Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.2 Earthquake hits southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits Khabarovskiy Kray, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.0 Earthquake hits Seram, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storm Barbara

TC Barbara continues to weaken as it moves inland, dumping heavy rain across portions of southeastern Mexico.

Tornado - Milan, Italy

A rare tornado has hit near Milan, Italy. Tornado damage is reported to be heavy throughout the Brianza region. At least two people have been injured by flying debris nearby A4 highway.

Hailstorm, Cyclone hits Vietnam

Hailstorm and cyclone in Cao Lanh city in Dong Thap province in Vietnam have caused huge damage. Winds have blown away roofs of houses and knocked down electric poles.

Flood in Xinjiang, China

Flooding in Xinjiang, China has claimed the lives of two people and affected over 16,400. Flood waters have damaged around 700 houses and destroyed 2,100 hectares of farmland in Kashgar.

Flooding in Portland, Jamaica

Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in eastern Portland, northeast coastal region in Jamaica. Classes have been suspended at several schools. No reports of injuries.

New round of tornadoes in Oklahoma and Arkansas, USA

At least two tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma Thursday. Tornado touched down near the town of Perkins in northeast Oklahoma whereas a second tornado touched near Ripley.

Two more tornadoes hit Arkansas on Thursday injuring nine people. At least two were injured by lightning strike in Rogers.

Disease

Dengue Fever Outbreak in Singapore

Singapore's widening dengue epidemic has claimed its first fatality this year, as health officials brace for a tropical-disease outbreak that could become the city-state's worst ever.

Cholera in Mali

Cholera outbreak in Mali's Gao region leaves 2 dead.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Chirinkotan (Northern Kurils): Based on satellite imagery, the volcanic activity (evidenced by a significant degassing plume) was no longer visible after 25 May and has probably ended or is pausing at the moment. Analysis of past images in return showed that the eruption likely began in early April already.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): After a few days of relatively calmness, the volcano erupted at least 3 times today already. It seems to have begun another cycle of increased explosion frequency, which seem typically to last a few days.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): An earthquake swarm and tremor pulses occurred today, which could suggest new magma on the rise, but this has (not yet) resulted in particular surface activity which remained rather calm. Degassing (SO2 emissions) remains strong.

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Activity has remained generally low, with occasional small to medium-sized ash explosions and small avalanches from the Caliente dome.

Pacaya (Guatemala): The volcano has been mostly hidden in clouds, but strombolian (and perhaps effusive) activity continues as can be seen from glow at night and noises from explosions and degassing. A strong increase of seismic activity seems to have started a few hours ago as suggested by the current seismogram. A strong increase in activity occurred yesterday evening and culminated in the effusion of a lava flow from the Mackenney crater which lasted about 2 hours. The activity returned back to mild strombolian activity afterwards, with projections reaching about 200 m height and ash plumes rising to 400 m above the crater.

Fuego (Guatemala): Activity remains weak. As it's rainy season, the volcano is mostly in clouds, but the seismogram and INSIVUMEH reports indicate occasional small explosions, some rockfalls and degassing events.

Copahue (Chile/Argentina): The seismic crisis continues, but has decreased in intensity. An eruption in the near future still remains a likely scenario, SERNAGEOMIN scientists emphazise, as this decrease in energy could be temporary. It is impossible to predict whether this is a question of days or weeks, or even if an eruption actually will occur. At the same time, authorities (ONEMI) intensify their preventive measures and reported that 316 people have now been evacuated. It is estimated that more than 2,200 people live in the areas most at thread (Barco, Bultalelbún, Trapa Trapa, Guallalí).

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.2 Earthquake hits the Prince Edward Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits Luzon in the Philippines.

Storms and Floods

Hurricane Barbara

Tropical Storm Barbara intensifies to hurricane strength.

Hurricane Barbara, which made landfall Wednesday on the southern Pacific coast of Mexico has claimed the lives of at least two people. At least 14 fisherman in Tapanatepec, Oaxaca are still reported to be missing. Oaxaca officials have prepared emergency shelters and suspended schools in coastal areas.

According to the U.S. National Hurricane Centre, Barbara had weakened to a tropical storm by evening.

Heavy rainfall in Salvador, Brazil

Heavy rainfall has damaged the roof of the Confederations Cup stadium (Mane Garrincha stadium) in Salvador, Estado de Bahia, Brazil.

Landslide on Whidbey Island, Washington

A 300-foot landslide has been reported north of Langley on Whidbey Island. According to officials, the landslide isn't threatening any homes and there have been no evacuations.

Other News:

Overnight thunderstorms in Toronto, Canada, led to severe flooding across the Greater Toronto Area Wednesday, with the Don River overflowing its banks and GO Transit lines washed out.

A colossal river ice jam that caused major flooding in Galena, a remote Alaska town was starting to churn Wednesday as water finally chewed ice chunks away from the stubborn, frozen mass after most of the residents were forced to flee from the rising water.

Global Warming

135-Year-Old Data Helps Understand Climate Change

Ocean data collected over 135 years ago by the crew of the HMS Challenger oceanographic expedition has helped confirm global warming.

Researchers from NASA and the University of Tasmania used the data to provide further confirmation that humans have played a part in today’s changing global climate. The team combined the ship’s measurements of ocean temperatures with modern observations from the international Argo array of ocean profiling floats. They used state-of-the-art climate models to get a picture of how the world’s oceans have changed over the last century.

The Challenger voyage was the world’s first global scientific survey of life beneath the ocean surface. During this expedition, scientists measured ocean temperatures, lowering thermometers hundreds of feet deep on hemp ropes.

“Our research revealed warming of the planet can be clearly detected since 1873 and that our oceans continue to absorb the great majority of this heat,” said researcher Will Hobbs of the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science.

“Currently, scientists estimate the oceans absorb more than 90 percent of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases, and we attribute the global warming to anthropogenic causes.”

Challenger’s measurements revealed that thermal expansion of sea water caused by global warming has contributed to about 40 percent of the total sea level rise seen in tide gauges from 1873 to 1955. The remaining 60 percent was likely to have come from the melting of ice sheets and glaciers.

“This research adds yet another suite of compelling data that shows human activity continues to have a dramatic influence on the Earth’s climate,” said Hobbs, lead author of the paper which was published in the latest edition of the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Disease

Bird Flu Outbreak in China - Update

The incidence of new infections seems to be decreasing. The National Health and Family Planning Commission, China notified WHO of one additional laboratory confirmed case of human infection with Avian Influenza A(H7N9) virus.

Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Six suspected cases of Ebola have been reported in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, just six months after an outbreak of the deadly virus ended in the area, the United Nations said Wednesday.

To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for Ebola, which kills between 25 and 90 percent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus.

The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces or sweat, or by sexual contact or unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

Ebola, one of the world's most virulent diseases, was first discovered in the DRC in 1976, and the country has had eight outbreaks.

The most recent epidemic, in the same region, infected 62 people and left 34 dead between May and November last year.

Wildlife

Wooly Mammoth Blood Recovered From Frozen Carcass

The frozen body of a 10,000 to 15,000 year old mammoth found on a remote island in the Arctic Ocean has yielded a stunning find: blood so well preserved that it flowed freely from the ancient mammal, according to Russian scientists.

The muscle tissue of the frozen carcass was also stunning - the color of fresh meat, totally unlike meat that is centuries old.

“The fragments of muscle tissues, which we’ve found out of the body, have a natural red color of fresh meat. The reason for such preservation is that the lower part of the body was underlying in pure ice, and the upper part was found in the middle of tundra.”

Wooly mammoths are thought to have died out around 10,000 years ago, although scientists think small groups of them lived longer in Alaska and on Russia's Wrangel Island off the Siberian coast.

Wildfires

Wildfires in Fort McMurray area, Alberta, Canada

Despite the Wildfire Hazard Level for the Waterways area being lowered slightly to "High," five new wildfires were ignited in the Fort McMurray area Tuesday evening, each caused by lightning.

There are currently four wildfires still burning in the area, all of which are northeast of the city. Two of the fires are classified as "being held" and two are considered "under control." No communities or industrial sites are being threatened by the fires.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.3 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.3 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.1 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

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

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storm Barbara forms in the Pacific 145 mi (230 km) SSW of Salina Cruz, Mexico. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Lagunas de Chacahua to Boca de Pijijiapan, Mexico. Additional strengthening is forecast before Barbara reaches the coast of Mexico today.

Flooding in Mississippi, USA

Southaven, Mississppi has declared a state of emergency after floods inundated homes. Some areas received nearly five inches of rainfall Tuesday evening, which is more than a month's worth of rainfall.

Tornadoes in Kansas, USA

At least four tornadoes hit northeast Kansas today. According to Emergency Management, the tornado damaged 20-25 homes and businesses in Marysville. Marysville is about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City near the Nebraska border.

Other tornadoes touched down in Smith, Jewell County and Clay counties. Tornadoes destroyed at least two houses in Smith and one house near Esbon.

Hailstorms have also been reported in the town of Mankato, in Jewell County, Kansas.

Wildfires

Wildfire - California, USA

Around 4,000 people have been evacuated following wildfire in Southern California today.

According to The U.S. Forest Service, the so-called White fire first broke out in the Los Padres National Forest yesterday. Los Padres National Forest is located 15 miles north of Santa Barbara.

The White Fire covers 1,200 acres and is 10% contained.

Space Events

Solar Wind Storm

For the third day in a row, a remarkably fast (600 km/s - 700 km/s) stream of solar wind is blowing around Earth. This is causing magnetic unrest around the poles as well as elevated levels of high-energy electrons in Earth orbit. NOAA cautions satellite operators that "satellite systems may experience significant charging" in response to accumulated electrons.

Disease

Swine Flu in Venezuela

In Venezuela, 17 people have died and another 250 have been infected from an outbreak of H1N1 swine flu.

Most of the current cases have been in border states near Colombia.

Venezuela’s health minister has described this latest outbreak as the tail-end of the 2009/2010 pandemic.

Novel Coronavirus - Saudi Arabia - Update

Saudi Arabia has reported that five more people have been infected with the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), as if to underline the warning from the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) that the novel coronavirus is a global threat.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Tolbachik (Kamchatka): Eruptive activity continues, with fluid lava flows from the southern fissure being still emitted. However, also a very slow trend of decreasing tremor is visible. KVERT reports no significant changes in activity at any of the other volcanoes in Kamchatka: lava extrusion and dome building continue at Sheveluch and Kizimen. No seismic data are available at the moment from Karymski and Bezymianny, which also continues to slowly build a lava dome. Gorely produces medium levels of seismicity caused by fluid movements and strong degassing.

Yasur (Tanna Island, Vanuatu): Explosive (strombolian) activity level has been increasing recently, the latest bulletin of Geohazard today indicates. The alert level remains at 2, but an increase to 3 is possible in the near future. Elevated risk of impacts remains near the volcano's crater, as bombs have started to fall near and in the parking area. A thick steam and ash plume is being emitted from the active vents, and there is ash fall in communities downwind.

Pavlov (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The eruption might have ended already, or is at least pausing for the moment. Over the past few days, the eruptive and seismic activity have greatly declined, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reports. There are no longer volcanic tremor or small explosions detected and satellite observations show no evidence of elevated surface temperatures, volcanic gas or ash emissions. There have been no visual observations from pilots or web cameras of any eruptive activity. "Consequently, the Aviation Color Code is being reduced to Yellow and the Volcano Alert Level to Advisory.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Since yesterday morning's explosion, the volcano has been relatively quiet and only produced about 1 weak emission of mostly steam per hour. No significant new earthquakes or tremor pulses have occurred.

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): Small earthquake swarms at shallow depth continue to plague the volcano. They suggest ongoing (small) magmatic intrusions. The other 5 volcanoes in Colombia currently on alert have not shown significant variations in activity (Galeras: degassing, occasional small ash venting, Cumbal, Machin, Sotará: seismic unrest but no surface activity, Nevado del Huila: degassing/steaming).

Copahue (Chile/Argentina): The earthquake swarm has increased and continues today, but the volcano has not yet erupted. The earthquakes are occurring at very high frequency (130 per hour) and are mostly "hybrid", i.e. related to both rock-fracturing and fluid-movements within the volcanic edifice. Evacuations in the area have progressed, but faced serious difficulties due to heavy snowfall and also because many residents in nearby villages are reluctant to leave their homes and live stock, especially in the municipalities of Butalelbùn (north side) and El Barco (south-west).

Nyiragongo (DRCongo): A significant SO2 plume is visible today on NOAA satellite data, suggesting continuing lava lake activity at the volcano. Unfortunately, security issues in the Goma-Virunga area continue to prevent us from organizing expeditions for the time being.

Two volcanos are erupting in Alaska: Pavlof and Cleveland.

Storms and Floods

Flooding in the Yukon River community, Alaska

At least 100 people have been evacuated due to flooding in the Yukon River community, Alaska. Two emergency shelters have been set up in Galena at the old school and the Air Force base.

Flood warnings are in effect for Galena, Hughes, and Buckland.

Landslide in Hidalgo, Mexico

Landslide in Hidalgo state in Mexico has claimed the lives of at least seven people.

Heavy rainfall and hailstorm in Tepeji del Rio caused the landslideL on a road which buried several vehicles and people when part of a hill fell down.

Flooding in Accra, Ghana

Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in Accra, the capital and largest city of Ghana.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.5 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.2 Earthquake hits Georgia, Russia.

5.1 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of North Island, New Zealand.

Environment

Moss reanimates after 400 years in Deep Freeze

Ancient plants have been brought back to life, despite having been frozen inside a glacier for over 400 years.

Researcher Catherine La Farge, director and curator of the Cryptogamic Herbarium at the University of Alberta, snagged moss which carbon-dating estimated was aged between 400 and 600 years old, frozen during the "Little Ice Age" between 1550 and 1850.

The scientists picked the plants from an area around the Teardrop Glacier in the Canadian Arctic, because La Farge noticed that some of them appeared to be regrowing once the ice had retreated. Glaciers in the region have been receding at a rate of around three to four metres a year, uncovering land that hasn't seen the Sun since the 1500s.

Once they got the plants back to the lab, La Farge and her co-authors successfully regenerated four species from the original parent material in 11 cultures from seven subglacial samples.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Etna today is free of clouds, but strong winds with gusts up to 70 km/h speed prevail. No further significant earthquakes occurred. The only activity remains degassing, and occasional small explosions, not visible, deep inside Bocca Nuova, based on seismic observations (OPEC).

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The volcano has been relatively productive with 2-4 explosions daily over the past days. Maximum ash plume heights were reported as 10,000 ft (3 km) (VAAC Tokyo).

Copahue (Chile/Argentina): Although degassing and ash emissions have decreased, seismic activity at the volcano has picked up, SERNAGEOMIN reported. An average of 356 earthquakes per hour, sometimes merging into what looks as volcanic tremor, has been recorded recently. This could be related to intruding magma from a new batch of magma rising at the moment and as a result, phreatomagmatic or magmatic activity could occur at the surface in the near future. The hazards from the volcano to populated areas are only significant in the case of a larger eruption creating a large ash plume, possible pyroclastic flows and lahars capable of travelling greater distances. Ash fall in particular would mainly threaten the areas to the east (ie. the Argentine side) because of the prevailing westerly wind directions.

Red alert for Copahue volcano

A red alert has been declared by Chilean and Argentine authorities and ordered the mandatory evacuation of a 25-km (15.5-mile) radius around the Copahue volcano. Around 2,240 people are expected to be evacuated in Chile. Similarly in Neuquen province of Argentina, some 900 people have been ordered to evacuate the area. All schools are closed in the municipality.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

6.0 Earthquake hits eastern Uzbekistan.

5.2 Earthquake hits south of Panama.

5.0 Earthquake hits southeast of Easter Island.

5.0 Earthquake hits west of MacQuarrie Island.

Storms and Floods

Flooding in San Antonio, Texas

Flooding in San Antonio, Texas has killed one and left another missing. A flash flood emergency has been declared for San Antonio. Heavy rainfall also delayed several flights at San Antonio International Airport. San Antonio International Airport received about 9.57 inches of rain during Saturday morning.

Flooding in Auckland, New Zealand

Strong winds, king tides and flooding are predicted to occur Saturday night and Sunday morning in Auckland, New Zealand. A flood warning has been issued for drivers in Thames, Auckland travelling on low-lying roads close to the Waitemata Harbour.

Flooding in Alaska

After a late spring, breakup began in mid-May along the ice-clogged Yukon River, causing flooding in Alaska villages, including Circle and Eagle.

Dyke collapse floods 30 villages - Bangladesh

The embankment of the river Meghna collapsed at different points in Bhola Sadar and Borhanuddin upazilas on Friday, inundating at least 30 villages.

Locals said the dyke collapsed at the vulnerable points during high tide under the impact of full moon. In Sadar upazila, at least 20 villages have been flooded as water entered through different points of the dyke from Tulatoli of Dhania union to Miar Haat of Elisha union.

The worst affected villages are Tulatoli, Baliakandi, Guramiar Hat, Chouddoghar, Tobgi, Bhabanipur, Sahamdar, Nich Kachiya, and Miar Hat.

Wildfires

Wildfire - Florida, USA

An 80-acre wildfire in southwest Pensacola closed several roads and forced mandatory evacuations for dozens of residents on Saturday.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Activity continues at moderately elevated levels. Spectacular explosions especially from the NE crater can often be seen on the webcam as well.

Etna (Sicily, Italy): The earthquake swarm on the SE flank seems already to have come to an end. No eruptive activity is currently occurring at the summit craters. Strong wind and cloud cover prevented a field visit today. A swarm of shallow (3-6 km depth) earthquakes including several felt ones (magnitudes 2.9-3.5) occurred yesterday and today under the SE flank near Zafferana town. So far, no other unusual signs of activity have been reported, but the swarm could indicate something in the making, and the monitoring agency INGV is certainly following these events closely.

Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): An explosion produced an ash plume rising to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude and drifting 20 nautical miles to the NW earlier today. (VAAC Darwin)

Paluweh (off Flores Island, Indonesia): (24 May) Ash plumes rising to 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude have been observed yesterday and today. The lava dome obviously continues to be active and regularly produces explosions and/or rock avalanches that cause ash plumes.

Lassen (California): (24 May) A shallow magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred Fri, 24 May at 04:58 UTC km WNW of Greenville, California, about 50 km SE of Lassen volcano. Hundreds of aftershocks, some of them felt, have occurred. It is unlikely that the earthquake has any relation with the volcano. The status of Lassen volcano remains therefore at green.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity has not changed much, but perhaps decreased a bit today. During the last 24 h, CENAPRED recorded 3 explosions of moderate intensity, yesterday at 15:40 h, this early morning at 06:46 h and at 10:00 h (local time). All of them were accompanied by a column of gas and ash of 1.5, 1 and 2 km height, respectively. Several episodes of tremor were registered as well: 3 h of harmonic tremor of low amplitude, 5 h 40 min of spasmodic tremor of low amplitude and 2 h 30 min of spasmodic tremor or medium amplitude. This seismic signal was accompanied by a constant emission of steam, gas and small amounts of ash, that reached between 500 to 900 m and travelled to the southwest, and by moderate to strong incandescence over the crater rim. Some incandescent fragments could be sporadically be observed falling on the highest parts of the north and northeast flanks.

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Activity remains low. A moderate explosion occurred last night at 17:55 h (local time) erupting an ash plume rising 600 m and drifting SW and causing light ash fall in Finca La Florida and Parcelamiento Monte Claro. Otherwise, the dome is degassing and a few weak avalanches occurred from the lava flow on the southern flank of the dome.

Pacaya (Guatemala): Strombolian activity from the Mackenney is gradually intensifying and continues to fill the crater. Explosions reach 75 m height above the vents and some of the ejecta fall outside the crater and produce audible booms. This activity and volcanic tremor is visible on the seismic recording as well.

Fuego (Guatemala): Explosive activity has picked up a bit. INSIVUMEH reported strong degassing noises and 5 weak and 4 moderate explosions since yesterday, some of which produce plumes of about 1 km height and drifting 10 km to the W and NW. Light ash fall occurred in the areas of Panimache 1 and 2, Morelia, Santa Sofía, El porvenir and Yucales.

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): The volcano remains restless and shows significant degassing activity. Elevated SO2 emission visible on the latest NOAA satellite data is probably the result of the recent magma intrusions. Seismic recordings show internal fluid movements, degassing tremor and occasional small quakes.

Sangay (Ecuador): (24 May) A possible ash emission occurred yesterday at 17:15 GMT, VAAC Washington reported. A pilot observed an ash plume at 25,000 ft (7.5 km) altitude drifting west from the volcano, but no ash could be detected on satellite data.

Reventador (Ecuador): No significant changes have occurred recently. The volcano remains active at moderate levels and produces a steam plume 800-1000 m high and occasional small explosions.

Tungurahua (Ecuador): Activity continues to be very low (steaming / degassing).

Copahue (Chile/Argentina): A steam and ash plume is rising about 1-1.5 km from the crater where it is emitted by 3 vents. Two of these emit only gas and steam. The third one erupts some ash as well, Chilean scientists found out during an helicopter overflight. It seems that (for now) this activity is phreatic, i.e. involves no fresh magma, only overheated water from the hydrothermal system, that can fragment rock into ash during explosive decompression. Temperature measurements gave a value of only 200°C at the vents.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

6.7 Earthquake hits the Sea of Okhotsk.

5.6 Earthquake hits the Timor Sea.

5.3 Earthquake hits eastern Uzbekistan.

5.3 Earthquake hits southern Peru.

5.2 Earthquake hits west of MacQuarrie Island.

5.1 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.0 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

Storms and Floods

Floods in Norway

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes in parts of Norway because of flooding caused by heavy rainfall aggravated by the spring melting of snow in the mountains, Norwegian media reported on Thursday.

Some 50 roads were also shut and two railway lines were closed because of the flooding and landslides.

Southeastern Norway has experienced several days of heavy rains.

Tornado in South Cotabato, Philippines

A Tornado in South Cotabato, in the Philippines has destroyed eight houses affecting 33 families.

Flooding in Nawalparasi, Nepal

Floods swept away a road at Lokaha of Nawalparasi district. The Mahendra Highway, the national highway has been closed in this section.

Avalanche in Nepal

At least five mountaineers have been killed in an avalanche while returning from the peak of Mt Kanchenjunga in Nepal. Rescue helicopters have failed to locate them due to bad weather. Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world located in Nepal.

China colliery flood kills 9

At least nine miners are dead and one reported missing in coal mine flooding in Zhangqiu in Shandong Province of China. The coal mine flood occurred on May 23, 2013 but local authorities confirmed the news today. Colliery owner and others involved in the accident have been taken in custody. Chinese coal mines are notoriously unsafe.

Other News:

Washington Bridge Collapses

An interstate highway bridge over the Skagit River in Washington State collapsed Thursday evening (May 23), injuring three.

The bridge, located about 60 miles (nearly 100 kilometers) north of Seattle on I-5, collapsed after being struck by an 18-wheel truck carrying a drill rig, various news sources reported.

The bridge, which was built in 1955, was rated as functionally obsolete — basically old — and fracture critical. That designation means there was no redundancy built into the structure of the bridge, so that if any structural component was damaged, the bridge could not support itself. About 18,000 bridges in the United States are designated as functionally obsolete.

Wildlife

Pesticides Not Main Cause of Bee Disappearance: U.S.

Despite a push in Europe to restrict the use of three pesticides in an attempt to stop the disappearance of honeybees, a new U.S. report says there is no single factor contributing to the ongoing decline of the pollinating insects.

A report issued jointly by the Agriculture Department and the Environmental Protection Agency blames so-called “colony collapse disorder” on a wide range of factors.

They include viral and bacterial infection, habitat loss, industrial farming practices, pesticides and a lack of genetic diversity.

The single biggest cause, according to the report, is varroatosis, a disease carried by the parasitic mite, varroa destructor.

Colony collapse syndrome has ravaged bee colonies across both the United States and Europe since at least 2006.

In any given year, as many as one-third of all bees in the nation bees are lost to the mysterious ailment.

This month, EU policy makers voted to impose temporary restrictions on the agricultural use of three neonicotinoids, a pesticide related to the stimulant nicotine.

As a relatively new form of pest-agent, neonicotinoids are pointed to by many environmental groups as the chief culprit behind colony collapse disorder.

Regulators in the United States are not considering adopting similar restrictions any time soon.

According to the recent report, though pesticides are considered to be one threat to bee health, with as many as 100 different chemicals present in any given colony, it is impossible to narrow the culprit to one class of compound.

Monarch Swarms Wintering in New Zealand Trees

Nature lovers across New Zealand are reporting large numbers of overwintering monarch butterflies.

During the last southern summer, the butterflies failed to return to some areas after a tough and cold spell dampened their breeding grounds.

New Zealand monarchs don’t migrate long distances like their North American cousins.

Instead, they find their way to trees in well-sheltered areas where they rest during the winter months.

Breeding will start in the spring once the colourful creatures have rested up.

The Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust is asking residents to log any monarch sightings they may have on the group’s website, especially if the butterfly is tagged.

That allows the trust to generate a map showing the origin of the butterfly and the time it took to get to its destination.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Texas and California, USA

A major wildfire at Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas, an area that fires devastated in 2011, has been mostly contained and has caused no damage to structures.

Firefighters are making progress against a 1,500-acre wildfire burning in a remote area of eastern San Diego County.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): A swarm of shallow (3-6 km depth) earthquakes including several felt ones (magnitudes 2.9-3.5) occurred yesterday and today under the SE flank near Zafferana town. So far, no other unusual signs of activity have been reported, but the swarm could indicate something in the making, and the monitoring agency INGV is certainly following these events closely.

Paluweh (off Flores Island, Indonesia): Ash plumes rising to 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude have been observed yesterday and today. The lava dome obviously continues to be active and regularly produces explosions and/or rock avalanches that cause ash plumes.

Lassen (California): A shallow magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred Fri, 24 May at 04:58 UTC km WNW of Greenville, California, about 50 km SE of Lassen volcano. Hundreds of aftershocks, some of them felt, have occurred. It is unlikely that the earthquake has any relation with the volcano. The status of Lassen volcano remains therefore at green.

Sangay (Ecuador): A possible ash emission occurred yesterday at 17:15 GMT, VAAC Washington reported. A pilot observed an ash plume at 25,000 ft (7.5 km) altitude drifting west from the volcano, but no ash could be detected on satellite data.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

8.3 Earthquake hits the Sea of Okhotsk.

The quake hit 373 miles below the surface in the Sea of Okhotsk. The epicentre is 223 miles west southwest of Esso, Russia. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre was quick to report that no Pacific-wide tsunami was expected. Tremors were felt as far away as Moscow, 7 000 miles from the epicentre of the quake.

It has been a busy 24 hours in the Pacific, seismically speaking. There was a magnitude 7.4 quake and later a 6.3 near Tonga. Then a 5.7 quake struck 11km west northwest of Greenville, California. No tsunamis were generated in any of the events.

7.4 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

6.5 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

6.6 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.8 Earthquake hits south of Tonga.

5.8 Earthquake hits the south Indian Ocean.

5.7 Earthquake hits northern California.

5.3 Earthquake hits the MacQuarrie Island region.

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

5.1 Earthquake hits southern Iran.

5.1 Earthquake hits Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits Tonga.

Storms and Floods

Tornado in Russia

At least 200 people have been injured by a tornado in Efremov, near Tula in central Russia. The Tula Governor has declared a state of emergency The tornado damaged 179 houses, five schools and two kindergartens.

Flash floods in Kathmandu, Nepal

Heavy rainfall swept away at least two houses in Kathmandu, Nepal. The flood also closed Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Nepal's only international airport, for a short time.

Flooding in Norway

Hundreds of people have been evacuated following mudslides and flooding in Norway. Train services through Gudbrandsdalen and Østerdalen that connect Oslo and Trondheim have been closed. The flooding in Norway this year is expected to be the worst since 1995.

Storm in Bucharest, Romania injures 18

Heavy rain and strong storms in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania have injured at least 18 people including one in critical stage. The storms have left more than 17,000 residents without power.

Environment

Russia To Evacuate Arctic Station Over Melting Ice

A Russian drifting Arctic research station is to be evacuated because the ice field around it is melting, the environment ministry in Moscow reports. The ministry has ordered an evacuation plan to be drawn up within three days for North Pole 40 and its staff of 16. It is sending a nuclear-powered icebreaker to help move the station, located near Canada's economic zone.

Arctic ice melted at record speed in 2012, one of the warmest years on record. The research station will be relocated to Bolshevik Island in the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago.

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 122.0 degrees Fahrenheit (50.0 degrees Celsius) at Jacobabad, Pakistan.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 102.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 74.8 degrees Celsius) at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole 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.

Space Events

Jupiter, Venus and Mercury - Planets Form Rare Conjunction

If you look up at the sky tonight, you may be in for a spectacular treat. A celestial dance between three different planets will occur on Friday and into the weekend. The triple conjunction will include Venus, Jupiter and Mercury - and should make for some great sky gazing.

The three planets will group together in the west-northwest evening sky. While you should be able to see the planets tonight, the closest they'll be will on the evening of May 26 where they'll appear to form a triangle just above the horizon. The best time to see them will be about 30 to 60 minutes after the sun sets below the horizon, while the orange glow still hangs in the sky.

Global Warming

Warming Slows but Greater Impact Is Inevitable: Study

Since 1880, the average global surface temperature of Earth has risen by about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The oceans have absorbed far more heat than that.

Global warming is occurring at a slower rate than previous models have predicted, according to a study published in the science journal Nature Geoscience.

Authored by an international team of climatologists from eight countries, the article argues that in light of this slowing trend current projections of extreme climate change in the near future should be revised.

But the report argues that over the longer term, global temperatures are still expected to ratchet upward in the absence of significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Though the ten warmest years on record have all been since 1998, the year-over-year increase in average temperatures has actually slowed in the last two decades compared to the 1980s and 1990s.

Building a climatological forecast based on this more recent slowdown, the report estimates that a doubling of the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide above pre-industrial levels will raise temperatures by 1.6 to 3.6 degrees over a 50-to-100-year period.

This is a somewhat less extreme impact than the 2007 projection published by the United Nations panel on climate science, which linked a doubling of carbon dioxide to a short-term temperature increase of between 1.8 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

The more muted warming response to a steady uptick in greenhouse gas emissions is likely due to the absorption of excess atmospheric heat by the world’s oceans, the new report says.

Reto Knutti, a Swiss climatologist and one of the authors of the study, tells Reuters that the ocean’s moderating influence will only be temporary.

“We are still looking at warming well over the two degree goal that countries have agreed upon if current emission trends continue,” he said.

Wildlife

US Amphibians in Sharp Decline

Scientists have been tracking the dramatic population decline of frogs, salamanders and toads around the world for years. A new study brings more bad news stateside: Amphibians are vanishing from U.S. habitats faster than feared, and even populations thought to be protected are in trouble, too.

A team of researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studied nine years worth of data on 48 species living in 34 different habitats across the country. They found that from 2002 to 2011, amphibian populations disappeared from their habitats at an average rate of 3.7 percent each year. That means within just two decades, you won't be able to find frogs or their relatives in half of the country's current amphibian habitats if that pace continues.

The prognosis is worse for more severely threatened species. American amphibian populations on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) "Red List" have been shrinking at a rate of 11.6 percent each year, the study found. At that alarming speed, these endangered creatures will disappear from half of their habitats in about six years, the researchers said.

Disease

Mystery Respiratory Illness Infects 7, Kills 2 in Alabama, USA

All of the victims have shown signs of fever, cough and shortness of breath, but the Alabama Department of Public Health hasn’t been able to identify the disease. Officials collected samples from all of the victims and sent them to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, but results aren’t available yet. One of the test samples tested positive for H1N1 influenza A, but officials aren’t sure if that’s what caused the illness.

UPDATE - Unusual pathogens ruled out in Alabama illness cluster. Test results on a cluster of Alabama patients hospitalized with similar respiratory symptoms indicated no unusual pathogens but instead a variety of common respiratory viruses and bacteria, a combination of influenza A, rhinovirus, and bacterial pneumonia, state health officials announced Thursday.

Meningitis in Princeton, New Jersey, USA

The state health department has officially declared a meningitis outbreak at Princeton University after the fourth case of the disease since March was linked to the school.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Florida, USA

2 Wildfires continue to burn in the Odessa area, but there is no cause for alarm.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Pavlov (Alaska Peninsula, USA): Weak activity (probably minor lava effusion) continues at the volcano, visible on satellite imagery as a thermal anomaly. AVO only observed degassing and almost no ash emissions, but maintains orange alert level in case eruptive activity restarts.

Copahue (Chile/Argentina): SERNAGEOMIN has raised the alert level to orange. Since May 15, a progressive increase in seismic activity as well emissions of gas and now some ash have been observed. Both earthquakes related to rock fracturing and fluid movements have picked up in numbers and possibly indicate a new magmatic intrusion on its way. This scenario is confirmed by the start of small ash emissions and glow at the crater which is visible at night. The plume of gas and ash could be seen from space by the MODIS sensor, stretching about 100 km to the southeast.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.4 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.0 Earthquake hits Tarapaca, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

Storms and Floods

Flooding in USA

Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in North Dakota forcing evacuations of 1,300 people. The flooding has closed state Highway 18 at Neche and near Cavalier.

Heavy rains also caused flooding in Washington County, Virginia.

Tornado in Ontario, Canada

Environment Canada has confirmed that an EF2 tornado touched down in Glenarm, 12 km west of Fenelon Falls. The EF2 tornado had wind speeds between 180 and 200 km/hour.

Floods Wreak Havoc in Kenya

Raging floods in Kenya as a result of heavy rains pounding most parts of the country have left a trail of destruction death and displacement in their wake.

The Kenyan government and aid agencies are currently grappling with the challenge of providing relief support for thousands of families displaced by the floods which are not showing any signs of easing.

Over 200 people have been confirmed killed by the raging floods with Nyanza, Rift Valley, Central and North Eastern emerging as the most affected provinces.

Several major roads have been closed or rendered impassable due to collapsing bridges and the general wear caused by the floods.

The Kenya Meteorological Department predicted last week that the heavy rains would continue for the next two to three weeks and called on families in flood prone areas to move to higher grounds.

Wildfires

Wildfires - New Mexico, USA

A wildfire churning through grass and brush has forced evacuations near Silver City.

Wildfires - Alberta, Canada - Update

Despite the dry conditions in and around the capital region, fire crews outside of Edmonton are busy with a number of small wildfires. South of Spruce Grove, about 35 firefighters are dealing with a wildfire in a field west of Edmonton, while the fire near Slave Lake is being held.

Disease

Novel Coronavirus - Saudi Arabia - Update

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has notified WHO of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of infection with the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Outbreak of tree disease

The first outbreak of ash dieback disease in mature trees in Wales has been discovered in Carmarthenshire. Known as Chalara, the tree disease had previously been found in recently planted saplings at 19 sites across Wales. The disease has decimated ash trees across England, with very few mature specimens remaining.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Explosive activity at Stromboli is currently at normal to moderately high levels, but the magma column has obviously dropped considerably compared to previous weeks, as there are no longer lava overflows. We observed the volcano during the past days and found a total of 8 active vents in the crater terrace, out of which 4 were showing their typical different strombolian activity: In the NW crater area, two adjacient vents often erupted simultaneously. One was ejecting dense jets of incandescent gas, almost no ash and only few incandescent tephra that formed candle-like fountains reaching 100-200 m height, and accompanied by loud jet-engine like noises. The other one erupted silent, dense low ash plumes and glowing material to 50-100 m. Eruptions occurred every 20-30 minutes on average.

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Etna has been almost completely quiet since a brief episode of strombolian activity at the New SE crater in early May. Apart from a few occasional deep-seated explosions in Bocca Nuova detected only on seismic signals (INGV personal communication), the volcano has not shown other surface activity than degassing.

Pavlov (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The eruption at Pavlov continues but seismic and eplosive-effusive eruptive activity have dropped compared to the day before yesterday when an ash plume reached 7,000 m altitude and was visible from space.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity has been showing an increase today. Yesterday, CENPRED reported near-continuous emissions of steam and gas and sometimes ash. Some larger explosions occurred at 12:13 h and at 12:34 h local time yesterday. Both produced an eruption column about 1.3 km high and drifting west. Bright glow and strong steaming are currently visible from the webcam images. A total of 3 hours of spasmodic tremor of low to medium amplitude were recorded yesterday. In addition there were two volcanotectonic earthquakes, one at 13:09 h of magnitude 2.1 and another at 15:55 h of magnitude 1.8 (local times).

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Activity has remained weak and dominantly explosive. Occasional explosions from the Caliente dome produce ash plumes rising up to about 700 m.

Pacaya (Guatemala): Strombolian activity persists in the Mackenney crater, which is slowly filling with new lava. The activity can be heard from San Francisco de Sales and ejects incandescent bombs to about 40 m height. As the crater continues to fill up, INSIVUMEH thinks that during the coming days or weeks, new lava flows are likely to appear.

Fuego (Guatemala): Activity has remained stable during the past week. During yesterday, INSIVUMEH recorded 10 weak strombolian-type explosions that generated small ash plumes of up to 600 m height and drifting for 8-10 km before dissipating.

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): Small ash emissions were reported yesterday from the volcano. Seismic activity remains elevated, but reduced compared to the recent earthquake swarms in April and early May.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.8 Earthquake hits central Peru.

5.3 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.2 Earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Hailstorm in Poland

Hailstorm in Radom, a city in central Poland located 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw, has damaged more than 50 houses and downed power lines and trees.

Heavy storms also hit the Pomeranian region on the Baltic coast.

Other News:

Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding in Columbia, South Carolina, USA.

Heavy rainstorm has caused landslides and flooding in Hong Kong amidst a black rain storm warning.

The US Weather Service has confirmed the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma on Monday, was a top-of-the-scale EF-5. Only 1 out of 1,000 tornadoes reach EF-5 levels.

Environment

Heat Wave in Odisha, India

Intense heat has claimed the lives of at least three people in Odisha, India. The Met Office has recorded temperatures of over 46 degree Celsius in several parts of Odisha.

The hottest temperature (48 degree celsius) has been recorded in Churu in Rajasthan.

Disease

Novel Coronavirus - Saudi Arabia

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has reached Tunisia, killing one man and infecting two of his relatives, while Saudi Arabia has reported another death and three new cases.

A World Health Organization (WHO) expert has expressed concern that guest workers in the Middle East could carry the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) to India and the Philippines.

Wild poliovirus in the Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is currently experiencing an outbreak of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1). A four-month-old girl near Dadaab, Kenya, developed symptoms of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) on 30 April 2013. Two healthy contacts of the child tested positive for WPV1. They are the first laboratory confirmed cases in Kenya since July 2011. Investigation into this outbreak is ongoing.

In addition, a case of WPV1 in Banadir, Somalia was confirmed on 9 May 2013.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Turrialba (Costa Rica): New ash emissions occurred yesterday and produced light ash falls in the outskirts of San José, in the areas of Guadalupe, Tres Ríos, Curridabat, and Ipis (at about 30 km distance). The relatively strong ash emissions occurred from about 08:50 until 10h30 local time and were produced from two vents at the volcano. At the moment, it is not yet clear whether some of the ash is from new magma or if it is only pulverized older rock (i.e. the product of phreatic activity). Analysis of ash samples will probably tell this very soon. The volcano has in the recent past occasionally emitted ash, such as last in Jan 2012, but had otherwise only been in a state of strong degassing recently. It is known for high SO2 emissions that damage vegetation around the crater and at nearby plantations.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

The swarm of Earthquakes off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula continues. No injuries have been reported. The closest town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is about 120 miles from the epicentre of the earthquakes.

6.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

6.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

6.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.8 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.7 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.6 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.5 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.4 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.3 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.3 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.2 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.1 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.1 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.1 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.1 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

Other Quakes:

5.4 Earthquake hits south-western Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

5.4 Earthquake hits southern Peru

5.3 Earthquake hits off the coast of Aisen, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Panama.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Mariana Islands region.

5.0 Earthquake hits Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.

Storms and Floods

Deadly Tornadoes Ravage Oklahoma - Update

The Oklahoma tornado death toll had risen to 51, but officials have now revised the number of deaths to 24.

Tornado heavily damaged Briarwood Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma. 145 people including 70 children were injured. Several children were pulled out of rubble alive at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore. US President Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma. The declaration means federal emergency aid will supplement local recovery efforts.

Aerial photo of tornado damage to Moore Medical Center in Moore:

Landslide and Heavy Rain in Nepal

An associate professor of education at Montana State University, passed away in a landslide during trek to a remote village in the Arun River Valley in Nepal.

Floods have obstructed the Kawasoti-Narayangarh road section of the Mahendra Highway in Nepal. Hundreds of vehicles are stranded on the highway after floodwaters swept away a diversion built over the Lokaha stream earlier today.

Wildfires

Forest Fires in Siberia

The forest fire situation has improved in Siberia. Siberia had 26 forest fires on 16,463.1 hectares on May 17. Some 467 forest service specialists and smokejumpers, 86 fire trucks and nine aircraft were fighting the blazes. Huge forest fires in the Republics of Tuva and Buryatia have been extinguished by fire fighters. Presently, Siberia has 26 forest fires on 16,463.1 hectares.

California Wildfires - Update

Fire crews are building containment lines around a wildfire south of Yosemite National Park that destroyed a home and several other structures.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity has been a bit calmer over the past 2 days, but the number of emissions and small explosions (about 3 per hour) remains elevated. Explosions ejected incandescent fragments to heights of 500 m above the crater. Strong glow is visible at the volcano's summit at night. Intermittent phases of volcanic tremor and volcanic earthquakes of magnitude up to 2.1 have been registered. The volcanic alert level remains at YELLOW Phase 3.

Pavlof (Alaska): Pavlof has spewed ash and steam tp 19,500 feet. The aviation warning level remains at code orange. People in Sand Point on Popof Island have reported traces of ash on their vehicles overnight.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

6.8 Earthquake hits off the coast of Aisen, Chile. No tsunami threat indicated.

6.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.8 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.6 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

Three 5.2 Earthquakes hit off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

Nine 5.1 Earthquakes hit off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

Eight 5.0 Earthquakes hit off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Fiji.

Storms and Floods

Deadly tornadoes ravage Oklahoma

A dangerous, half mile-wide tornado struck near Oklahoma City Sunday afternoon, part of an extreme weather system moving through the central U.S. and stretching from north Texas to Minnesota.

At least one person is reported dead and 21 others injured in a series of tornadoes that have torn through the US state of Oklahoma. One of the tornadoes turned homes in a trailer park near Oklahoma City into splinters and rubble and sent frightened residents along a 100-mile corridor scurrying for cover. Twisters also hit Kansas and Iowa.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Over the past days, Stromboli has returned to normal levels of activity with frequent, mostly small to medium-sized explosions and low to medium tremor. Small lava overflows and frequent rockfalls still occur.

Pavlov (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The eruption continues with no significant changes. Small lava fountaining, explosions, and the explosive interaction of the lava flow with snow and ice generate a plume of steam, ash, and gas, occasionally reaching up to 22,000 ft. above sea level, and extending primarily southeast from the volcano over the North Pacific Ocean visible in satellite images. Minor ash fall is likely occurring on the north, east and southeast flanks of the volcano and possibly on parts of Pavlof Bay and adjacent waters southeast of the volcano.

Concern about risky activity at Kilauea

U.S. Geological Survey officials are concerned over what they say is risky behaviour by visitors to Kilauea Volcano at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The problem is that people continue to get too close to Kilauea's current ocean entry, approaching both by land and sea.

Areas of ocean entry are dangerous places. Lava entering the sea builds a platform of new land known as a lava delta, which appears stable but is not. Lava deltas can collapse without warning. Kayakers visiting the volcano on the Big Island recently paddled just feet from lava streaming into the ocean. They then went ashore and walked across new land built by the ocean entry and scooped molten lava with their paddle.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.1 Earthquake hits northern Algeria.

5.1 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

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

5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

A second 5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

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

5.0 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

Gas Extraction in the Netherlands Causes Earthquakes

As earthquakes become more intense and more frequent in the north of the Netherlands, there is mounting pressure on the government to reduce the amount of gas being extracted there. It is a curse for thousands of inhabitants of an area blessed with vast mineral wealth. Homes are crumbling as the country profits from the Groningen gas fields, the largest in Europe.

There exists a consensus among all parties - including the gas companies - that the process of extracting the gas is causing earthquakes, but the country is thriving on the proceeds. In 2012 the Dutch government made about 14bn euros (£12bn; $18bn) from the Groningen gas fields. Without these revenues, the Netherlands' deficit would be similar to that of crisis-struck Cyprus (6.3%).

Storms and Floods

Tropical Cyclone Mahasen - After Effects

Cyclone Mahasen has spared Bangladesh from the worst extent of deaths and damage although it left 48 killed in its wake. This time there was early warning and most of the deaths occurred as victims ignored do's and don'ts issued by local authorities. More than 49,000 thatched houses were destroyed.

Indonesia - Monsoon set to break over Andamans under 'Mahasen' effect. The onset of the rains is expected to be normal this year, with raging cyclone Mahasen having played a big role facilitating it. The cyclone has churned up the seas and is trailed by strong band of southwesterly flows from South of the Equator.

Kathmandu - Cyclone Mahasen brings rain in Himalayas. It seems the Mahasen Cyclone in the Bay of Bengal has had a slight affect in the weather pattern of the Kathmandu Valley as the temperature has remained below normal for the past few days.

Avalanche on Mount Saipal, Nepal

At least seven people are reported to be missing in an avalanche in the Mount Saipal region of far-western Nepal. The avalanche hit a yarsagumba collectors group of nine people on Mt Saipal. Two people survived and reported the tragedy to locals at Kanda VDC.

Landslide in the Democratic Republic Congo

At least 47 people are missing following a landslide in in Rubaya in North Kivu province of Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). A rescue team has been working in the landslide zone but no survivors or bodies have been found.

Guangdong Hit as Deadly Floods Sweep Southern China - Update.

Flooding and landslides across nine southern Chinese provinces have killed more than 50 people and left 14 missing.

Guangdong was hardest hit, reporting 36 deaths after days of heavy rain. Six people have died in Jiangxi.

And further bad weather is forecast for Guangdong, with warnings of heavy wind and rain causing more flooding in the next few days.

Teams of relief workers have been sent to oversee the recovery efforts in the hardest hit areas, officials said.

Heavy rainstorms in Guangdong reportedly caused widespread flooding in the province's mountainous areas and affected nine cities including the provincial capital, Guangzhou.

Nearly 900,000 people had been affected across the state, with floods destroying 2,675 houses.

Space Events

Powerful Solar Flares

As Earth's magnetic field reverberates from one CME strike which hit on the 18th and sparked a G1-class geomagnetic storm, a second more potent CME is on the way. It was propelled in our direction by sunspot AR1748, which unleashed an M3-class solar flare on May 17th (0858 UT).

Although this is not the strongest flare we've seen from AR1748, it could be the most geoeffective; the sunspot was almost squarely facing Earth when the blast occurred. NOAA forecasters estimate a 75% chance of polar geomagnetic storms when the cloud arrives.

NASA Announces Brightest Lunar Explosion Ever Recorded

A boulder-sized meteor slammed into the moon in March, igniting an explosion so bright that anyone looking up at the right moment might have spotted it, NASA announced Friday.

NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office is reporting the discovery of the brightest impact seen on the moon in the eight year history of the monitoring program.

Some 300 lunar impact events have been logged over the years but this latest impact, from March 17, is considered many orders of magnitude brighter than anything else observed.

The blast lasted only about a single second and shone like a 4th magnitude star—making it bright enough to see with just the unaided eye.

Wildfires

Wildfires Persist in California, USA

A pair of tamed but persistent wildfires still burned in the hills and mountains around Interstate 5 after a wild week of burning brush in the area north of Los Angeles.

Wildfires in Arizona, USA

Wildfires covering over 1,400 acres sparked up in the northwest and southern areas of the state, fire officials said. One fire in Black Rock was sparked by lighting and spread to 950 acres about 25 miles southwest of San Carlos.

Drought

Namibia declares state of emergency as drought bites

Namibia's president declared a state of emergency for the whole of the desert-fringed country on Friday, due to a severe drought.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Kizimen (Kamchatka): The lava dome remains active and produces hot avalanches on the western and eastern flanks. KVERT reports moderate seismic activity, incandescence of the volcano summit and medium to strong degassing.

Shiveluch (Kamchatka): The activity of the growing lava dome continues with little changes. KVERT reports moderate seismic activity, moderate gas-steam activity and incandescence.

Tolbachik (Kamchatka): According to the latest KVERT report, the eruption has gained again in strength. Tremor levels have risen and lava continues to effuse from the southern fissure vent, feeding a broad lava flow field.

Pavlov (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The eruption continues with lava fountaining, an active lava flow and ash emissions, accompanied by continuous seismic tremor. Aerial observations suggest that the interaction of lava and ice on the upper slope of the volcano create mud flows and pyroclastic flows. A narrow plume of steam, ash, and gas, occasionally up to 20,000 ft. above sea level, and extending southeast from the volcano over the North Pacific Ocean was visible in satellite images yesterday. Minor to trace ash fallout could be occurring on the north, east and southeast flanks of the volcano and possibly on parts of Pavlov Bay and adjacent waters southeast of the volcano. Nearby communities have not reported any ash fall over the past 24 hours. (AVO)

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity remains elevated, but the number and size of explosions have decreased during the past 2 days. CENAPRED made an overflight and found that the series of recent explosions since 14 May, in particular the two that occurred on the night of the 16th to 17th, have excavated a crater of approx. 200 m diameter and 40 m depth in the lava dome. The rest of the dome's surface is covered by fragments from the explosions.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

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

5.7 Earthquake hits south of Africa.

5.6 Earthquake hits southern Iran.

5.6 Earthquake hits southern Iran.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Landslide, Flooding in Northern Italy

Flash flooding in northern Italy has killed at least one person. Flood damage is expected to run into the hundreds of millions of euros.

A landslide has blocked the railway outside Trento in the Valsugana valley between the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige regions. Two buildings were also evacuated following a landslide in Monte Marenzo, in Lecco.

Tornado in Athens, Alabama, USA

The National Weather Service has confirmed that at least two EF-0 tornadoes touched down in the Athens and Elkmont areas.

Disease

China Bird Flu - Update

Since 8 May 2013, no new laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) have been reported to WHO by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, China. However, four additional deaths have been reported from previously laboratory-confirmed cases.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.7 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.3 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Bougainville Islands region in Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Caribbean Sea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the west Chile rise.

Storms and Floods

Tropical cyclone Mahasen

Bangladesh rides out the weakened storm. Cyclone Mahasen weakened Thursday afternoon into a tropical storm and then dissipated, causing far less damage than had been feared as it passed over Bangladesh and spared Burma almost entirely. Category 1 Mahasen struck the southern coast of Bangladesh on Thursday, lashing remote fishing villages with heavy rain and fierce winds that flattened mud and straw huts, killing 12 people. Cyclone-induced rains have had much of the Bangladesh capital city knee-deep in water since Thursday morning.

Tropical storm Alvin was located about about 770 mi [1240 km] SW of Manzanillo, Mexico. Alvin is in a hostile environment. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours, but Alvin could degenerate into a trough of low pressure at any time.

Severe Storms in China

Big storms in China have killed at least 33 people and destroyed thousands of houses. 12 people are missing. At least nine provinces have had storms and some flooding and landslides since Tuesday. Guangdong province has been hit the hardest with 19 deaths and 11 missing people. Guangdong's weather service said some areas received more than 8 inches (21 centimetres) of rain in nine hours on Thursday. It forecasts more rain in the coming days and warns of mudslides.

Wildlife

First Gray Whale Sighted South of Equator on Record

A gray whale that was sighted off the coast of Namibia in early May was the first-ever appearance of the marine mammal south of the equator.

The species has been extinct in the Atlantic since the 18th century and has been mainly confined to the North Pacific. One was also sighted in the Mediterranean in May 2010.

Experts say this could suggest the leviathan is recovering from the disastrous whaling hunts that ended in the 20th century, or it could mean changing climate is disrupting its feeding habits.

Another possibility is that the increasing population of the gray whale could be allowing it to regain some of its ancient migratory routes.

"The question is now, what is the origin of this whale," said John Paterson of the Walvis Bay Strandings Network.

He said photographs taken of it prove it is not the same individual that turned up in the Mediterranean.

“Is it another individual that has traversed the Northwest Passage, or perhaps travelled around the southern tip of South America and across the Atlantic?” asked Paterson.

“Unfortunately, we'll never know the route it followed to get here.”

Gray whales grow up to 45 feet in length and undertake the longest known migration of any mammal.

They complete a round trip of over 18,000 miles between their summer feeding grounds in the high Arctic and winter breeding area off the coast of Mexico, then usually return to the high Arctic.

Environment

Global Hottest and Coldest Temperatures

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

The week's coldest temperature was minus 101.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 74.2 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.

Drought

Queensland Drought - Australia

The Australian Environment Minister has rejected a plan to let starving cattle loose in conservation reserves and national parks in Queensland, infuriating the state government and drought-hit graziers.

Monsoon Failure in India

Drought triggers shortage of fodder for cattle in India - The monsoon failure and the consequent crop loss have caused a severe shortage of paddy straw, the staple fodder for cattle, across the district.

Sugarcane acreage in India seen at four-year low on drought - "The drought certainly seems to be serious and will impact production for next year and India will certainly have to come back to the import market more."

USA Drought

The winter wheat crop is expected to be far smaller this season compared to last, particularly for hard red varieties used in bread, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Friday. The US drought and cold have crippled the nation's wheat crop. The government's forecast comes amid a season marked by drought and late spring freezes in the Midwest's major wheat growing areas, particularly in Kansas - the nation's biggest wheat-producing state.

Wildfires

Wildfire in California National Forest, USA

The Grand fire burns into the Los Padres National Forest near Gorman, California, where the blaze charred more than 3,000 acres of wild lands on Wednesday. Cooler temperatures and lighter winds are helping hundreds of firefighters combat the wildfire which was still just 25 percent contained Thursday night.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Pavlov (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The eruption continues with lava fountaining at the summit that feeds a lava flow now over 100 m long and produces a continuous ash, steam, and gas plume extending downwind from the volcano for 50 to 100 km at an altitude of about 20,000 ft above sea level. This morning the cloud was carried to the southeast. Satellite images show persistent elevated surface temperatures at the summit and on the northwest flank. Seismic activity remains elevated with nearly continuous tremor recorded on the seismic network.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity remains intense. Last night at 22:14 h local time, a strong explosion ejected incandescent fragments on all the volcano´s flanks to distances of 1,500 m from the crater, and triggered an eruption plume rising at least 3 km above the volcano, drifting northeast.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.7 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.1 Earthquake hits western Xizang, China.

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

5.1 Earthquake hits New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Africa.

5.0 Earthquake hits western Xizang, China.

5.0 Earthquake hits southwest of Africa.

A second 5.0 Earthquake hits south of Africa.

Storms and Floods

Hail and Tornadoes in Texas, USA

Six people are confirmed dead and as many as 100 injured as grape-fruit sized hail and tornadoes hit. One tornado ripped through a picturesque lakeside North Texas town, resulting in multiple fatalities and destroying or damaging homes. The death toll could climb higher as at least fourteen people are unaccounted for. Three tornadoes have been reported to have struck. The twisters damaged areas 5km east of Granbury that have about 110 homes. Another tornado hit the small town of Millsap, about 80km west of Fort Worth. Roof damage was reported to several houses and a barn was destroyed, but no injuries were reported. Hail as large as grapefruit also pelted the area around Mineral Wells.

Tropical cyclone Mahasen

Mahasen hit Bangladesh's southern coast, killing at least five. Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh and Myanmar [Burma] were ordered Wednesday to move to safety as the cyclone barrelled towards low-lying coastal areas. A U.N. agency is warning that more than 4 million people could be in danger. Cyclone Mahasen buffeted Bangladesh's low-lying coast on Thursday, bearing down on the ports of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, as tens of thousands of people huddled in shelters. Winds of up to 100 kph (60 mph) lashed the coast and whipped up waves, with an expected 2.1 metres (seven foot) storm surge and heavy rain likely to cause widespread flooding.

Tropical storm Alvin forms about 700 mi (1125 km) S of Manzanillo, Mexico. Alvin is the first tropical storm of the Eastern Pacific season and is expected to become a hurricane by Friday.

Severe Storms in England

Up to 3 inches of snow fell in Princetown in Dartmoor, Devon, Rhayader in Powys, and Newcastle-on-Clun in Shropshire – while Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, had 3 inches of rain in the 24 hours. The southern coast was hit hardest last night with police in Devon and Cornwall reporting slates coming off roofs and trees blocking roads, as rain lashed across much of the country. In Devon and Cornwall hundreds of homes were left without electricity. Residents were also bracing themselves for floods – with 14 separate alerts in place across the two counties.

Mudslide in Wrexham, Wales

Heavy rain has caused flooding and a mudslide in Wrexham. About 3ft (90cm) of mud was swept down a hillside road at Minera. There were 13 flood alerts in place across Wales today.

Deadly Landslide in Fujian, China

A landslide in Xiamen in southeast China's Fujian Province has claimed the lives of three people, including two children. Torrential rainfall caused the landslide at the Qianpu Flea Market in Xiamen early today.

Environment

North Pole Moves as Ice Sheets Melt

The North Pole’s surprise trip toward Greenland is due to Earth's rapidly melting ice sheets, according to a new study.

The distribution of mass across the planet determines the position of Earth's poles. Because Earth is a bit egg-shaped, the North Pole is always slightly off-centre. It's also been slowly drifting south, responding to long-term changes since the last Ice Age, as the enormous ice sheets that once covered large swaths of the planet melted and parts of the Earth rebounded from the lost weight.

But in 2005, the pole suddenly started making a beeline east for Greenland, moving a few centimetres eastward each year. The cause? Rapid melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Wildlife

World's Fish Migrating To Escape Global Warming

For several years now, some fishers have been noticing changes in their nets. In places, new species are being caught. Sea bass and red mullet have moved north into British waters. Pacific salmon have swum to the Beaufort Sea, where – according to Dan Pauly of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada – the Inuit have no name for them.

Elsewhere, staple catches are vanishing fast.

But whether this is a global effect and what is behind the change have been unclear. Are fish being ousted from their original habitats as climate change warms the waters? Are disappearances due to overfishing?

Now, Pauly and colleagues have found that the mix of fish in all the world's major fisheries has changed since 1970, as fish that prefer warmer waters move in. The average temperature preference of fisheries has risen by nearly 1 ºC in temperate regions. The effect correlated closely with local increases in sea surface temperatures, but not with fishing pressure or other oceanic features such as currents.

Ominously, the temperature preference of tropical fisheries also rose initially, until the 1980s, then levelled off. Cooler-water species moved out, but there are no heat-loving species to replace them. The species that are abandoning tropical fisheries may also be the most important food species for coastal communities that subsist on fishing.

Wildfires

Wildfires Break Out Near Park Rapids and NW Wisconsin, USA

High temperatures and desert-like humidity readings are helping drive an outbreak of wildfires in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Firefighters have spent the past two days battling at least 25 wildfires, including an uncontrolled fire that has consumed more than 4,000 acres near Red Lake.

The Green Valley Fire near Menahga has prompted evacuations and has damaged some structures in the area. They nearly doubled the estimated size of the fire to 7,100 acres this afternoon.

Canada - Alberta Wildfires - Update

The central Alberta wildfires remain out of control. Cooler temperatures and scattered showers overnight Monday helped firefighters keep two out-of-control wildfires threatening the hamlets of Lodgepole and Nordegg from growing.

Neither the Nordegg nor the Lodgepole fire is growing any farther, but they are both still considered out of control. There was some scattered rain in the centre of the province last night which helped, but it was far too little to make any significant headway in stopping the fire.

Disease

Novel coronavirus infection - update

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has informed WHO of an additional two laboratory-confirmed cases with infection of the novel coronavirus (nCoV).

Foot and Mouth Outbreak in Kazakhstan

Quarantine measures have been imposed in the east of the country following the confirmation of a foot and mouth disease outbreak in the village of Akshoka.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Pavlov (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The eruption continues. The volcano produces a lava flow on the northwest flank. Interaction of the lava flow and ice, producing debris flows, as well as possible explosions at the vent produce a steam-ash plume rising up to about 20,000 ft. above sea level. Residents of Cold Bay, located 37 miles southwest of the volcano, observed incandescent glow at the summit during the night. (AVO)

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity remains elevated and ash plumes from frequent explosions of moderate size reach 26,000 ft (8 km) altitude, drifting NE. Ash fall occurred in Paso de Cortés, north of the volcano. This morning, many explosions were observed ejecting incandescent material to maximum distances of 400 m mainly on the north and north-east flanks. Relatively strong explosions occurred last night (at 20:21 h local time 14 May) and this morning at 01:46 h (local time). Both eruptions generated columns of steam and ash rising 3 km and the latter explosion ejected incandescent fragments over all the volcano flanks to maximum distances of 1,500 m. Some episodes of harmonic tremor preceded the explosion at 01:46 h, which was followed by an episode of spasmodic tremor of medium and high amplitudes until 04:40 h.

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Only relatively few and weak explosions occurred recently, some of which caused light ash fall in nearby areas. The lava dome is producing a degassing plume most of the time. No reports of activity at the stagnant lava flows.

Pacaya (Guatemala): Strombolian activity has returned or increased and is now ejecting incandescent material to heights of 100 m. Seismic data seem currently not available from INSIVUMEH's website.

Fuego (Guatemala): Explosive activity remains very weak. During the past 24 hour observation interval, INSIVUMEH only counted 3 small explosions.

Nevado del Huila (Colombia): The large volcano has remained calm with little variations in activity (degassing, 100-150 small earthquakes / week).

Machin (Colombia): No changes have occurred - the only signs of activity are small earthquakes, mostly related to rock fracturing inside the volcano SE of the main dome. The alert status remains at yellow.

Galeras (Colombia): Internal / external activity has been low with weak earthquake activity (although at somewhat increasing tendency) and steaming observed. Pasto reports low values of SO2 emissions.

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): Seismic (tremor, volcanic-tectonic quakes) and external activity (steaming, occasional weak ash venting) have calmed down a bit over the past days.

Cumbal (Colombia): Pasto volcano observatory reports no significant changes and maintains yellow (unrest) alert level. The only sign of activity is continuing slightly elevated seismicity (up to magnitudes 1) at shallow depths (less than 3 km) under La Plazuela crater on the northern flank of the volcanic complex.

Sotará (Colombia): Weak seismic unrest continued over the past weeks. The alert level remains at yellow.

Tungurahua (Ecuador): The volcano has calmed down a bit compared to the previous week, which is also apparent on recent seismograms. No recent explosions or ash falls were reported.

Sabancaya (Peru): Seismic activity has calmed down a bit compared to the previous weeks.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.8 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.6 Earthquake hits southern Peru.

5.6 Earthquake hits off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits western Xizang, China.

5.0 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical cyclone Mahasen

As of 12:00 UTC, TC Mahasen was located 484 nm south-southwestward of kolkata, India.

Flooding caused by the cyclone Mahasen in Sri Lanka has claimed the lives of at least seven people.

A boat carrying about 200 Rohingya Muslims has capsized off western Myanmar. The victims in the boat were escaping Cyclone Mahasen but struck rocks off the Pauktaw township in Rakhine State and sank. There was only one survivor.

Hailstorms in Kakheti, Georgia, Russia

Hail has destroyed agricultural lands in Kakheti region of Georgia, Russia. Severe hailstorm damages are reported in Bakurtsikhe, Vejini, Kardenakhi and Kolagi.

Flooding has also been reported in Dzirkoki.

Severe weather in Cornwall, England

Heavy rain and gale-force winds have hit Devon and Cornwall in England. The Environment Agency has put 12 rivers across Cornwall and Devon on flood alert. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain and severe gales.

Flooding in Attawapiskat, Canada

More than 400 people have been evacuated after flooding in Attawapiskat, Ontario, Canada.

Other News:

Heavy storm has caused flooding in the Fuvahmulah Islands of the Maldives.

Disease

Novel coronavirus infection - update

Two healthcare workers are among six new novel coronavirus (nCoV) cases reported in Saudi Arabia since late yesterday, suggesting that the virus might have spread from infected patients to hospital staff members.

CDC Released West Nile Virus Data for USA

A total of 5,674 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 286 deaths, were reported to CDC from 48 states (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Of all West Nile virus disease cases reported, 2,873 (51 percent) were classified as neuroinvasive disease (e.g., meningitis, encephalitis, or acute flaccid paralysis). The dates of illness onset (when the patients’ illness began) ranged from March through December 2012.

Í Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): Explosive activity has picked up again at the volcano. Today alone, several explosions have occurred, two of which of moderately large size with ash plumes reaching 10,000 and 12,000 ft (3 and 3.7 km) altitude. (VAAC Tokyo)

Pavlov (Alaska Peninsula, USA): Seismic activity has decreased today, but remains elevated. MODIS data confirm a hot spot at the summit, which could suggest a small lava flow there.

A new eruption has probably started. AVO raised the alert level to orange, following an increase in seismic activity this morning along with the presence of an intense thermal anomaly at the summit observed in latest satellite imagery. Similar patterns of seismicity and elevated surface temperatures have previously signalled the onset of eruptive activity at Pavlof. Although not yet visually confirmed, a low-level eruption of lava has likely begun from a summit vent. No ash clouds have been detected.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity has been lower today with lesser earthquakes and intermittent emissions.

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Activity has been generally low recently, with infrequent small explosions and occasional small avalanches produced from the weakly active lava flows on the dome's flanks.

Pacaya (Guatemala): Activity seems to have decreased. INSIVUMEH no longer reports and strombolian activity visible or audible.

Fuego (Guatemala): Activity has remained stable and at relatively low levels over the past days. The volcano has few weak to moderate strombolian-type explosions every now and then (5-10 per day), which produce small ash plumes rising up to 5-700 m above the crater.

Reventador (Ecuador): IG reported continued moderate activity with occasional (mostly unobserved) small explosions.

Tungurahua (Ecuador): IGPEN reports ongoing strombolian activity with lava ejected to 200 m above the crater, continuing emissions of steam and ash and occasional strong explosions with roaring sounds that produce ash columns up to 3 km high. Ashfall was reported overnight 12-13 May in the sector of Manzano.

Sabancaya (Peru): The possible ash emissions on 9 May have not been confirmed, but unrest in the form of increased earthquake activity and ground deformation has increased since early May, the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) reported in its press release on 10 May. So-called "hybrid" earthquakes (related to both the fracturing of rock and fluid movements) have increased since 2 May, while purely volcanic-tectonic quakes have remained stable.