) size and vent location as the last one that occurred between 4-16 February this year. Both probably originate from a same shallow magma reservoir that by early 2015 had grown enough to produce eruptions at the surface.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 Earthquake hit Nepal.

5.0 Earthquake hits La Rioja, Argentina.

Two 5.0 Earthquakes hit New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Super Typhoon 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 396 nm south-southwest of Iwo To, Japan, is tracking north-northwestward at 09 knots.

NewsBytes:

China - Mudslides and lightning in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have claimed lives of at least four people. At least two people died and nine others injured after a thunderbolt hit at a bus stop in Liuma village of Baise city. One person was struck by lightning in Guanyang county of Guilin city. On Friday morning, one person was killed and another five went missing in a mudslide in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County. Rain-triggered floods have affected about 60,500 people in 11 counties and districts in cities of Guilin and Liuzhou.

Kansas, USA - A line of severe storms swept through the Kansas City metro late Saturday night into Sunday morning and caused flash flooding in many areas.

Mysuru, India - One house collapsed in Ghousia Nagar while several low-lying areas across the city were flooded with rainwater on Saturday, as pre-monsoon rains continued to lash the region.

Wildlife

First Warm-Blooded Fish Found

The car-tire-size opah is striking enough thanks to its rotund, silver body. But now, researchers have discovered something surprising about this deep-sea dweller: It's got warm blood.

That makes the opah (Lampris guttatus) the first warm-blooded fish every discovered. Most fish are ectotherms, meaning they require heat from the environment to stay toasty. The opah, as an endotherm, keeps its own temperature elevated even as it dives to chilly depths of 1,300 feet (396 meters) in temperate and tropical oceans around the world.

The opah, also known as the moonfish, has relatively small red fins decorating its large, round body, which can grow up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. These fins, which flap rapidly as the fish swims, turn out to be important in generating body heat for the opah.

Researchers first suspected that something might be strange about the opah after analyzing a sample of the fish's gill tissue. According to the new study, published May 14 in the journal Science, the blood vessels in the tissue are set up so that the vessels carrying cool, oxygenated blood from the gills to the body are in contact with the vessels carrying warm, deoxygenated blood from the body to the gills. As a result, the outgoing blood warms up the incoming blood, a process called counter-current heat exchange.

"There has never been anything like this seen in a fish's gills before," Wegner said in a statement. "This is a cool innovation by these animals that gives them a competitive edge. The concept of counter-current heat exchange was invented in fish long before [humans] thought of it."

To confirm that these special gills helped the opah stay toasty, the researchers tagged a number of moonfish with temperature monitors and tracked the fish as they dove. The fish spend most of their time at least 150 feet (45 m) below the ocean surface. No matter how deep they dive, however, their body temperature stays about 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) warmer than the surrounding water. Fat deposits around the gills and muscles help insulate the fish, the researchers found.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Spain

Authorities in Spain say firefighters are combatting at least three wildfires as May temperatures hit a record high, reaching levels normally seen only in mid-summer.

Air traffic controllers said they were coordinating several planes deployed to fight a fire detected Saturday in the eastern Sierra Calderona hills.

Another six fire-fighting planes were dousing a wildfire in nearby Segobre, Spain's Emergency Coordination Centre said.

Firefighters were also using helicopters to detect hotspots that might re-ignite a fire that broke out Thursday in eastern Pego.

Wildfires - British Columbia, Canada

Crews are responding to five new wildfires in British Columbia's Central Interior, as a massive blaze continues to burn about 70 kilometres southwest of Prince George.

B.C.'s Wildfire Management Branch says all of the new fires were sparked by Friday's lightning activity in the Cariboo region.

Meanwhile, the aggressive Little Bobtail Lake blaze has destroyed about 17,000 hectares since it was first discovered last Saturday.

Some 240 firefighters, 11 helicopters, eight air tankers and 23 pieces of heavy machinery have been brought in and 20 per cent of the fire has been contained.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): The eruption has almost ended. Tremor has descended back to low levels and lava effusion has almost completely ceased and stopped ca. 5 km from eruptive fissure . The most advanced flow front is slightly below 1700 m elevation just above Rocca Musarra.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.0 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.3 Earthquake hits south of Africa.

5.3 Earthquake hits off the coast of Pakistan.

5.1 Earthquake hits east of North Island, New Zealand.

5.1 Earthquake hits northern Peru.

5.0 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Guatemala.

5.0 Earthquake hits near the coast of central Peru.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical storm 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 234 nm west-northwest, Guam, is tracking northwestward at 11 knots.

NewsBytes:

Finland - Floodwater is still on the rise in parts of Finland on Friday as rivers have elevated further. Raudanjoki River has risen to 117 metres. It is on average a once in 60 years occurrence. The water level in Pudasjärvi is feared to continue to rise close to the 1982 flood peak levels. At present, the flood situation is even worst on the Iijoki River threatening residential buildings in Pudasjärvi. Several Pudasjärvi cottages have been flooded and a dozen local roads are closed due to the flooding.

New Zealand - Some areas of Wellington saw the heaviest hourly rainfall in more than 50 years during the deluge on Thursday, data from the regional council shows.

California, USA - Street flooding moved parked cars and prompted the evacuation of apartment residents in Mission Hills late Thursday as San Diego received the brunt of rainfall from a pair of wintry storms headed toward Southern California.

Global Warming

Sea Levels Rising Faster Under Climate Change

Australian scientists have pinned down a variety of errors in observations of sea level during the past 23 years, revealing that the world’s oceans are rising at an accelerating rate.

Previous studies based on tide gauges or satellite data alone have suggested there has been a slowing in the rate of sea level rise over the past decade as compared to the one before it.

But a team led by University of Tasmania geophysicist Christopher Watson found there was a considerable “bias drift” in observations from the first of three satellites used to measure sea level, mainly due to the degradation of the spacecraft’s electronics.

Writing in the journal Nature Climate Change, lead author Watson says that data from the most reliable tide gauges in the world and from corrected satellite data reveal the mean global sea level rise from 1993 to mid-2014 was between 0.10 and 0.11 inches per year.

This is in line with projections made by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which predicts a 3.2-foot rise by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed.

Wildlife

'Spider Rain'

Millions of tiny spiders recently fell from the sky in Australia, alarming residents whose properties were suddenly covered with not only the creepy critters, but also mounds of their silky threads. But that's not where the frightful news ends: Experts say that such arachnid rains aren't as uncommon as you might think.

This month's spider downpour in the country's Southern Tablelands region is just the most recent example of a phenomenon commonly known as "spider rain" or, in some circles, "angel hair," because of the silky, hairlike threads the spiders leave behind.

Ballooning is a not-uncommon behaviour of many spiders. They climb some high area and stick their abdomen up in the air and release silk. Then they just take off. This is going on all around us all the time. We just don’t notice it.

The reason people don't usually notice this ingenious spider behaviour is that it's not common for millions of spiders to do this at the same time, and then land in the same place. There was probably a change in the weather and conditions were optimal for ballooning and resulted in the large numbers of spiders flying about simultaneously.

Disease

Rapidly growing outbreak of meningococcal disease in Niger

From 1 January to 12 May 2015, Niger’s Ministry of Public Health notified WHO of 6,179 suspected cases of meningococcal meningitis, including 423 deaths. This is a rapidly growing outbreak with some unprecedented features.

Suspected cases have been increasing very quickly, tripling over the last two weeks. This is the first large-scale meningitis outbreak caused by Neisseria meningitides serogroup C to hit any country in Africa’s meningitis belt.

Wildfires

Wildfires - British Columbia, Canada

A massive wildfire approximately 70 kilometres southwest of Prince George, B.C. continues to burn aggressively, forcing the evacuation of 80 people and putting nearly 700 homes in danger.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): A new paroxysm is occurring at the volcano. Increasing near-continuous strombolian eruptions occur from the summit vent of the New SE crater and a lava flow is issuing from a vent at its eastern base into Valle del Bove. Tremor is still rising. After the onset of mild strombolian activity on 12 May, activity first decreased during the night 12-13 May and then started to rise again gradually. Early in the morning (between 06:11-06:23 local time), an effusive fissure opened on the eastern flank of the cone, from where a lava flow emerged. Accompanied by violent collapse events, triggering small pyroclastic flows, the fissure enlarged during the morning and lava effusion increased. At the same time, explosive activity at the summit vent continued intermittently. The eruption continues (May 15), although its intensity has decreased compared to yesterday. Moderate strombolian explosions occur at the summit vent of the New SE crater and lava effusion from the fissure vents at its base continues to feed the lava flow, which since yesterday has 3 active lava flow fronts in the northern Valle del Bove between Monte Simone, Rocca Musarra and Monte Finocchio.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The volcano remains in a very active state, with up to 10 or more vulcanian-type explosions occurring per day. Ash plumes from these eruptions have been rising to 9-15,000 ft (2.7-4.5 km) altitude.

Villarrica (Central Chile): Mild activity continues - a small lava lake remains active inside the vent of the inner summit crater producing steaming, small strombolian explosions, and related ash emissions. A lenticular cloud over the summit this morning was beautifully illuminated by the lava glow.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.

5.4 Earthquake hits off the coast of Pakistan.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.3 Earthquake hits near the coast of central Peru.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.1 Earthquake hits near the coast of Nicaragua.

5.1 Earthquake hits offshore Atacama, Chile.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.

5.1 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.1 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical storm 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 35 nm east of Andersen AFB, Guam, is tracking west-northwestward at 15 knots.

Environment

El Niño

The robust El Niño event anticipated for more than a year is finally coming to fruition, according to the latest observations and forecasts. NOAA's latest monthly analysis, issued on Thursday morning, continues the El Niño Advisory already in effect and calls for a 90% chance of El Niño conditions persisting through the summer, with a greater-than-80% chance they will continue through the end of 2015.

The Australian weather agency has also declared the on-again, off-again El Niño ocean warming that stumped forecasters last year to be back on with a vengeance.

The phenomenon is associated with extreme weather around the world, and happens when trade winds over the tropical Pacific weaken, allowing sea-surface temperatures to rise. In a classic El Niño, the ocean and atmosphere are synchronized in a mutually reinforcing pattern that pushes warm sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) and thunderstorm activity along the equator eastward for thousands of miles, from Indonesia toward South America (see Figure 1). Sometimes the atmosphere doesn't respond to a "kick" from the ocean, and an embryonic El Niño fails to develop. This was the case last spring, when a powerful oceanic Kelvin wave (a broad, shallow, slow-moving impulse) pushed warm water east across the Pacific tropics.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology now says that a “substantial” El Niño will develop through late this year while the U.S. Climate Prediction Centre says there is an 80 percent chance the warming will persist through all of 2015.

Its early phase may be responsible for recent above-normal rainfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast and Great Plains.

Further ocean warming predicted for the months ahead threatens to devastate India’s agriculture with drought after untimely rains earlier this year already wiped out crops.

El Niño forecasts issued in May tend to be more accurate because models become more dependable from this point on, experts say.

A strong El Niño that was predicted to develop during late 2014 never really set in, leaving forecasters scratching their heads.

Some meteorologists say that the phenomenon could combine with another shift in ocean temperatures called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).

The PDO brought record warmth to parts of the North Pacific this past December and January, and is predicted to stay strong.

If it were to combine with a significant El Niño, global temperatures would most likely soar even higher than during the recent record warmth.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit (47.7 degrees Celsius) at Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 74.5 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.

Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.

Drought

Drought - Queensland, Australia.

Drought has been declared in more than 80 per cent of Queensland, with fears El Nino will only make things worse.

During the past six months western and northern Queensland has generally seen below average rainfall. In the southeastern districts rainfall has actually been above average in some parts. However, the reason for drought declaration of so much of Queensland is that widespread healthy falls haven't been experienced since the back-to-back La Nina events finished in early 2012.

During the past 26 El Nino events, 17 have resulted in widespread Australian drought.

Drought - North Korea

A severe drought could bring North Korea to the brink of famine this summer, according to experts who keep close tabs on the Hermit Kingdom.

Without significant rainfall soon, North Korean farmers might not be able to grow enough food to feed the country's nearly 25 million people. The financial excesses of the country's elite are well documented, and Pyongyang lacks sufficient foreign currency reserves to make up for the shortfall. And while international aid has helped address the country's food shortages in the past, its distribution to the North Korean people depends on the country's paranoid government.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Jamaica

Several bush fires have been registered in Jamaica amid an ongoing drought. The wildfires have affected more than five communities in rural areas in St. Andrew Parish, located northeast of the capital city, Kingston. Difficult terrain in the area is complicating efforts to battle the blazes.

Wildfires - North Pole!

Two small wildfires were quickly contained in the North Pole area Thursday afternoon, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry.

Disease

Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China

On 9 May 2015, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO of 6 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A (H7N9) virus, including 2 deaths.

Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in Laos

Veterinarians in Laos are vaccinating more than 1,000 heads of cattle in a suburb of the capital Vientiane, after hundreds of the animals died from a recent outbreak offootf-and-mouth disease, according to the head of government’s livestock and fisheries department.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.1 Earthquake hits east of North island, New Zealand.

5.0 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Babar, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical storm 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 384 nm east-southeast of Andersen AFB, is tracking west-northwestward at 13 knots.

NewsBytes:

New Zealand - Streets have been turned into rivers and homes flooded as heavy rain continues to pound the Wellington region, while commuters are stuck in the city as trains are cancelled and highways blocked. More heavy rain and traffic disruptions are expected on Friday after the deluge that left homes flooded, roads turned to rivers, and trains cancelled. Thousands of commuters were stranded in Wellington, once again highlighting the fragility of the road network. The region was hit by a deluge of rain overnight causing slips and flooding, with 117.4mm falling in Paraparaumu and 96mm in Lower Hutt in the last 24 hours.

Wildlife

Honeybees Still Dying

Just last year, it seemed there was something to celebrate despite planet Earth’s ongoing honeybee apocalypse: Bee colony losses were down. Not by enough, but they were down.

“It’s better news than it could have been,” said Dennis vanEngelsdorp, a University of Maryland entomology professor who led a survey of bee populations that reported a loss of 23 percent of bee colonies — less than 30 percent, the average from 2005 to 2013. “It’s not good news.”

Though scientists cited progress in battles against an Asian mite that has killed many an American bee, they had words of caution.

“One year does not make a trend,” Jeff Pettis, a co-author of the survey who heads the federal government’s bee research laboratory in Beltsville, Md., told the New York Times.

Turns out Pettis was right. VanEngelsdorp and other researchers at the Bee Informed Partnership, affiliated with the Department of Agriculture, just announced more than 40 percent of honeybee hives died this past year, as the Associated Press reported. The number is preliminary, but is the second-highest annual loss recorded to date.

“What we’re seeing with this bee problem is just a loud signal that there’s some bad things happening with our agro-ecosystems,” study co-author Keith Delaplane of the University of Georgia told the AP. “We just happen to notice it with the honeybee because they are so easy to count.”

The cause of the bees’ demise was not noted, but researchers said colony collapse disorder — which causes mass deaths of the bees for reasons not fully understood — was not necessarily the culprit. As the Times put it last year: “What has emerged is a complex set of pressures on managed and wild bee populations that includes disease, a parasite known as the varroa mite, pesticides, extreme weather and poor nutrition tied to a loss of forage plants.”

The state worst affected was Oklahoma, which lost more than 60 percent of its hives. Hawaii escaped relatively unscathed, losing less than 14 percent.

The USDA estimated that honeybees add more than $15 billion to the value of the country’s crops per year.

Nature - Images

Interesting Images:

Cloudiest Places on Earth Revealed

As a new NASA image reveals, the Earth is a cloudy place. According to the space agency, clouds cover about 67 percent of the Earth's surface at any given time, and less than 10 percent of the skies over the ocean are sunny and blue. Now, more than a decade's worth of data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite reveals where clouds gather and where skies tend to be clear.

The blue-and-white image averages daily cloud observations from the satellite between July 2002 and April 2015. It reveals a mostly hazy Earth with three especially cloudy zones.

These zones are linked to the global circulation patterns in Earth's atmosphere. According to NASA's Earth Observatory, in the mid-latitudes, polar air masses collide with Ferrel cells, which circulate air westward at high altitudes and eastward at the surface. These patterns cause air to rise around 60 degrees north and south of the equator, promoting the formation of clouds in these two zones. These same patterns push air downward between 15 degrees and 30 degrees from the equator, resulting in the cloud-free zones seen in desert areas such as Australia and northern Africa.

The third particularly cloudy zone is found over the equator, where circulation cells called Hadley cells dominate. In these zones, warm air rises and condenses, creating both clouds and storms, according to the Earth Observatory.

On the satellite image, these cloudy zones are seen in bright white; the bluer the region, the clearer the skies.

Disease

Ebola virus disease – Italy

On 12 May 2015, WHO received notification of a laboratory-confirmed case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Italy. This is the first EVD case to be detected on Italian soil.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Canada

Crews were fighting four new out-of-control wildfires in west-central and northwestern Alberta on Tuesday. Provincial wildfire officials said two of the fires were burning in the backcountry south of Edson. Another fire was southwest of Nordegg near Highway 11. There was also a blaze near Grande Prairie.

Wildfires - Florida, USA

Wildfires in the Big Cypress National Preserve in eastern Collier County grew larger Wednesday, forcing a closure of a large swath of the preserve north and south of Interstate 75. The fire has spread to encompass more than 4000 acres.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.8 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.3 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Nepal-India border.

Two 5.1 Earthquakes hit Nepal.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Africa.

Two 5.0 Earthquakes hit Nepal.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical storm 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 643 nm east-southeast of Andersen AFB, is tracking westward at 10 knots.

NewsBytes:

Kenya - At least ten people were killed and seven injured during Monday night’s heavy rains in Nairobi.

Disease

Dengue Fever in Brazil

About 750,000 cases of the mosquito-borne virus have been confirmed this year in this country of 200 million people, leading to waits of four hours or longer at some hospitals.

The disease, which causes fever and joint pain, has killed 229 people so far this year - up 45 percent from the same period in 2014.

Health Minister Arthur Chioro has blamed the outbreak in part on a severe drought in Brazil's southeast, an area including Sao Paulo where dengue has been most prevalent. Many people stored water in buckets for fear their taps would run dry, creating a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Wildfires

Wildfires Spread in Siberia

The area of wildfires in Buryatia (south-eastern Siberia) grew dramatically over the past three days off from 60 to 689 hectares, the local forestry authority said on Tuesday.

"We have registered 33 seats of fire in 15 districts," the authority’s press secretary Alexandra Yegorova said, adding the fires had been caused by negligence of local people.

"Presently, 471 people are extinguishing the fires, including smokejumpers," she said. "We are using 75 specialised vehicles, 21 tractors and three bulldozers."

From the beginning of the fire season in the republic, the authority has registered 444 fires covering an area exceeding 26,000 hectares

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Strombolian activity began again today at the New SE crater. Accompanied by rising tremor, this activity is increasing at the moment.

The current pattern is very similar to many past episodes which often culminated in violent explosive (lava fountaining) and effusive (lava flow) paroxysms and could very well build up to a new one, maybe similar to the previous one during 1-2 Feb this year.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

7.3 Earthquake hits Nepal.

The earthquake, which occurred near Mount Everest has killed at least six people and injured more than 300 according to initial reports. The quake was felt as far away as New Delhi and sparked panic in the streets of Kathmandu.

6.2 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.6 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.5 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.5 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.4 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Babar, Indonesia.

5.3 Earthquake hits Nepal.

Two 5.2 Earthquakes hit the Mid-Indian ridge.

5.2 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.2 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.1 Earthquake hits south of Java.

5.1 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.0 Earthquake hits Halmahera, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Super typhoon 06w (Noul), located approximately 412 nm southwest of Yokosuka, Japan is tracking northeastward at 51 knots.

Tropical storm 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 791 nm east-southeast of Andersen AFB, is tracking westward at 06 knots.

NewsBytes:

Nepal - The windstorm has damaged around 450 houses in the Far-Western region of Nepal. The hardest hit is Kailali where 286 houses were damaged. In a separate incident, a lightning strike has claimed the life of one person and injured five others in Nilkantha municipality-11 of Dhading district.

New Zealand - A tornado has caused damage in Taranaki town, near New Plymouth, ripping off a roof and uprooting trees. In Wellington, heavy rainfall caused major flooding in the city.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Alberta, Canada

Wildfires in Alberta have more than doubled so far this year thanks to an unusually dry spring, officials say.

Last year at this time there had been 154 wildfires, but there have been 339 so far in 2015. The five-year average for the province is 245 wildfires by the first week of May.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.6 Earthquake hits of the Izu Islands off Japan.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.

5.1 Earthquake hits the southern east Pacific rise.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Jaoan.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.

5.0 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Ginea.

5.0 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Typhoon 06w (Noul), located approximately 401 nm southwest of Kadena AB, Okinawa, is tracking north-northeastward at 14 knots.

Typhoon Noul (local name: Dodong) has claimed the lives of at least two people in the Philippines and forced the evacuations of thousands others in northern Luzon.

Tropical storm 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 165 nm west of Ujelang, is tracking north-northwestward at 07 knots.

Tropical Storm Ana weakened slightly before making landfall in South Carolina on Sunday morning, sending pounding surf crashing against Atlantic beaches as it prepared to bluster inland. The U.S. National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Ana made landfall between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach at 6:00 a.m. ET Sunday morning, and packed top sustained winds of 45 mph. Ana, a surprisingly early tropical storm that emerged ahead of the official June 1 start of the Atlantic hurricane season, was moving to the north-northwest at a plodding pace of about 5 mph. Ana has subsequently dissipated.

Wildlife

Rhino poaching in South Africa

The number of rhinos killed illegally in South Africa has hit a new high with 393 of the animals killed for their horns between January and April.

A record number of 1,215 rhinos were killed last year in the country after being poached for their horns, but in just the first four months of 2015 a new record has been made, with an 18 per cent increase on the same period last year.

Of the rhinos killed this year so far, 290 were poached in the Kruger National Park, South African environment minister Edna Molewa said.

The vast park bordering Mozambique is home to the majority of South Africa's 20,700 rhinos, which are killed for their horns, used in traditional Asian medicine - mainly as an aphrodisiac to supposedly enhance the virility of elderly Chinese men.

Cruelty . . .

A policeman holds a water bottle with a live yellow-crested cockatoo put inside for illegal trade, at the customs office of Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya, East Java province, Indonesia. Police arrested one man traveling by ship from Makassar, Sulawesi with 22 of the endangered cockatoos held inside water bottles.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Kliuchevskoi (Kamchatka): Mild strombolian activity and associated ash emissions continue from the summit crater of the volcano. Tokyo VAAC reported an ash plume to 20,000 ft (6 km) altitude on 8 May.

Karangetang (Siau Island, Sangihe Islands, Indonesia): An increase in activity occurred during the past days, resulting in dangerous pyroclastic flows that swept 3 km down the steep southern slope of the volcano. The cause was elevated strombolian activity combined with effusion of a viscous flow from the summit crater, which resulted in partial collapses of the lava flow. People living in villages near the volcano were evacuated and it seems no fatalities occurred, although houses in the village of Kora Kora were destroyed by the pyroclastic flow on 7 May. Significant ash fall occurred on the northern flank of the volcano.

Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): An ash plume was seen yesterday on satellite imagery extending 45 nautical miles to the west.

Dukono (Halmahera): Intense ash emissions continue at the volcano. Darwin VAAC reported a plume at estimated 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude extending 40 km to the east.

Telica (Nicaragua): Several small explosions with ash emissions have occurred from the volcano's summit vent since 8 May. 8 explosions generated ash plumes up to 250 m height that drifted west causing light ash fall in the villages Quebranchal, Telica, Polvareda and Las Joyas.

Disease

Ebola Outbreak - Update

WHO officially declared that the Ebola outbreak in Liberia is over but warns against the possibility of infected people coming in from Guinea and Sierra Leone, where the outbreak still persists.

"Forty-two days have passed since the last laboratory-confirmed case was buried on 28 March 2015. The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over," WHO says in an official statement.

The agency called the breakthrough a "monumental achievement" for Liberia, which is the hardest hit country from the recent Ebola outbreak. At the peak of the outbreak in August and September 2014, up to 400 new cases were being reported every week.

As of May 6, there have been a total of 10,564 total cases of Ebola in Liberia, with 4,716 confirmed deaths. Guinea records 3,592 cases and 2,387 deaths. Sierra Leone has the most number of reported cases - 12,492, with 3,904 confirmed deaths.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.6 Earthquake hits of the coast of Chiapas, Mexico.

5.4 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.3 Earthquake hits northern Colombia.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits Nepal.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Super typhoon 06w (Noul), located approximately 591 nm south-southwest of Kadena AB, is tracking northwestward at 11 knots.

Tropical storm 07w (Dolphin), located approximately 107 nm east of Pohnpei, is tracking west-northwestward at 09 knots.

Tropical Storm Ana is located about 5 mi...10 km NE of Myrtle Beach South Carolina about 10 mi...15 km SW of North Myrtle Beach South Carolina with maximum sustained winds...45 mph...75 km/h. Present movement...NNW or 330 degrees at 5 mph...7 km/h.

NewsBytes:

Texas, USA = One person was killed and three injured when a tornado touched down in Texas Saturday as a series of dangerous storms swept through the Plains, authorities said. Several structures were damaged in Cisco. Another tornado was confirmed near Truckton, Colorado. Tornadoes were also reported to have touched down in Wichita and Erath counties in Texas; in Cheyenne County, Colorado; and in Cotton and Marshall counties in Oklahoma.

There were 34 reports in all of tornadoes across Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska by 10 p.m. Saturday.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Iceland

There have been an unusually high number of callouts due to wildfires in the Reykjavík capital region over the last week — over 20, in fact.

Although the fires were mostly small in extent, a large area of vegetation was consumed.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.2 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Nias region, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Mendoza, Argentina.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Typhoon 06w (Noul), located approximately 244 nm east of Manila, Philippines, is tracking northwestward at 11 knots.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from part of the Philippines ahead of the arrival of a typhoon expected to bring winds of more than 100mph.

Typhoon Noul is forecast to bring gusts of up to 122mph as well as sustained speeds of 100mph, plus heavy rain that prompted warnings of landslides in mountainous areas and a 2.5m storm surge along the coast.

The north-east part of the republic’s populous main island of Luzon is expected to bear the brunt of the category four storm after it makes landfall around 5am local time on Sunday.

Tropical storm 07w (Seven), located approximately 270 nm east-southeast of Pohnpei, is tracking northwestward at 04 knots.

Tropical Storm Ana is located about about 105 mi...170 km SSE of Cape Fear North Carolina; about 115 mi...190 km se of Myrtle Beach South Carolina with maximum sustained winds...60 mph...95 km/h. Present movement...NNW or 340 degrees at 3 mph...6 km/h.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for Cape Lookout, North Carolina, south to Edisto Beach, South Carolina. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimetres) of rain in the coastal Carolinas, with up to 6 inches (15 cm) in areas hit by heavy thunderstorms. The storm is also creating rough surf along the coast, and Franklin warned of deadly rip currents throughout the weekend.

NewsBytes:

Uganda - Residents of Bulembia division in Kasese Municipality on Thursday morning woke up to floods which cut off several villages after River Nyamwamba burst its bunks. The river which started flooding early morning left numerous people displaced and other trapped.

Drought

Drought - California, USA

An astonishing 12.5m trees have died in California, unable to survive a harsh fourth year of drought, according to a US government study.

The news of the massive tree die-offs came this week, after the United States Forest Service, a Department of Agriculture agency, released the results of an aerial survey it undertook in April over 8.2m acres of forest.

The California drought has now entered its fourth year. On 1 April, California governor Jerry Brown imposed the first set of mandatory water use restriction measures – a step never before taken in the state’s history. Brown said the drought had reached “near-crisis” levels.

Aerial photos from the survey show a landscape of red, purple and brown trees – the dead ones – interspersed among the usual green. Even those green ones were sometimes lighter and yellower than usual, a sign of distress.

The sudden prevalence of such an abnormal amount of dead trees in California’s forests – a scale of loss not seen since the 1970s droughts – has raised concern more broadly about the increased risks of wildfires.

Disease

Foot and Mouth Disease - Taiwan

Foot-and-mouth disease has been found on a Kinmen County cattle farm, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday, adding that all infected cattle have been euthanized. The council said the virus might have originated in China, as the strain detected is a 99 percent match to that found in China’s Guangdong Province in 2013. Council officials said it is the first time that strain has been found in Taiwan.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 Earthquake hits the Nias region, Indonesia.

5.5 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.3 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.1 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.1 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits Tonga.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical depression 06w (Noul), located approximately 486 nm east-southeast of Manila, Philippines, is tracking west-northwestward at 11 knots.

Typhoon Noul continues to slowly intensify as it moves on a course to make landfall in the northern Philippines on May 10. Meanwhile, a tropical depression has formed upstream from Typhoon Noul. The U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Centre forecasts this system to become Typhoon Dolphin, and predicts it will intensify significantly in the coming days as it heads northwest. This storm may be a threat to Japan or the Philippines early next week.

Tropical depression 07w (Seven), located approximately 298 nm southeast of Pohnpei, is tracking east-northeastward at 05 knots.

Sub-Tropical Storm Ana is located about 170 mi...275 km SSE of Myrtle Beach South Carolina with maximum sustained winds...45 mph...75 km/h. Present movement...stationary.

NewsBytes:

USA - Communities in several southern Plains states set to work cleaning up Thursday after a night of storms that spawned 51 tornadoes, assessing the damage under sunny skies but with the threat of even worse weather on the horizon. The storms strafed northern Texas, Nebraska and Kansas on Wednesday and early Thursday but reserved their worst for the Oklahoma City area, where at least a dozen people were injured in a trailer park and where a 43-year-old woman was killed after she apparently took cover in an underground storm shelter and drowned when it was deluged by floodwater.

India - An artificial lake in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir burst Thursday morning and caused flash floods in the area, prompting authorities to launch an evacuation operation in the affected villages, officials said.

Wildlife

Airspace 'Reserves' Proposed to Protect Flying Wildlife

Human influence in the lowest levels of Earth’s atmosphere has become so pervasive during the past century that it is now a major hazard to flying wildlife, according to scientists from Argentina and Wales.

Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say that the growing numbers of skyscrapers, wind turbines, power lines, planes and even drones are adversely affecting the other creatures that share the atmosphere with us from the surface to an altitude of about 300 feet.

Sergio Lambertucci, from the University of Comahue, says that millions of airborne creatures are killed each year by collisions with ground-based structures as well as aircraft.

He suggests that areas of “pristine airspace” be created to allow for the safe migrations of birds. Lambertucci also proposes that impact studies take into account influences on flying wildlife.

An illustration of some of the interactions between manmade structures and flying animals.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 117.5 degrees Fahrenheit (47.5 degrees Celsius) at Matam, Senegal.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 98.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 72.2 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.

Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.

Disease

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Iran, Saudi Arabia

On 1 May 2015, the National IHR Focal Point for the Islamic Republic of Iran notified WHO of 1 additional case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

On 1 May 2015, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 1 additional case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

Wildfires

Wildfires - USA

Dry, windy conditions fuelled wildfires across Maine and New Hampshire. More than a dozen wildfires kept forest rangers and firefighters busy Thursday as the states continued to experience dry and warm conditions. The largest fire burned about 200 acres. No reports of structural property loss were received.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

7.2 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

There are no immediate reports of damage and a tsunami threat has passed.

5.7 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

5.4 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.1 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.1 Earthquake hits south of the Mariana Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical depression 06w (Noul), located approximately 735 nm east-southeast of Manila, Philippines, is tracking west-northwestward at 12 knots.

Tropical depression 07w (Seven), located approximately 233 nm south-southeast of Pohnpei, is tracked east-southeastward at 06 knots.

NewsBytes:

Oklahoma, USA - The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flash flood emergency for the first time in the Oklahoma City metro area. Over 3 inches of rain fell at Will Rodgers World Airport in the span of a single hour on Wednesday. Furthermore, the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma states that 7.10 inches throughout the day, making it the wettest May day on record.

The tornadoes that hit Oklahoma and rural parts of Kansas and Nebraska have destroyed dozens of homes and overturned cars. The tornado caused worst damage in the Oklahoma City area where homes at Bridge Creek, Amber and Blanchard have been destroyed. About 10 homes have been destroyed in Amber and 25 have been destroyed in Bridge Creek. That storm also flipped vehicles on Interstate 35 and left power lines strewn across the roadway. Another tornado hit a zoo in Grady County, about 25 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. The storms also dumped up to 6 inches in the southern part of Oklahoma City, causing a flash flood emergency for the first time in its history.

Denver, Colorado, USA - Days of heavy rain over the Denver metro area have caused street flooding and the South Platte River to overflow its banks in some places. The river went over its banks in Confluence Park on Tuesday afternoon during a heavy rain storm.

Bahamas - Severe thunder storms on May 5th in Harbour Island, Eleuthera floods homes and shops. Water levels rose half way up doors, and residents lost most of their belongings, including all their vehicles. It all happened within a few hours.