Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.1 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.4 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits Seram, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Catamarca, Argentina.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Invest 92 is an area of disturbed weather in the North Atlantic that has the potential for further tropical development.

Invest 91E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for further tropical development.

Newsbytes:

Germany - Four people died and several more were injured in the southern Germany state of Baden-Württemberg after violent storms with torrential rains caused severe flooding. The floods also caused substantial property damage.

Wildlife

Coral Bleaching

Mass bleaching has killed more than a third of the coral in the northern and central parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, though corals to the south have escaped with little damage, scientists said on Monday.

Researchers who conducted months of aerial and underwater surveys of the 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) reef off Australia's east coast found that around 35 percent of the coral in the northern and central sections of the reef are dead or dying, said Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Queensland state. And some parts of the reef had lost more than half of the coral to bleaching.

The extent of the damage, which has occurred in just the past couple of months, has serious implications, Hughes said. Though bleached corals that haven't died can recover if the water temperature drops, older corals take longer to bounce back and likely won't have a chance to recover before the next bleaching event occurs, he said. Coral that has died is gone for good, which affects other creatures that rely on it for food and shelter.

The damage is part of a massive bleaching event that has been impacting reefs around the world for the past two years. Experts say the bleaching has been triggered by global warming and El Nino, a warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide. Hot water puts stress on coral, causing it to turn white and become vulnerable to disease. Other reefs have suffered even more severely from the recent bleaching; Some Pacific islands, for example, have reported coral death rates of more than 80 percent.

This April, 2016 photo released Monday, May 30, 2016 shows mature stag-horn coral dead and overgrown by algae at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

5.4 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Babar, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Depression Bonnie is located about 30 mi...50 km ENE of Charleston South Carolina and about 60 mi...95 km SW of Myrtle Beach South Carolina with maximum sustained winds...30 mph...45 km/h. Present movement...NE or 40 degrees at 3 mph...6 km/h.

Bonnie hit the Carolinas on Sunday and did not leave much damage in its wake, although drenching the Carolina coastal areas. Bonnie has since been downgraded to a tropical depression.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Bromo (East Java, Indonesia): The activity of the volcano remains low. Sporadic, relatively weak ash emissions continue to occur from time to time and a weak glow is visible sometimes at night.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

7.2 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits northern Algeria.

5.1 Earthquake hits western Australia.

5.0 Earthquake hits East Timor.

5.0 Earthquake hits the northern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.0 Earthquake hits western Australia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Storm Bonnie is located about 60 mi...95 km se of Charleston South Carolina and about 115 mi...185 km SSW of Myrtle Beach South Carolina with maximum sustained winds...40 mph...65 km/h. Present movement...N or 360 degrees at 8 mph...13 km/h.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for east of Edisto Beach to Little River Inlet South Carolina.

Newsbytes:

Lightning Strikes - Eight children and three adults were struck by lightning Saturday in a Paris park after a sudden spring storm sent a bolt crashing down upon a children’s birthday party. Another group of people at a children’s soccer match in western Germany were also hit by lightning Saturday afternoon, leaving three adults seriously injured.

Texas, USA - Torrential rain over the past weeks in Texas and Kansas have left at least four people dead and five others missing. The threat of severe weather has now lessened in Texas but more flooding could happen as rivers and waterways keep rising slowly. Other parts of the US got drenched Friday, including Kansas, and a tropical depression in the Atlantic Ocean brought rain and wind to the coast of South Carolina on Saturday.

Disease

Leishmaniasis in the Middle East

A disfiguring tropical disease that had been contained to Syria has now spread across the Middle East as millions are displaced from the war-torn region.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by bites from infected sand flies.

It can lead to severe scarring, often on the face, and regularly goes undiagnosed and untreated.

The disease had been contained to Syria, particularly to regions under ISIS control such as Raqqa, Deir al-Zour and Hasakah.

The civil war has devastated the country's medical facilities, seen thousands of health workers killed and hospitals destroyed.

Along with the chronic lack of water and bombed out buildings, this created a ripe breeding ground for the sand flies and allowed the disease to thrive.

It had previously been claimed by the Kurdish Red Crescent that the spread of the disease had also been caused by ISIS dumping rotting corpses on the streets.

As more than four million Syrians have fled the region, the disease has now moved into its neighbouring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Cholera in Kenya - Update

The death toll from cholera in Mandera has risen to 13 after two more people died yesterday.

89 patients are still admitted at the county's referral hospital.

"There is a massive outbreak of the disease in the town. We are receiving patients in the final stages of the disease making it difficult to manage them." according to Medecins sans Frontieres.

The outbreak was confirmed on April 29th after severe cases of diarrhoea were reported in Mandera town.

At the same time, an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease, Chikungunya is placing further pressure on already stretched health services in the county. Over 500 patients have been admitted in public hospitals.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.3 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.5 Earthquake hits southeast of the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits the central Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Depression Two is located about 265 mi...430 km SE of Charleston South Carolina and about 280 mi...455 km SSE of Cape Fear North Carolina with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...NW or 315 degrees at 14 mph...22 km/h.

A tropical storm warning is in effect of South Carolina from the Savannah River to Little River Inlet.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Arizona, USA

The 2,400-acre Juniper Fire near Young is being managed to actually benefit the ecosystem. Other lightning-caused fires being monitored in the region include the 2,170-acre Cowboy Fire eight miles south of Flagstaff just off Interstate 17, the 1,200-acre Mormon Fire six miles east of Munds Park and the 1,000-acre Pivot Fire eight miles northeast of Strawberry.

Wildfires - Alberta Canada - Update

Fire conditions are high to extreme in northeastern Alberta.

The Fort McMurray wildfire remains out of control. It is estimated to cover 576,781 hectares in Alberta and about 3,200 hectares in Saskatchewan.

As of 7 a.m., there were 20 active wildfires in Alberta, with one out of control.

The fire in the Peace River area is now under control.

There are 2,309 firefighters, 104 helicopters, 261 pieces of heavy equipment and 24 air tankers currently battling the fires across Alberta.

Wildfire crews from across the world are currently supporting – or en route to support – the efforts in Alberta, including:

298 firefighters from South Africa

198 firefighters from the United States

111 firefighters from British Columbia

85 firefighters from Ontario

30 firefighters from Northwest Territories

28 firefighters from Parks Canada

Seven firefighters from New Brunswick

Eight firefighters from Saskatchewan

Two firefighters from Manitoba

Three firefighters from Newfoundland/Prince Edward Island

Three firefighters from Nova Scotia

With higher humidity in the forecast and the potential for showers, it is expected that firefighting conditions will improve through the weekend.

Drought

Drought in Central America

Around 2.8 million people in three Central American countries need food aid after two consecutive years of severe drought decimated crops and exacerbated hunger among the poor, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.

Prolonged dry spells since mid-2014, linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon, have battered subsistence farmers in Central America's "dry corridor" running through Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Poor rainfall has left parched, cracked soil, fields of withered maize and bean crops, and empty water wells in these areas.

Some 3.5 million people are struggling to feed themselves in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, and of that number 2.8 million rely on food aid to survive, the FAO said.

Drought in Central India

Some 400 farmers have killed themselves so far this year in the parched Marathwada region, which is home to about 19 million people. It's located in the otherwise prosperous Maharashtra state, a central Indian region devastated by two successive failed monsoons and a crippling drought.

The dry wells, shrivelled stubble of sugarcane fields and withered fruit trees across the region reflect the suffering of hundreds of millions of Indians across at least a dozen other states that are under the grips of a severe drought.

Monsoon showers, which normally run from June to September, are crucial in a country where 60 percent of the population works in agriculture and less than half the farmland is irrigated.

For the average farmer, who lives and earns from season to season, a poor monsoon means food must be carefully rationed because he has little money to spend.

The situation was so dire in that in April the Maharashtra state government began sending millions of litres (hundreds of thousands of gallons) of water to Marathwada's worst-hit Latur district on a "water train."

Small farmers have been pushed into poverty. Poor farm labourers, hired by middlemen to work on large farms, have been forced to work for little or no money. Cattle farmers forced to bring their herds close to water supplies live in lean-tos and cook over open fires.

In every village in the region there are several locked and abandoned homes. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to abandon their villages and head to slums in bigger cities to earn a living.

Disease

Lassa Fever – Nigeria

Between August 2015 and 17 May 2016, WHO has been notified of 273 cases of Lassa fever, including 149 deaths in Nigeria. Of these, 165 cases and 89 deaths have been confirmed through laboratory testing (CFR: 53.9%). The cases were reported from 23 states in Nigeria.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.4 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.8 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits central Peru.

5.1 Earthquake hits south of the Kermedec Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Timor Sea.

5.1 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Invest 91L is an area of disturbed weather in the North Atlantic that has the potential for further tropical development.

Newsbytes:

Philippines - The start of the rainy season was marked by floods in several streets in the cities of Mandaue and Cebu after a downpour that started at 3 a.m. on Wednesday. Authorities warned of more flooding in July when the La Niña phenomenon, characterized by heavy rains, starts to make its full impact felt.

Texas, USA - Severe weather rolled through the Brazos Valley on Thursday leaving a path of destruction across several counties. A tornado touched down in Brazos County during the noon hour and caused significant damage to homes in the Wheeler Ridge and Miramont neighbourhoods near Highway 6 and FM 1179. No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported.

Wildlife

Tentacle Dominance

Human activities that have caused ocean temperatures to rise and more fish from the sea to wind up on dinner tables have also given octopuses and similar creatures a tentacle up in the oceanic food chain.

Researchers from Australia’s University of Adelaide found that the new maritime realm has benefited cephalopods because the disappearing fish result in reduced numbers of predators and competitors for food.

Warmer oceans may also be accelerating the life cycles of the tentacled creatures, making it easier for them to adapt to a changing environment, as long as waters don’t warm beyond their tolerance.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 123.0 degrees Fahrenheit (50.6 degrees Celsius) in Jocobabad, Pakistan.

The week's coldest temperature was minus -99.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 72.7 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

Bird Flu Outbreak in Cameroon

A bird flu outbreak has killed 15,000 fowls at a neighbourhood in Yaounde, capital of Cameroon.

The deaths, linked to the Avian Influenza, were confirmed by Cameroon’s national veterinary laboratory. The 15,000 dead fowls represent 50 per cent of birds in the facility, one of the largest in the country.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): The violent strombolian activity from the Voragine summit crater continued all though Wednesday (25 May) and the following night, but gradually decreased and ceased yesterday. At the moment, no significant eruptive activity is going on. To see images and videos of this recent activity, you could visit the facebook page of the mountain guides from Etna Nord. At the moment, tremor is still elevated and seems to be increasing slowly again - maybe some new pulse of activity is in the making?

Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion): The first eruption of the volcano in 2016 seems to have ended already - or at least paused - after little more than 24 hours. The volcano observatory reported that eruption tremor and other signs of ongoing activity stopped at 11:40 this morning. During brief windows of clear weather, it was possible to observe the eruption yesterday. A curtain of lava fountains, up to approx. 50 m high, was erupting a branching lava flow from a fissure vent in a flat area 1850 m above sea level about 1 km-1.5 km southeast of Château Fort crater, and built up an elongated cinder cone above the vents. Such short eruptions (few days only) are not unusual for Piton de la Fournaise volcano. Often, they have been occurring in relatively rapid succession (few weeks intervals), or preceding larger and long-lasting ones.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits Nicaragua.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Invest 91L is an area in the North Atlantic that has the potential for further tropical development.

Newsbytes:

Nepal - Flood triggered by torrential rainfall has claimed the lives of two boys and injured seven others in Kawadi village of Bajura district.

China - The heaviest rainfall in more than 200 years hit a city in south China's Guangdong Province claiming the lives of at least eight people. Xinyi received 429.5 millimetres of rainfall in just six hours.

India - A landslide in the Chakrata area in the Dehradun district has claimed the lives of ten workers and injured five others.

Wildlife

“Grolar” Bears - Polar bears and Grizzly bears starting to mate more often

A hunter has shot and killed a rare 'grolar bear' in Canada as researchers warn the existence of the hybrid could ultimately spell the end of the polar bear, the world's largest land carnivore.

Polar and grizzly bears are increasingly mating with each other as the warming Arctic allows the two species to come into contact more often. A number of hybrids have been DNA tested in recent years.

However researchers have warned the existence of hybrid pizzlies or grolars could lead to the death of the polar bear species, according to a report in The Washington Post.

Normally grizzlies are put off going into polar bear territory because they struggle in deep snow.

But higher temperatures mean they have been extending their range in recent years with roaming males coming into contact with female polar bears.

While first generation hybrid bears are equally grizzly and polar bear, further breeding with grizzlies will gradually reduce the level of polar genes.

Bat Invasion - Australia

Batemans Bay, just south of Sydney, has been overrun by an influx of arts which is terrorising locals. The enormous influx of the species of megabats has easily overtaken the town which has a human population of just 11,000.

Experts believe that one in four grey-headed flying foxes that live in Australia have now made their home in the town.

Residents have complained about the foul odor and terrible screeching noise emitted by the unwanted inhabitants. The bats set up a colony in the town years ago but their numbers have rapidly multiplied recently. Bats can now be spotted on nearly "every surface and in every tree" according to residents.

The destructive bats have caused power cuts, kept tourists away and hit property prices. But this is nothing compared to the inconvenience and trauma it has caused the residents.

The New South Wales Government announced that the community will receive 2.5 million Australian dollars to help with the relocation of the bats.

Disease

Syphilis - Queensland, Australia

Three Aboriginal children have died from congenital syphilis in Queensland's worst outbreak in 30 years.

Since 2015, 167 new cases of congenital syphilis have been diagnosed in North Queensland, prompting Health Minister Cameron Dick to announce on Wednesday a five-year $15.7 million plan to tackle the sexually transmitted disease.

Congenital syphilis infects babies when a pregnant woman contracts the disease and passes it along to her child. It can be treated with penicillin if diagnosed early.

Chikungunya in Kenya

At least 540 people were on Wednesday admitted to various health facilities in Mandera County following an outbreak of Chikungunya fever, health officials said. Mandera Health chief officer Mariam Dubow said the number of patients is expected to go up as most schools were also affected.

The viral disease is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. The disease causes fever and severe joint pains as well as fatigue and muscle pain. Other symptoms include headache, nausea and skin rashes.

The disease, which rarely causes death, may also manifest severe complications in some patients. These include renal and respiratory failure, acute hepatitis and cardiovascular decomposition.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion): A new eruption - the first in 2016 - started at the volcano this morning, around 08:05 local time when the volcano observatory registered a strong tremor signal, typical for the onset of Piton de la Fournaise's fissure eruptions. All public access to the Enclos was closed after the Prefecture declared alert level 2 shortly after. The new eruption seems to take place from a vent near Château Fort in the southeastern sector of the Enclos, but a team of volcanologist who went into the field could not make direct observations so far because of bad weather.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits Crete.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

Newsbytes:

China - More than 27,000 people have been displaced in central China's Hunan Province following heavy rain this past week. Hunan flood control authority said that 1,826 houses were destroyed in storms in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the province. At least four large reservoirs opened gates to release water in Hunan. Schools were closed in Jianghua County after several campuses were inundated. A section of highway near Guidong County was made impassable by a landslide and local authorities estimate that it will take 20 days to clear up the debris. The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned of major floods caused by the Yangtze, Songhuajiang, Huaihe and Pearl rivers bursting their banks. Meteorologists say the floods are linked to the strong El Nino event, expected to come to an end in May.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Russia

Colossal wildfires in Russia have burned an area the size Vermont and Delaware combined, Greenpeace said Tuesday, amid fears the country could suffer its worst wildfire season in more than 100 years.

The season is still in its early stages, but wildfires blazing across the country's far east have already scorched through more than 11,500 square miles, according to the environmental charity.

The largest area burned in a single wildfire season in the 21st century was 50,000 square miles in 2013 — around the size of Alabama.

Many of the blazes are started by villagers who are torching the previous year's grass make way for new growth. But the practice often backfires. This year alone, four settlements have been forced to evacuate before being engulfed by fire, although no casualties have been reported.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits Chiapas, Mexico.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

Newsbytes:

Sri Lanka - The Disaster Management Centre in Sri Lanka said the death toll in the landslide has reached to 92 while 109 people are still missing.

India - Manipur was on the verge of being cut off from the rest of the country after rockslides and landslides hit the Imphal-Dimapur highway (NH-2) as torrential rains poured and created chaos in the state. The Imphal-Silchar highway (NH-37) is already blocked due to rockslides. The Imphal river bank was breached on Sunday, washing away hundreds of houses. Water in the power sub-station has left the area without electricity while farmers have reported lakhs of rupees in damage of crops and vegetables.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Starting from 21:00 yesterday evening weak Strombolian activity has again started from the Voragine crater together with some ash emission. The tremor however is still low, but the webcams show that activity is increasing.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.1 Earthquake hits Salta, Argentina.

5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Coquimbo, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Guatemala.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon, USA.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

Newsbytes:

Sri Lanka - Rescue efforts continue in the Sri Lankan capital where the flood waters have now inundated homes and forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): A series of pyroclastic flows occurred yesterday afternoon - sadly, at least one of them was was much larger than most others during the past months and claimed at least 3 victims from local farmers who were working on their fields within the exclusion zone, approx. 4 km from the volcano. The pyroclastic flows - turbulent avalanches of hot debris and ash, caused by partial collapses of the slowly growing lava dome and its over-spilling lava lobes on the upper steep flanks - occurred in a series at 14:28, 15:08 and 16:39 local time. The first of them appears to have been the largest in the series (although clouds obscured views after the first one). The flow reached 4500 m distance (significantly more than any other recent one, compared to averages of 2000-3500 m of similar flows during the past months). Presumably it also was the one that killed the 7 villagers and burnt at least 4 others. All of the victims were caught by surprise (and had no chance of outrunning the flow) while working on their fields within the (unfortunately no longer much enforced) exclusion zone near the former (now officially evacuated) village of Kabanjahean.

Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): The activity at the volcano has picked up recently and is now again at (fluctuating) moderate levels similar to what it has been during much of the past 10-15 years - extremely rewarding for those who climb it in the evening. Apparently, the magma column inside the conduits has again risen and both the eastern, central and western vent are active and produce intermittent strombolian activity of various intensity.

Etna (Sicily, Italy): (22 May) Yet another paroxysm could be under way from the summit craters: after a calm day, strong strombolian eruptions have started a few hours ago from the NE crater. Along with the volcanic tremor signal which is rising again, the activity has been gradually increasing. This might be the beginning of another paroxysm (if strombolian activity from the NE vent is a precursor of more violent activity of the Voragine or even the NE crater - the near future will tell...) Contrary to what it might have looked like, the volcano's activity from last night did not continue to increase, but quieted down for now. Strombolian activity from the Northeast crater seems to have ceased during the second half of the night or early this morning. However, the volcano remains very restless: sporadic ash emissions occurred from the New SE crater and tremor remains slightly elevated, but shows no clear trend right now.

Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): Mild eruptive activity continues at the volcano. Darwin VAAC reported an ash plume that rose to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude and drifted west yesterday.

Bromo (East Java, Indonesia): Ash emissions from the volcano were reported earlier today by Darwin VAAC. Based on satellite observations, a plume of light ash is drifting 50 km to the NE at approx. 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude.

Dukono (Halmahera): No significant changes have occurred at the volcano. It emits near-constant ash plumes, which are regularly seen on satellite imagery.

Santiaguito (Guatemala): Very elevated activity continues at the active Caliente lava dome. Yesterday, another two strong explosions occurred at 08:30 and around 13:00 local time. Both explosions produced tall ash plumes that rose 3-4 km above the dome, reaching altitudes of 15,000-20,000 ft (4.5 - 6 km) as well as triggering several pyroclastic flows that descended several kilometres on the flanks of the dome. Interestingly, the first explosion at 08:30 was described by CONRED as silent; apparently it did not produce any noise audible in surrounding villages, much unlike almost all previous eruptions. The frequent explosions are beginning serious problems related to ash falls. Determined by the prevailing winds, ash plumes from the explosions again drifted W and SW, causing ash fall in the same areas that have been subject to fallout during much of the previous weeks already: Nuevo Palmar, San Marcos Palajunon, Coatepaque and others.

Fuego (Guatemala): The 10th paroxysmal eruption in 2016 is in progress at the volcano: starting yesterday, explosions have become stronger and more frequent. As the magma output rate increased strongly, the explosions have turned into pulsating lava fountains and a lava flow began to travel down the Las Lajas ravine on the SE flank, currently reaching about 1200-1500 m length. INSIVUMEH reports moderate to strong explosions, glowing avalanches in all directions and noisy rumblings similar to a locomotive train. The FG3 seismic station records strong tremor and rockfall signals. An ash plume is rising to approx. 5000 m elevation and drifting SW and W, where ash fall is occurring in areas such as the volcano observatory in Panimache, Morelia, and El Porvenir villages.

Turrialba (Costa Rica): The eruptive activity of the volcano has remained steady with near-constant ash emissions with occasional increases. According to RSN, the level of seismic activity, dominated by volcanic tremor, gradually increased during Saturday and remained fluctuating yesterday, with an overall stable trend. Bad weather prevented detailed observations during the past 48 hours, but light ash fall is expected in areas downwind (currently west and northwest).

Bristol Island (United Kingdom, South Sandwich Is): The latest eruption likely continues. On recent satellite images, a strong heat source caused by lava is still visible at the summit vent of the remote volcano.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.2 Earthquake hits western Xizang, China.

5.1 Earthquake hits western Xizang, China.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

Newsbytes:

Bangladesh - The death toll from the powerful cyclone Roanu that battered the coast of Bangladesh Saturday has now left at least 21 people dead and forced the relocation of over 500,000 people from low-lying areas. The cyclone has weakened and finally dissipated over land as it moved towards India.

Wildlife

Kangaroo Cull - Australia

Several nature preserves around the Australian Capital Territory will be closed from late afternoon until dawn through Aug. 1 so as many as 2,000 eastern gray kangaroos can be killed.

Officials say an overabundance of the marsupials can have a devastating impact on the local environment.

But the cull has been denounced by animal-rights advocates who say the killing is cruel, and the methods used often cause the animals to suffer.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.1 Earthquake hits the Northern Territory, Australia.

5.5 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 01b (Roanu), located approximately 48 nm west-southwest of Chittagong, Bangladesh, is tracking northeastward at 21 knots.

NewsBytes:

Nepal - A landslide triggered by heavy downpours has claimed the lives of three people in the Kalikot district in Nepal Thursday night. The landslide also injured eight people and left four others missing. At least 14 shops have been washed away by the landslide.

Bangladesh - A cyclone (Roanu) has unleashed heavy rain and strong winds on Bangladesh's coastal region, killing at least five people and forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes to escape the storm's impact. Local media say the deaths were caused by the collapse of houses in Bhola, Chittagong and Patuakhali districts on Saturday. Cyclone Roanu crossed the southern coastal district of Cox's Bazar and weakened after triggering heavy rains.

Sri Lanka - The death toll from Sri Lanka's flash floods and landslides rose to 71 on Saturday, while rescue teams continued efforts to search for hundreds who were still missing across the island, the Disaster Management Centre said. The military said at least 141 people were still missing in Aranayake under the heavy debris and said rescue efforts would continue. However, rescue efforts were being hampered by severe rains. At least 500,000 people have been affected by the rains to date and 200,000 have been sheltered in temporary camps which have been set up across the island.

Global Warming

Antarctic's massive Totten Glacier nearing 'tipping point'

Global warming is threatening to trigger the catastrophic collapse of East Antarctica's massive Totten Glacier and in turn raise sea levels to dangerous new heights, a new study warns.

East Antarctica is the world's largest area of ice. Until recently, it was considered to be far more stable than the smaller, West Antarctic ice sheet, where scientists had originally focused fears and warnings.

Now, troubling research reveals that melting Totten would make global warming reach a "tipping point" and likely collapse with just a few degrees increase in warming, warned scientist Alan Aitken of the University of Western Australia, who heads a team of researchers from the US, UK, New Zealand and Australia.

Totten's huge floating shelf of ice is 90 miles (145km) by 22 miles (35km) in area. It functions as a kind of giant plug holding back a far larger a mass of Antarctic ice. The entire region, or what scientists call a catchment - which could someday flow into the sea in the surrounding area if Totten collapses - represents an area bigger than California, notes the Washington Post. In some areas the ice is also 2.5 miles (4.0km) thick. The melted ice could then raise the world's sea level by more than 11 feet (3.5m).

The Totten Glacier catchment (blue outline) is a collection basin for ice and snow that flows through the glacier. It's estimated to contain enough material to raise sea levels by at least 11 feet.

Environment

Farm Pollution

Agriculture has become the leading source of fine-particulate air pollution in many parts of the United States, Europe, Russia and China, according to a new study.

Writing in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, scientists from NASA and Columbia University warn that fumes from nitrogen-rich fertilizers and animal waste combine in the air with carbon emissions to form solid particles that constitute a major contributor to disease and death.

But they say that if emissions decline as predicted, the fine-particle pollution will go down even if fertilizer use expands.

Disease

Lassa Fever - Liberia

At least 38 suspected cases of Lassa fever and 15 deaths have been identified in Liberia since January, according to WHO.

Although WHO reports that additional cases are expected to occur, the risk for widespread transmission is considered to be low, and currently there are no travel or trade restrictions to Liberia.

Lassa fever is primarily transmitted to humans through exposure to rodent urine or feces, according to WHO. Symptoms may include headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough and abdominal pain. In severe cases, facial swelling, fluid in the lungs, low blood pressure and bleeding from the mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract may occur. The disease also is associated with hearing loss in 25% of survivors.

As the symptoms of Lassa fever vary, it is often difficult to diagnose the disease, WHO reported. It also is difficult to distinguish from Ebola virus disease and other hemorrhagic fevers.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Activity at the Voragine has been steadily increasing during the evening and night so far - strombolian activity is probably now turning into lava fountaining: the 3rd paroxysm of the summit crater within less than 3 days - is about to occur. After a relatively calm day, Etna seems perhaps about to start another eruptive episode from the Voragine summit crater where strombolian activity has set in a short while ago. Tremor is currently elevated, but with no clear trend so far. While the lava effusion from the eastern vent at the foot of the NE crater had already stopped yesterday, the lava flow from the summit vent itself, that has been active on Etna's western flank, had remained active during the day. The 3rd paroxysm (violent summit eruption with lava fountains) of Etna's Voragine occurred over night and ended at dawn. It was significantly less strong than the previous ones, but produced spectacular strombolian explosions and pulsating lava fountains from the summit crater. The gradual increase of strombolian activity that had set in in the evening culminated in a short phase of lava fountaining which peaked between 4 and 5 am. Only a small ash plume was generated during the eruption. It drifted east and southeast from the volcano, causing light ash fall in villages and towns such as Pedara, Viagrande, Giarre.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.1 Earthquake hits Catamarca, Argentina.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Mid-Indian ridge.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 01b (Roanu), located approximately 420 nm west-southwest of Chittagong, Bangladesh, is tracking northeastward at 17 knots.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 123.8 degrees Fahrenheit (51 degrees Celsius) in Phalodi, India.

The week's coldest temperature was minus -105.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 76.1 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.

India sets new heat record

Temperatures have soared to a scorching 51 degrees Celsius in one Indian city, meteorologists said Friday, with the ferocious heat setting a new national record. Northern Phalodi wilted as the mercury reached a new high, equivalent to 123.8 Fahrenheit, beating a 60-year-old record.

The latest record high came as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued warnings of "severe heat wave" conditions across large parts of India's north and west, including the capital Delhi, where temperatures hit 47 degrees Celsius earlier this week.

Zoo animals in the capital were treated to cold baths and given electrolytes to prevent dehydration. Demand for electricity in the city of 25 million people surged to a record high on Thursday as sweltering residents turned on their air conditioners. Police officers on the beat were given oral rehydration solution and special "cooling scarves" containing water-absorbent crystals to keep their body temperature down, local papers reported.

The capital's hospitals have seen a spike in cases of heatstroke, while authorities in many states have ordered schools to break for summer earlier than normal due to the heatwave.

Disease

Haemorrhagic fever syndrome – South Sudan

Between late December 2015 and early May 2016, the National IHR Focal of South Sudan notified WHO of an outbreak of haemorrhagic fever syndrome.

As of 9 May, a total of 51 suspected cases, including 10 deaths, had been reported from the counties of Aweil North (45 cases, including 10 deaths) and Aweil West (6 cases). No health care workers had been reported among the cases. The majority (74.5%) of the suspected cases are below 20 years of age.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): The second paroxysm from the Voragine summit crater ended gradually during the course of today. Bad weather prevented detailed observations for most of the time. At the moment, the lava flow from the new vent at the eastern base of the North-East crater is still visible, but effusion has either stopped or strongly decreased.

Alaid (Northern Kuriles): Over the past week, activity of the volcano seems to have been declining. The satellite-based observation of heat output has been decreasing, suggesting that the eruption might be waning or ending. From 11-17 May 2016, the eruption of Alaid continued during 6-13 May. Satellite images showed an intense daily thermal anomaly over the volcano and a lava flow on the SW flank. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale).

Chirpoi (Kurile Islands, Russia): A weak thermal anomaly over Snow, a volcano of Chirpoi, was detected in satellite images during 9-11 and 14 May. The Aviation Color Code remained at Yellow.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): In the past days, the volcano has been back to its typical activity of intermittent, but often strong vulcanian-type explosions at irregular intervals between several days or only few hours with almost no visible activity in between. During 15-18 May, 9 explosions with ash plumes up to 15,000 ft altitude were recorded. No explosion has occurred during the past 48 hours, though. JMA reported that an explosion at the Minamidake summit crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) generated an ash plume that rose 3.7 km above the crater rim.

Ruapehu (North Island): On 17 May GeoNet reported that the lake temperature of Ruapehu's summit Crater Lake had decreased from a high of 46 degrees Celsius to 39 degrees, with some of the decrease attributed to rain and snowfall. Moderate levels of volcanic tremor continued, and analysis of water samples collected the previous week showed no changes in the lake chemistry. During recent visits, scientists measured a larger output of volcanic gases. The Volcanic Alert Level remained at 2 (moderate to heightened unrest) and the Aviation Colour Code remained at Yellow.

Cleveland (Aleutian Islands, Alaska): After the small explosions at the volcano on 5 and 10 May, no further unusual activity has been noted on satellite and seismic data until 14 May. The Alaska Volcano Observatory detected "energetic steaming and highly elevated surface temperatures in the summit crater" on 15 May. The Level of Concern Color Code remained at Orange and the Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch." (AVO)

Colima (Western Mexico): The activity of the volcano has remained essentially unchanged over the past months and is currently relatively low. Growth of a small lava dome continues in the summit crater (as indicated by some glow at night) and small to moderate explosions occur at rates of a few per day. Ash plumes have been reaching 1-4 km height above the crater during the recent week.

Fuego (Guatemala): A relatively large pyroclastic flow (avalanche of hot debris and ash) descended from the volcano yesterday (18 May) morning at around 10:30 local time. The unusual aspect is that it occurred during a phase of currently low activity with no active lava flow or intense explosive activity (as during the paroxysms). There seemed not to have been any precursor signs either. The most likely cause should be a collapse of accumulated, unstable material from previous eruptions on the upper slopes, something that would not be too unusual to happen.

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): The Manizales volcano observatory reported that sporadic mild ash emissions continue to occur at the volcano, last on 17 and 18 May. During 10-16 May seismicity at Nevado del Ruiz was characterized by long-period and very-long-period earthquakes, episodes of continuous tremor, and pulses of volcanic tremor associated with gas-and-ash emissions. Thermal anomalies near Arenas Crater were identified in satellite images during 11-12 May. Significant amounts of water vapour and gas rose from the crater during the week. A gas, steam, and ash plume rose 1.7 km and drifted NW and W on 12 May.

Sangay (Ecuador): The mild eruption that had started in early March continues with no significant changes. According to IGEPN, the number of tremor events and long-period earthquakes were slightly higher in March as compared to the number recorded in April and May, and the number of explosions was slightly higher in April and May. Surficial activity was characterized by frequent ash emissions generated by explosive activity. Thermal anomalies on the flanks were also detected, mostly within 5 km of the summit crater, which possibly corresponded to short-range pyroclastic flows and lava flows. No abnormal sulfur dioxide emission were detected.

Cotopaxi (Ecuador): During an overflight of Cotopaxi on 10 May, scientists observed minor gas emissions rising 600 m above the crater and drifting N and NW. Glaciers remained cracked, though glacial melting observed in recent months had decreased considerably. The temperature of flank fumaroles had decreased slightly.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.0 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 01b (One), located approximately 697 nm southwest of Chittagong, is tracking northeastward at 04 knots.

NewsBytes:

India - Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in Karimganj and Hailakandi districts in Barak Valley in Assam have claimed the lives of at least 10 people.

Florida, USA - Tornado in Vero Beach in Florida has damaged 20 homes on Tuesday afternoon. The heavy storm also damaged cars and toppled tress.

Afghanistan - At least 20 people were killed in flash floods that hit the northern Afghan province of Sari Pul. The floods hit the district of Kohistanat in the remote south of Sari Pul in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The floodwaters swept away and destroyed several houses. Around 22 people were wounded in the disaster, which happened as people slept.

Disease

Tuberculosis - Japan

Nine people have contracted tuberculosis while 34 others have developed asymptomatic forms of the disease after coming into contact last year with an Asian student living in Tokyo, the metropolitan government has revealed. Tuberculosis is rare in Japan.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): The first eruption of Etna in 2016 has been rapidly changing, involving 3 of the 4 summit craters. After yesterday and partly today's strombolian activity from the North-East (and probably New SE) crater, a short, but violent phase of lava fountaining (paroxysm) occurred at the main summit vent, the Voragine. After this, the eruption has become dominantly effusive and is now producing a lava flow from a fissure vent on the lower eastern flank of the New SE crater. The lava flow, with one main channel and few secondary branches, is currently traveling into the Valle del Bove. The sequence of events at Etna's eruptions is often complex (for a detailed description, see the reports by INGV). Today's eruption was no exception, with some similarities to the last paroxysm of Voragine on 6 Dec 2015. The strombolian activity from the NE crater increased during last night and began to produce dense ash plumes during this morning. Early in the morning of 18 May, relatively weak (possibly small strombolian-type) activity began at a vent on the eastern flank of the New SE cone, the same that had appeared on 25 Nov last year. Around 1 pm, activity rapidly shifted to the Voragine summit crater where strong strombolian activity began and turned into a small paroxysym with pulsating lava fountaining and a lava flow from the summit crater. This activity lasted only a few hours before the current well-alimented lava flow from the New SE crater's flank vent appeared in the afternoon. A second paroxysm occurred at the Voragine summit crater this morning short time ago, i.e. less than 24 hours after yesterday's eruption. The activity is currently still going on but waning. The lava flow on the east side, from the base of the New SE crater, continues to be active, in the meanwhile. This time, visibility has been even worse and the event could only be inferred from the seismic signal and the ash plume (and ash falls) drifting towards the east.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.8 Earthquake hits near the coast of Ecuador.

6.5 Earthquake hits near the coast of Ecuador.

5.3 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.3 Earthquake hits the southern east Pacific rise.

5.2 Earthquake hits Salta, Argentina.

5.1 Earthquake hits Yunnan, China.

5.1 Earthquake hits south of Java, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Bio-Bio, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits Yunnan, China.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 01b (One), located approximately 103 nm northeast of Chennai, India, is tracking northward at 05 knots.

NewsBytes:

Sri Lanka - More than 200 families in central Sri Lanka were missing Wednesday after more massive landslides triggered by torrential rains crushed three villages the night before. The slides hit the villages of Siripura, Pallebage and Elagipitya in the Aranayake area of Kegalle District. 16 bodies have been recovered from the massive piles of mud.

Wildlife

Fish Subsidies Must Come to an End

Worldwide, fishing has historically been a critical source of food and jobs, and given its importance, many governments support their local industries with subsidies to keep fisheries competitive in the global market. Now, fish stocks are collapsing after more than half a century of decline.

Fish are an important source of food across the globe. According to our research, it provides the equivalent of 120 million mature cows of animal protein each year and an annual global economic impact of $360 billion in jobs and revenue. Oceans and the marine life they sustain are also a source of culture and recreation for people all over the world — think of what Australia would be like without its reefs, or California without its kelp forest.

And yet, poor government policies continue to threaten the oceans, especially the subsidies that drive the industry to unsustainable practices.

Of the estimated $35 billion in annual global fishing subsidies that governments provide, our research reveals $11 billion are beneficial subsidies used for research and fishery management programs that help the planet's waterways support more fish, while $20 billion are capacity-enhancing, money used to prop up unsustainable fishing. These capacity-enhancing subsidies artificially inflate fishery revenues by about 20 percent, according to Oceana. Such subsidies, provided mainly by countries like Russia, China, Japan, Vietnam, and Mexico reward overfishing and are depleting ocean fish stocks.

For nearly two decades, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations have failed to get countries to agree on provisions that would discipline the use of the most devastating subsidies, or those that reward overfishing.

Global Warming

Increased vegetation in the Arctic region may counteract global warming

Climate change creates more shrub vegetation in barren, arctic ecosystems. A study at Lund University in Sweden shows that organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, are triggered to break down particularly nutritious dead parts of shrubbery. Meanwhile, the total amount of decomposition is reducing. This could have an inhibiting effect on global warming.

A large amount of the Earth’s carbon and nitrogen is stored in arctic ecosystems where the ground is permanently frozen, known as permafrost. Climate change causes such soil to heat up. Johannes Rousk at Lund University, together with colleagues Kathrin Rousk och Anders Michelsen from the University of Copenhagen and the Centre for Permafrost (CENPERM), have conducted field studies outside Abisko in the very north of Sweden, studying what happens to the decomposition of organic material as the climate gets warmer.

As the Arctic region becomes warmer, more shrubs start to grow, rather than moss which is difficult to break down. The shrubs have leaves and roots that are easy to break down and secrete sugar. What the study has shown is that decomposition organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, are triggered to look for nutrient-rich organic materials that contain more nitrogen, while decomposition as a whole is reduced

When the nutrient-rich material is decomposed, the nutrient-poor part of the organic material is enriched, probably causing the amount of carbon to increase. Current climate models do not consider the connection between increased shrub vegetation as a result of ongoing climate change, and soil becoming less nutritious.

Today no one knows what less nutritious soil in the Arctic ecosystem and an overall decreased decomposition of organic material will lead to. However, the study suggests that it will have an inhibiting effect on global warming.

Disease

Lassa Fever – Liberia

Since 1 January 2016, WHO has been notified of at least 38 suspected cases of Lassa fever in Liberia.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Since yesterday, volcanic tremor has been gradually increasing and during the evening mild explosive strombolian activity started from the North-East crater. At the time of updating, this explosive activity associated with ash emissions has started to produce a dense plume

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.4 Earthquake hits eastern Honshu, Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits the central east Pacific rise.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Volcano Islands off Japan.

5.1 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Invest 90E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Indonesia - Seventeen dead bodies have been identified and 4 are still missing, after rain triggered floods and a landslide at a popular waterfall in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Rescue efforts by more than 300 emergency personnel and soldiers in ongoing for the missing University Students and guides. The disaster occurred during the student's visit to Dua Warna waterfall in North Sumatra province.

Sri Lanka - At least eight people have been killed due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in Sri Lanka. Nearly 5,000 families living in flooded areas have been moved to relief centres.

Global Warming

April breaks global temperature record

April was the seventh month in a row that broke global temperature records, Nasa figures show.

Last month smashed the previous record for April by the largest margin ever. The new record for April trounced the previous one, set in 2010, by 0.24C. That makes it three months in a row that the monthly record was broken by the largest margin ever.

But in terms of its departure from the 1951-1980 temperature average used by Nasa, April was equal with January 2016.

Several northerly regions, including the US state of Alaska, saw very hot temperatures during April - a pattern repeated in previous months.

The records for April will also raise questions about the achievability of a goal to hold global warming to 1.5C that was agreed at the Paris climate talks in December 2015.

Air Quality Warning

A remote part of Tasmania renowned for its clean air has hit new peak levels of carbon dioxide, sparking renewed calls for Australian leaders to combat global warming.

Cape Grim, in the island state's picturesque northwest, is home to one of the three major observation stations around the globe, and has been used to take meteorological readings for the southern hemisphere since 1976.

Last week the station for the first time surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in what Greenpeace said was a warning that should not be ignored.

Disease

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

On 10 May 2016, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO of 11 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus, including 4 deaths.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

Between 30 April and 5 May 2016, 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), including 1 fatal case.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Qatar

On 4 May 2016, the National IHR Focal Point of Qatar notified WHO of 1 additional case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

Africa meningitis: 13,000 cases, 1127 deaths through first 4 months

Meningitis epidemics in Africa are most prevalent in the “meningitis belt” that stretches across sub-Saharan Africa. About 26 countries and 450 million people live in this area.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Weekly Meningitis Bulletin for West Africa, through Apr. 30, a cumulative total of 13,423 suspected cases of meningitis have been notified with 1,127 deaths (CFR 8.4%).

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported the most cases and deaths with 3359 and 332, respectively. Nearly 10 percent of cases resulted in death.

Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger follow in order, each with more than 1000 cases year to date.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Alberta, Canada

The massive wildfire burning around the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray was growing and moving rapidly north late on Monday, forcing firefighters to shift their focus to protecting major oil sand facilities north of the city, officials said.

The sudden movement of the fire prompted the evacuation of some 4,000 people from work camps outside Fort McMurray, with all northbound traffic once again cut off at the city, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said.

The entire population of Fort McMurray, about 90,000 people, was forced to flee nearly two weeks ago as the uncontrolled wildfire raged through some neighbourhoods and destroyed about 15 percent of structures.

On Monday, the blaze continued to burn uncontrolled, now covering 285,000 hectares (704,000 acres), officials said. By Monday evening it was moving 30 to 40 meters (98 to 131 feet) every minute and had jumped a critical firebreak north of the city to push into the oil sand camp areas.

Roughly a million barrels per day of oil sands crude production was shut in as a precaution and because of disruptions to regional pipelines, and much of that production remains offline.

Wildfires - Nepal

Wildfires have destroyed more than 60,000 hectares of conserved forest in the national parks and conservation areas in Nepal this year/

As many as 19,300 hectares of forest in Bardiya National Park; 18,640 hectares in Chitwan National Park; 16,500 hectares in Banke National Park; 6,854 hectares in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve; 2,605 hectares in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park; six hectares in Khaptad National Park and one hectare in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve was raged by the wildfires.

Records of five years show that Nepal witnessed the highest count of wildfires (around 2800) in the month of April alone.

Earlier in April, NASA had reported that as many as 1.3 million hectares (over 3.7 million acres) of forest cover in Nepal was affected by wildfires in two weeks till April 11. A record number of fires were reported in the country on April 10. NASA said the satellite imagery showed that 457 forests across the country were affected by fires with the worst affected being Sindhuli district, whose 40 per cent forest cover was reduced to ashes.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Two small to moderately sized pyroclastic flows occurred this morning at the volcano. The larger one at 06:16 local time (image) produced a pyroclastic flow that traveled 2700 m on the SE side and a co-ignimbrite ash plume that rose 2500 m into the sky.

Santiaguito (Guatemala): The activity at the Caliente lava dome remains very elevated: a series of 3 powerful explosions occurred this morning (around 07:45 local time), yesterday evening (17:45) and Saturday morning. The eruptions produced ash plumes that rose 3-4 km above the dome and multiple pyroclastic flows that traveled up to 2 m length mainly on its southern and eastern sides. Moderate to heavy ash fall occurred in areas south-west of the dome complex, including the towns and villages of Nuevo Palmar, San Felipe Retalhuleu, Aldea Loma Linda, San Marcos Palajunoj El Patrocinio and others. According to INSIVUMEH, the explosion sounds could be heard up to 30 km away and ballistic ejecta (blocks and volcanic bombs) landed in up to 3 km distance. The current phase of activity has been the highest recorded at the volcano since at least 2 years.

Turrialba (Costa Rica): A new phase of ash emissions seems to be in progress at the volcano (which itself has been in clouds, preventing direct observations). Starting 11:58 local time, an increase of tremor was noted and later on, ash fall has been noted in nearby downwind areas (to the NE).

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 Earthquake hits southeast of the Loyalty islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.2 Earthquake hits southern Xinjiang, China.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Fox Islands in the Aleutian Islands.

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

5.1 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits southeast of the Loyalty islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Guatemala.

5.0 Earthquake hits the northern east Pacific rise.

5.0 Earthquake hits southern Israel.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Invest 90E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Malaysia - More heavy rain and strong winds which hit Kuala Lumpur yesterday afternoon saw cars damaged by uprooted trees, while several locations were inundated by flash floods.

Disease

Meningococcal Disease - Australia

Officials at South Australia Health (SA Health) reported three people have been diagnosed with meningococcal disease in the past week in South Australia. So far this year there have been 11 cases of meningococcal infection.

Measles - New Zealand

An outbreak of measles in Waikato may take two or three weeks to get under control, a health expert says. The Waikato District Health Board has ordered a college to close, and its 700 students and staff will have to prove they have been vaccinated for measles - or they won't be allowed back on school grounds.

Measles is very close to being eliminated in New Zealand but there may still be pockets of the community that are not vaccinated. The health board said it was dealing with 20 confirmed cases of the measles, and another possible 12.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.6 Earthquake hits southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.4 Earthquake hits central Alaska.

5.2 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.3 Earthquake hits the northern east Pacific rise.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Afghanistan - Flash floods in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan have claimed the lives of at least six people and injured five others.

Indonesia - Parts of the Indonesian port city of Semarang remained underwater Saturday, after high seasonal tides flooded coastal areas of Central Java province. For the past week, residents of Semarang say they have fought an ongoing battle to stop the water -- known locally as "the Rob" -- from rising. Soaked and exhausted in the 33 degrees midday heat, they struggle with sandbags, furniture and plastic bags as their possessions become consumed.

Kenya - At least 700 people are stranded in their villages in Isiolo County after heavy rains cut off roads. Among those threatened with starvation and disease because they cannot get food, and they cannot go to hospital are 620 children who are under five years and 48 expectant and lactating mothers.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Manitoba, Canada

The wildfire situation continues to improve in southeastern Manitoba, thanks largely in part to the cool weather.

The fire northeast of Caddy Lake on the Manitoba/Ontario border remains 58 square kilometres, and is more than 50% contained. Evacuation orders remain in effect, but travel and burning permit restrictions in eastern Manitoba have been lifted.

Further north, the Beresford Lake fire is 750 square kilometres, and is also 50 percent contained. Evacuation orders for the area also remain in effect for the Beresford cottage subdivision in the Nopiming Provincial Park, as well as Wallace Lake — which affects 61 cottages and one lodge.

Wildfires - Washington, USA

A small fire on U.S. Forest Service land near Gold Bar is burning and fire officials have issued evacuation notices to parts of the area.

According to Snohomish fire officials, the wildfire had burned 75 acres as of Friday night. By Saturday morning, the fire had grown to approximately 325 acres, KIRO 7 reports. The fire was about 20 percent contained as of Saturday afternoon. Currently the fire is not advancing. It is smoldering and creeping, according to Snohomish fire officials.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Pavlof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): Based on seismic data, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) assumes that a new eruption could have started at the volcano yesterday evening; the volcano's alert code was raised from "normal" to "watch" and the Aviation Colour code from green to orange. At about 10:35 AM AKDT seismic activity at Pavlof Volcano increased to levels typically associated with low-level eruptive activity and it is possible that an eruption of Pavlof Volcano may be in progress. Nothing has been observed in satellite data and web camera images, but Pavlof is presently obscured by clouds and no thermal signals or ash emissions are evident through the cloud deck." (AVO)

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.2 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits Kyushu, Japan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

India - The flash floods on Thursday evening had caused devastation in three districts including Ramban, Reasi and Udhampur. Beside the loss of human life, major loss to property and other infrastructure has also been reported. A day after flash floods hit hilly terrain of Jammu, the death toll has risen to five.

Wildlife

Big Cat Losses

Leopards have disappeared in 75 percent of their historic habitats across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, according to a new study.

The elusive spotted cats have almost vanished entirely in China, Southeast Asia and the Arabian Peninsula due to expanding agriculture, declining prey and poaching for the illegal trade in their skins and teeth.

The study’s authors are calling for the International Union for Conservation of Nature to elevate the leopard’s status from “near threatened” to “vulnerable” on its highly regarded Red List.

Disease

Nigeria records fresh outbreak of Killer disease - SJ Syndrome

The ministry of health on Friday disclosed that there have been cases of a disease known as Stephen Johnson Syndrome (SJS) in the country but asked Nigerians not to panic.

The disease causes the skin of its victim to blister and peel off, leading to the forming of blisters inside the patient’s body. The victim also finds it hard to eat, swallow, or even urinate. It starts with fever before symptoms such as watery eyes, sore throat, and fatigue set in.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Bardarbunga (Central Iceland): Ever since the large Holuhraun fissure eruption (Aug 2014-Mar 2015), the volcano has remained restless. Over the past months, the volcano's seismic activity has been showing a slow increase. The quakes have been concentrated at shallow depths under its central caldera, and the northeastern fissure system (in particular, near Herdubreid volcano). So far, the frequent earthquake swarms have been small and rarely contained quakes above magnitude 3; an eruption in a very near future seems unlikely for now. However, they indicate that the volcano's storage system is probably recharging with new shallow magma intrusions; a new eruption of Bardarbunga in a not too distant future (months to years) would certainly not be a big surprise.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The activity at the volcano has been irregular. Only few, but sometime relatively strong vulcanian explosions have occurred recently, with ash plumes rising up to 17,000 ft (5 km) altitude. The Showa crater shows phases of weak continuous degassing (possibly with some ash), suggesting that deep-seated activity might be going on.

Langila (New Britain, Papua New Guinea): A mildly explosive eruption continues at the remote volcano on the western tip of New Britain Island. An ash plume and a thermal hot spot can be seen on satellite imagery.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The explosive / effusive eruption continues with little changes. Rising viscous lava accumulates in the summit crater where as a dome; intermittently, it produces small to moderate explosions (ash plumes rising 1-2 km) and incandescent rockfalls and/or small pyroclastic flows on the eastern side where the crater is breached. Overall, the activity (which had started in late 2013) seems to be very slowly decreasing over time.

Soputan (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): On 21 April, VSI lowered the alert level from 3 to 2 (on a scale of 1-4), following a decrease in seismic and visible activity from the volcano.

Dukono (Halmahera): Darwin VAAC reported an ash plume at 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude drifting SW from the volcano this morning.

Awu (North Sulawesi & Sangihe Islands): VSI raised the alert level of the volcano from 2 ("waspada") to 3 ("siaga" = eruption warning) yesterday - presumably because of increased seismic activity observed.

Ambrym (Vanuatu): Several lava lakes are currently active in Ambrym (one in Marum, two in Benbow and sometimes one in Mbwelesu craters). A recent satellite image available through GoogleEarth shows the steam plumes generated by this extraordinary activity.

Ruapehu (North Island): The alert level of the volcano was raised by a notch from 1 to Level 2 (moderate to heightened unrest) last Wednesday, Geonet informed in a special note. This was triggered by recent measurements that showed an increase in the degassing from Mt Ruapehu’s Crater Lake, a rise in temperature from 25 to 45 deg C since mid April, and ongoing moderate levels of volcanic tremor (reflecting the degassing).

Turrialba (Costa Rica): A relatively strong explosion (the strongest so far in the ongoing series of intermittent eruptions) occurred yesterday morning at the volcano at 01:18 local time. The eruption only lasted a few minutes, but generating a shower of incandescent fragments and an ash plume that rose 3 km and drifted southeast across the Central Valley. As a result, the regional Tobías Bolaños Airport in western San José was temporarily closed because of the ash plume, and reopened later in the morning. According to a first petrochemical analysis of the erupted material, most of it originates from older rock, but a small (around 5%) amount of fresh (juvenile) lava has also been detected, confirming that a new body of fresh magma has recently been intruding at shallow depths into the volcano's storage system and likely will lead to more eruptive activity in the near future.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.4 Earthquake hits Pakistan.

5.3 Earthquake hits Pakistan.

5.1 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.1 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Talaud, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Myanmar-India Border.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Lombok, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits near the coast of southern Peru.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the west coast of northern Sumatra.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Bangladesh - Lightning strikes during thunderstorms have claimed lives of at least 33 people in 12 districts of Bangladesh. Five people died in Sirajganj and Rajshahi each, and four in Pabna, Kishoreganj and Brahmanbarhia. Two people died in Dhaka, Gazipur, Bogra and Natore each, and one each died in Habiganj, Naogaon and Niphamar.

Ethiopia - Flash floods have displaced 120,000 people in Ethiopia and a total of almost half a million are expected to be affected this year, sparking another weather-related crisis in the country already experiencing severe drought. Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) showed 119,711 people in six provinces had been displaced by last month's "exceptional" flooding. Some of the affected regions had already been hard hit by food shortages, it said. River and flash floods caused by Ethiopia's "belg" rains which run from February to April are likely to affect a total of 485,610 people this year, UNOCHA said. According to the agency, these floods are hampering the deliveries of food aid in the East African nation.

Malaysia - Flash floods hit several key roads in the Klang Valley yesterday, leaving hundreds of cars trapped in Kuala Lumpur and in Petaling Jaya following a heavy downpour in the evening.

Malta - The sea flooded Msida Square round the Workers' Monument this morning in an event which is infrequent but not rare. The flooding is caused by meteorological conditions. It last occurred in 2012.

Tajikistan - Heavy rains in Tajikistan have caused floods and mudslides that have damaged homes and led to the evacuation of hundreds of people across the country. The floods damaged more than 1,000 homes overnight in several villages near the capital.

Wildlife

The bodies of these shorebirds are actually shrinking, and global warming is the cause

For red knot shorebirds that nest in the Arctic and fly across the globe every year, timing is everything — a matter of life and death.

They nest in the coldest place in the world, feeding bugs to chicks to nourish them for a marathon flight to the tropics when winter approaches. Historically, their departure to tropical beaches and their arrival back to the Arctic after the cold relents were perfectly timed, when plenty of food was available in both areas.

But a new study published Thursday in Science says global warming has changed that. Warming has caused Arctic snow to retreat earlier, causing insect populations that peak as the snow melts to rise and fall before chicks can eat as many as they need to grow and power the grueling flights to come.

As a result, red knots are physically shrinking. And because the smaller birds are weaker, they’re dying off and causing the population to shrink as well.

“Juvenile red knots that we caught along the Baltic Coast while on their way to West Africa were smaller and had shorter bills after warm Arctic summers,” said Jan van Gils, a researcher at the NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, who was the study’s lead author.

According to estimates calculated at the turn of the century, red knot numbers have fallen by nearly 60,000, and the threat of extinction is more than real as they continue to drop.

Viral Carpageddon

Australian officials plan to release a carp-specific herpes virus into the country’s waterways in an attempt to wipe out their most troublesome invasive fish.

European carp have ravaged native fish populations since they were introduced by misguided early settlers in 1859.

Because the Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 hasn’t shown any adverse effects in carp-farming countries like China and Vietnam since it first appeared in the late 1990s, officials are confident it will pose no threat to the Australian environment. But they concede that a massive cleanup will be needed when untold millions of fish suddenly die and begin to rot.

The virus kills between 70 and 80 percent of exposed carp within a few weeks.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 116.0 degrees Fahrenheit (46.7 degrees Celsius) in Sibi, Pakistan.

The week's coldest temperature was minus -80.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 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.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Alaska

The Peace River Regional District has declared a local state of emergency in an area North of Fort St. John threatened by out of control wildfires. A state of local emergency allows the district to order evacuations, enter private property threatened by wildfires and restrict movement through certain areas.

The Alaska Highway was closed earlier in the day near Mile 73 due to two fires in the area, one of which reportedly jumped the road Thursday. The Beatton Airport road fire is currently one of the largest in the province at over 9,000 hectares. There are a number of active evacuation alerts in the area.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.4 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.2 Earthquake hits Coquimbo, Chile.

5.1 Earthquake hits North Island, New Zealand.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

London, England - Torrential rain is causing flooding across London and the south coast of England leaving motorists stranded in their cars. Commuters travelling into the capital by public transport were hit with cancellations of train services and delays on roads.

Kenya - A standard 5 pupil was swept by floods in Nyora village, Nyatike Sub County on Tuesday. Rescue operations to recover the body of the boy are under way.

Wildfires

Wildfires rage in Siberia and Russian Far East

Warming weather has unleashed a wave of forest fires, with the Republic of Buryatia, and regions TransBaikal and Amur badly hit. In one day alone 10,000 hectares of forest in the Russian Far East was burned down, with dozens of homes lost.

The scale was less than in Canada's dramatic fires, but is a reminder of the grave threat annually facing many Russian regions. Head of the Federal Forestry Agency Ivan Valentik blames people for much of the carnage.

'99% of all fires in the Amur region, the Trans-Baikal region and Buryatia are caused by people who set fire to grass,' he said. He warned that the tradition of burning dried grass ahead of the sowing season - popular since Soviet times - is now against the law.

In Amur region 11 houses were destroyed by fire and 50 people evacuated in Zarechnaya Sloboda village. Some 200 homes were saved by emergency teams. Other houses were lost near Progress and Malinovka villages.

On May 10 the situation worsened because of strong winds - up to 20 metres per second, igniting homes in a matter of minutes, with 27 people left homeless.

In Buryatia the area of wildfires increased in 1.5 times to 11 May with some 18,800 hectares burning. At one point, fires threatened the republic's capital Ulan-Ude. In TransBaikal region some 11,000 hectares were aflame.

During the long May holidays holidays, fires came close to Buryatia settlements 14 times, and the area of wildfires increased 10 times.

Disease

Foot−and−mouth outbreak in Okongo, Namibia

THE Okongo constituency in the Ohangwena region is experiencing a recurrence of foot−and−mouth disease (FMD), just four months after Namibia was declared FMD−free.

The villages affected include Oshikome, Ombongola, Okakango kaShapwa, Okanyandi East, Okanyandi West, Ohiki, Omufimba, Ondamayomunghete, Ombabi, Okalupalelona and Oshishogolo.

The governor noted that the disease is ‘imported’ from neighbouring Angola, where some Namibian cattle graze among buffaloes which are known carriers of FMD.

Anthrax outbreak in Maragua, Kenya

One person has been hospitalized while hundreds were treated and discharged in Murang’a county after eating meat infected with anthrax.

The department of Agriculture and Livestock on Wednesday issued a quarantine at Gikomora village to avoid the spread of the disease. The county government also dispatched veterinary officers to vaccinate all livestock in the village for free.

This was after villagers consumed 5 cows suspected to have been infected with the deadly disease. By Tuesday night, 10 people had been put under surveillance after developing symptoms related to the disease.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits the Balleny Islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits southern Qinghai, China.

5.0 Earthquake hits Reykjanes ridge.

5.0 Earthquake hits northwest of Australia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Ethiopia - At least 50 people have been killed in flooding and landslide caused by heavy rains in Ethiopia. Some 41 people died in Wolayita Zone in southern Ethiopia on Monday because of the landslide. Reports said that nine others were also killed in the Bale region in southeastern Ethiopia following the flooding. Over 1,000 cattle also reportedly drowned in the area. Tens of thousands of people have been affected by heavy the rains in several parts of the country. A number of roads have been washed away and bridges destroyed. The African country is struggling with its worst drought in decades, but unseasonable heavy rains have caused damage in several areas across the country.

El Niño - El Niño seen ending while chance of La Niña remains at 50%. The Pacific Ocean has cooled to near neutral levels over the past two weeks, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said on Tuesday (May 10, 2016), as the end of the strongest El Niño weather patterns in nearly 20 years is coming closer.

Global Warming

Global Warming Animation

Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, devised the spiral animation to show how global average surface temperatures are increasing relative to the average temperature during preindustrial times.

The data comes from the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, which is part of the UK Met Office.

The graphic shows monthly global temperature departures on average from January 1850 to March 2016, compared to the baseline of preindustrial temperatures from 1850 to 1900.

If the animation does not work on your browser, you can visit here to see the animation.

Disease

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

On 4 May 2016, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Shiveluch (Kamchatka): KVERT reported that during 21-29 April lava-dome extrusion onto Sheveluch's N flank was accompanied by strong fumarolic activity, dome incandescence, ash explosions, and hot avalanches. Satellite images showed an intense daily thermal anomaly over the dome. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange.

Mount St. Helens (Washington): Since the beginning of 2016, a swarm of small earthquakes has been occurring at under the volcano, suggesting that another phase of magma recharge is currently taking place. The recorded quakes have been at shallow depths between 2-7 km under the summit and ranged in magnitudes from 0 (or less) to 3 on the Richter scale, i.e. they are all tiny. Only rarely, they exceeded magnitude 2 and only a very few might have been felt by persons being very close. USGS volcanologists and seismologists interpret the vertical area where these quakes occurred as the area where a small amount of fresh magma has been rising into the volcano's plumbing system (a magma chamber). Magma rises, pressurizes surrounding rock to make space and causes fracturing = tiny quakes. The current swarm is only one of a series of similar swarms that have taken place since 1988, including some much more energetic ones (such as during 1998-99). Most such earthquake swarms, not only at Mt. St. Helens, but at almost any volcano, are NOT followed by eruption, or at least not immediately. In the case of Mt. St. Helens, the large earthquake swarm during 1998-99 preceded the small effusive activity during 2004-2008 by 5 years.

Nevados de Chillán (Central Chile): (9 May) Two new phases of ash explosions occurred at the volcano this morning. The first and strongest occurred at 13:03 local time, generating a dense ash plume that rose 1700 m above the crater, followed by a weaker series of ash emissions at 14:40. The eruption plumes caused moderate ash falls in areas up to a few km downwind (north) of the crater as well as small mud flows on its upper slopes. The latter were the result of rapid interaction of hot tephra (the erupted fragmented material) with snow.The new activity, sign of the volcano's ongoing phase of unrest, had been preceded by increasingly frequent gas and steam puffs since around yesterday evening; some of them possibly contained light ash ash well. According to SERNAGEOMIN, the seismic activity of the volcano has been at fluctuating, but generally low energy levels during the recent weeks. Out of 614 seismic events detected during 16-30 April, more than 90% were related to internal fluid movements, in turn indicative of interaction of the volcano's (deeper) magmatic with the shallow hydrothermal system.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits the Andaman Islands off India.

5.1 Earthquake hits east of the Kuril Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.

5.0 Earthquake hits Guadeloupe in the Leeward islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Oklahoma, USA - At least two people died after tornadoes swept across Oklahoma Monday. A tornado hit a home near Wynnewood claiming the life of a person, Garvin County officials confirmed. Another man was killed by a tornado near Connerville. One person sustained minor injuries in Murray County. According to the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, storms destroyed a radio station building in Coal County and number of houses in Murray, Garvin and Johnston counties. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado in central Iowa. Another tornado hit near Nehawka, Nebraska, about 30 miles south of Omaha. No injuries have been reported.

Rwanda Update - At least 49 people have been killed after heavy rain caused widespread flooding across parts of Rwanda. The small central African country was hit by torrential downpours over the weekend. The Northern Province was worst affected and suffered the highest death toll. There were also dozens of injuries, with at least 26 people requiring hospital treatment. The heavy downpours caused landslides that blocked roads across the north of the country, cutting off thousands of people. Buildings have been damaged and nearly 500 homes have been destroyed, leaving thousands of people homeless.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Telica (Nicaragua): During the past days(in particular since 6 May), activity of the volcano seems to have increased. The nightly glow from the crater has become stronger and intermittent weak ash emissions also occurred in the past days. These occasional ash plumes, brownish in colour, appeared to have risen calmly from the crater (without much impulse). Hence, they were probably not driven by near-surface explosions, but rather deep-seated activity inside the conduit; their brownish colour furthermore suggests that the ash came mainly from older fragmented rock instead of fresh magma, although this is difficult to judge from webcam imagery alone.

Turrialba (Costa Rica): After another series of ash emissions yesterday morning the volcano has been calmer today today and only produced a variable steam plume. According to RSN, this was accompanied by a significant decrease in seismic activity after 10 am local time yesterday, suggesting that internal pressure has dropped although some episodes of weak volcanic tremor were still being detected. Whether or how long this phase of relative calm continues is impossible to predict.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits Antigua and Barbuda.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Rwanda - Devastating landslides in northern Rwanda have claimed the lives of 20 people, the disaster management ministry said Sunday. Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall buried houses in the Gakenke district in Rwanda.

Australia - Heavy rain has flooded a number of outback roads in South Australia's far north, with between 40 and 60 millimetres recorded in some areas over the past few days. Large stretches of the Oodnadatta, Birdsville and Strzelecki tracks are closed to all vehicles cutting off several towns including William Creek, Oodnadatta and Innamincka.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Minnesota, USA

A handful of wildfires continued to burn Sunday in northern Minnesota, the largest of which has charred about 1,000 acres east of Hoyt Lakes in Hubbard County. Dubbed the Skibo fire, the blaze was 12 percent contained as of 8 a.m. Sunday. More than 40 aircraft and 400 people from 14 states were fighting the wildfires in Minnesota

Although smoke continued to drift into Minnesota and Iowa from the huge wildfire burning in Canada, air quality levels across the state were good to moderate Sunday, the National Weather Service reported.

Several new fires were reported Saturday, including the Taylor Road fire near Embarrass, which as of Sunday had blackened 250 acres and was 20 percent contained. The Finland fire has burned 200 acres and is 20 percent contained. The Lake Hattie fire near Park Rapids, was 100 percent contained by Sunday afternoon, said spokesman Ron Sanow. That fire burned for four days and charred 356 acres before MNICS turned it over to the Bemidji area forestry office, he said. There were no evacuations and no structures lost.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Niigata-Yake-yama (Honshu): A very small (presumably phreatic) eruption took place at the volcano during the past days. A small fresh ash deposit was detected on an overflight by JMA on 6 May on the upper eastern crater flank.

Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): Mild explosive activity continues to occur at the volcano. In recent days, reports of small ash plumes have become more frequent. A thermal hot spot is visible on satellite imagery as well. This morning, VAAC Darwin reported an ash plume at flight level 70 (7,000 ft / 2.1 km altitude) extending 100 km to the west.

Dukono (Halmahera): The activity at the volcano remains unchanged, but intense. Ash plumes at low altitudes extending over 100 km into various directions can be observed on satellite imagery almost every day.

Santiaguito (Guatemala): The activity of the volcano remains at elevated levels. The rate of magma rising into the Caliente lava dome has been the highest during its ongoing activity in recent years. Essentially effusive (rising viscous magma into the dome), it produces continuous rockfalls mainly on the eastern side of the dome, as well as intermittent small to strong explosions and collapse events. Another particularly strong explosion and/or partial dome collapse occurred early on Friday (6 May) morning, shortly before 5 am (local time). It generated an impressive ash plume that rose to 5 km altitude and produced ash fall in up to 50 km downwind to the SE, including the town of San Antonio Suchitepequez. A pyroclastic flow traveled down the western side of the dome.

Fuego (Guatemala): Another paroxysm (the 7th in 2016) occurred during 6-7 May at the volcano and has now ended. Similar to the previous such episode during 13-14 April, it produced small pulsating lava fountains and a lava flow that descended 1000 m into the Las Lajas ravine on the upper SE flank, but generated no pyroclastic flows. The eruption lasted 32 hours according to INSIVUMEH.