Environment

Plant Pests Killed Off By Arctic Vortex Chill

The brutal Arctic vortex chill that brought shivers to people living across North America appears to have also killed off a large number of tree-eating forest pests.

The coldest air to reach Minnesota in decades was probably deadly to pests such as the emerald ash borer, which forest officials say has killed more than 10 million trees.

U.S. Forest Service biologist Robert Venette said that 80 percent of those insects could have been exterminated by temperatures plunging to between minus 22 and minus 26 degrees Fahrenheit.

Venette explained that it takes that kind of cold to reach beneath the bark of infected trees, where the pests winter in a larval state.

The cold is also believed to have killed off a large number of gypsy moths, which eat the leaves of more than 300 species of trees, shrubs and other plants.

But the extreme cold also split or cracked the limbs and stems of some trees, leaving them vulnerable to insects and other threats.

Wildfires

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

 On 16 January 2014, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China notified WHO of seven additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Karymsky (Kamchatka): The volcano continues to produce sporadic strombolian and small vulcanian explosions. VAAC Tokyo reported a small ash plume yesterday at 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude.

Shiveluch (Kamchatka): The volcano has been a bit calmer over the past days with no significant explosions / ash emissions from the (active) dome reported. Most of the time, the volcano is covered in clouds, but occasional views show intense degassing.

Aso (Kyushu): Activity at the volcano has decreased although the Nakadake crater with its 2 active vents continues to emit an abundant steam plume, mixed perhaps sometimes with dilute ash. Glow can no longer be seen at night, or at least it has become extremely weak.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Aris Yanto (NdesoAdventures) who is currently on location sent us some impressions from the activity at Sinabung volcanotaken during 16-20 Jan 2014. As of today, after a few days of relative calm with only rockfalls but no significant pyroclastic flows, activity has picked up again and the volcano produced a few small to medium-sized pyroclastic flows. Ash plumes were reported to reach a maximum of approx. 20,000 ft (6 km) altitude.

Dukono (Halmahera): A volcanic ash plume was reported by VAAC Darwin this morning. Its estimated altitude was 10,000 ft (3 km) and it extended 85 nautical miles to the east.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.4 Earthquake hits the northern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Kuril islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

In the South Indian Ocean:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 09s (Deliwe), located approximately 832 nm southwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar.

The tropical cyclone formed in the Mozambique Channel, and on Friday was forecast to make its way towards the Mozambican coast over the next three days, bringing strong winds and torrential rain to the south of the country.

Cyclone Deliwe moved down the western coast of Madagascar, picking up speed. At 06.00 on Friday the cyclone was generating winds of 83 kilometres an hour, with gusts of over 100 kilometres an hour. As it moves over open water, the storm is expected to gather strength. The forecast for Saturday morning was for winds of up to 120 kilometres an hour.

It is not yet clear whether Deliwe will strike the Mozambican coast, but the National Meteorology Institute warns that it is heading towards Inhambane province.

Tropical cyclone June is located approximately 254 nm south of Noumea, New Caledonia.

June, which formed in the Coral Sea near the Solomon Islands as a category one cyclone, is expected to have intensified to category two before hitting Norfolk Island, between New Caledonia and New Zealand, on Sunday. Tropical Cyclone June is expected to produce a prolonged period of gale force winds, heavy rainfall and moderate to heavy swells over Norfolk Island on Sunday and Monday. Damaging winds averaging above 75 kilometres per hour with gusts of about 100 kilometres per hour are expected to develop on Norfolk Island by about midday on Sunday.

In the Western Pacific Ocean:

Tropical depression Lingling is located approximately 365 nm east of Zamboanga, Philippines.

Wildlife

Japanese Fishermen Terrorize Dolphins Before Slaughter

More than 200 bottlenose dolphins spent a second day penned in a cove by Japanese fishermen, U.S. conservationists said Sunday, many of them stressed and bloodied from their attempts to escape.

The dolphins will spend a third night without food or rest in Taiji Cove before the fishermen likely start to slaughter them Monday for meat, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said.

Until now, the fishermen have focused on selecting dolphins to be sold into captivity at marine parks and aquariums in Japan and overseas, the conservation group said. Twenty-five dolphins, including a rare albino calf, were taken on Saturday "to a lifetime of imprisonment," and another 12 on Sunday, the group said. Two dolphins have died in the process.

Although the hunting of dolphins is widely condemned in the west, Japanese defend the practice as a local custom -- and say it is no different to the slaughter of other animals for meat.

Space Events

Is our Sun falling silent?

"I've been a solar physicist for 30 years, and I've never seen anything quite like this," says the head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. The Sun's face is strangely featureless. "If you want to go back to see when the Sun was this inactive... you've got to go back about 100 years."

This solar lull is baffling scientists, because right now the Sun should be awash with activity. It has reached its solar maximum, the point in its 11-year cycle where activity is at a peak.This giant ball of plasma should be peppered with sunspots, exploding with flares and spewing out huge clouds of charged particles into space in the form of coronal mass ejections. But apart from the odd event, like some recent solar flares, it has been very quiet. And this damp squib of a maximum follows a solar minimum - the period when the Sun's activity troughs - that was longer and lower than scientists expected.

There is a significant chance that the Sun could become increasingly quiet. An analysis of ice-cores, which hold a long-term record of solar activity, suggests the decline in activity is the FASTEST THAT HAS BEEN SEEN IN 10,000 YEARS. "It's an UNUSUALLY RAPID DECLINE."

"We estimate that within about 40 years or so there is a 10% to 20% - nearer 20% - probability that we'll be back in Maunder Minimum conditions." The era of solar inactivity in the 17th Century coincided with a period of bitterly cold winters in Europe. Londoners enjoyed frost fairs on the Thames after it froze over, snow cover across the continent increased, the Baltic Sea iced over - the conditions were so harsh, some describe it as a mini-Ice Age.

Disease

U.S. flu outbreak reaches epidemic status

Now being called a national epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control, the influenza outbreak is claiming more lives in North Texas, and forcing one hospital to make changes. As of Saturday, Dallas County reported 35 flu-related deaths; there have been five in Tarrant County, four each in Denton and Collin counties, and one each in Wise and Hunt counties.

The flu is now widespread in 40 states. In the past week alone, 10 children have died, some just days after coming down with the virus.

Starting next week, all Indianapolis-area hospitals will ban visitors with flu-like symptoms.

Flu season continues through April, so health officials continue to urge everyone to get a flu shot.

It takes two weeks for full protection, but doctors say your immunity starts to kick in almost immediately.

Wildfires

More than 90 wildfires blaze in Australian state

More than 90 wildfires are burning over Australia's New South Wales state, but the danger has ebbed in neighbouring Victoria and South Australia states.

State Country Fire Service spokesman Matt Sun said many of the 93 fires burning across New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, on Sunday were sparked by overnight lightning strikes.

Sun says at least three houses have been destroyed near the village of Minimbah, west of Sydney.

Heat wave conditions across southeast Australia last week intensified wildfires that destroyed at least 25 houses in Victoria and South Australia over several days.

Victoria Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said Australia's second most populous state had coped reasonably well with a fire emergency that scorched 320,000 acres of grass and woodlands.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Activity at the volcano has been a bit lower during the past days, especially when compared to the first half of the past week. It is certainly too early to say whether this is a sign of a possible approaching end of the of the eruption or just a temporary or perhapy only apparent decrease. VSI has published a detailed report about their seismic and other monitoring data up up 17 Jan. It doesn't include the past days, but illustrates the marked peak in activity during 10-15 Jan. Deformation and other monitoring data have been limited by several stations having become non-operational because ash covering the solar panels and other technical difficulties in maintaining them.

Marapi (Western Sumatra, Indonesia): New ash emissions occurred from the volcano's summit crater this morning at 10am local time, Antara News reported. The eruption , back into eruption. Similar small eruptions have been observed during the past years and the current status of the volcano remains at level 2 (out of 4). Climbers are advised not to approach the crater to within 3 km radius because similar (probably phreatic) explosions can occur with little warning.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits the Bonin Islands off Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits Costa Rica.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits the Bonin Islands off Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits Costa Rica.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

In the South Indian Ocean:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 09s (Deliwe), located approximately 585 nm southwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar, has tracked west-southwestward at 12 knots.

Tropical cyclone (tc) 10p (June), located approximately 184 nm northwest of Noumea, New Caledonia, has tracked southeastward at 09 knots.

In the Western Pacific Ocean:

Tropical storm 01w (Lingling) is located approximately 513 nm southeast of Zamboanga, Philippines, has tracked southeastward at 06 knots.

Wildlife

Sydney's Bald Reef Gets a Seaweed Transplant

Seaweed transplants could help revive an underwater forest off the coast of Sydney, Australia, that was wiped out by sewage dumping decades earlier, a new study suggests.

The large brown seaweed species Phyllospora comosa, commonly called crayweed, once thrived off the city's shores, providing food and shelter for other undersea creatures like fish and abalone. But in 2008, researchers discovered that this macroalgae had disappeared from a 43-mile (70 kilometres) stretch of Sydney's coastline — and that it had probably been missing for years.

A group of ecologists took fertile crayweed from surrounding coastal areas and transplanted the species onto two barren reef sites off Sydney. At one site off Long Bay, transplanted crayweed individuals survived just well as those left undisturbed, and they even reproduced.

Seaweeds are the "trees" of the ocean, Campbell added; they support life along temperate coastlines, which can help promote biodiversity and sustain fishing and tourism industries.

Wildfires

Wildfires - South Australia

Extreme heat and high winds fanned dozens of bushfires across Australia on Friday, prompting hundreds to flee their homes in some of the worst conditions seen since Black Saturday in 2009.

One person died in the Grampians bushland in the southeastern state of Victoria, about 300 km (186 miles) west of Melbourne, where bushfires are burning out of control amid temperatures which have hit above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees F), destroying or damaging houses.

Victoria was the hardest hit, with 70 bushfires burning out of control. Dozens of blazes are burning in South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales.

Authorities have issued seven emergency warnings to severely affected areas, prompting hundreds of residents to flee their homes.

Environment

Dead Sea Shrinks Further Despite Middle East Rains

The level of the shrinking Dead Sea dropped even further this winter despite drenching rains that filled up reservoirs elsewhere across Israel and the occupied West Bank.

Hydrologists say the widespread rain and snow even refilled most of the coastal aquifer while failing to replenish the Dead Sea.

Siphoning of the sea and its Jordan River source for agricultural use and industry, as well as evaporation, have caused the shoreline to retreat by as much as a mile in some spots over the past few decades.

By early January, the super-saline lake had dropped by more than an inch from what had been measured a month earlier, reaching a level 3 feet lower than just a year before.

The retreating shoreline has destabilized the ground, causing massive sinkholes that have devoured entire villages.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits the Bouvet Island region.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Bouvet Island region.

5.0 Earthquake hits eastern Xizang, China.

Tracking Fukushima Radiation:

Since the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011, concerns have spread among the public that water with traces of radioactive material might be traveling in a plume across the Pacific Ocean toward the west coast of North America.

Experts say the radiation levels reaching the U.S. coast and Hawaiian Islands will be too low to threaten human health or marine life, but no U.S. government or international agency is actually monitoring radiation in these places.

Now, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts is launching a new citizen science project to measure levels of radioactive cesium in water washing up along the West Coast.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

In the South Indian Ocean:

Tropical cyclone Deliwe forms approximately 325 nm southwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar.

In the Pacific Ocean:

A fresh cyclone is brewing in the Pacific near the Solomon Islands as humanitarian groups struggle to get relief supplies to outlying islands in Tonga devastated by Cyclone Ian. Solomons forecasters said the region's second cyclone of the summer could hit this weekend, a week after Ian slammed into Tonga, killing one person, leaving about 4000 homeless and destroying crops on outer islands.

NewsBytes:

Landslides and flooding in Sulwesi, Indonesia have claimed lives of at least 16 people and displaced around 4,000 people.

Global Warming

Global Warming - Public Opinion

The number of Americans who believe global warming isn't happening has risen to 23 percent, up 7 percentage points since April 2013.

The latest survey, taken in November 2013, finds that the majority of Americans — 63 percent — do believe in climate change, and 53 percent are "somewhat" or "very" worried about the consequences.

The proportion of people who do believe in climate change has been steady since April 2013, but the proportion of those who say they "don't know" whether climate change is happening dropped 6 percentage points between April and November 2013, suggesting that many "don't knows" moved into the "not happening" category.

Environment

Mild Scandinavian Winter Stirs Bears and Buds Flowers

The bulge of warm air over Northern Europe, pushed up by the Arctic vortex on the other side of the Atlantic, has caused bears to emerge early from hibernation in Finland and plants to bud earlier than normal in Norway.

While North Americans have shivered in the coldest weather in decades, Nordic residents have experienced one of the mildest winters in a century.

The Norwegian newspaper Sunnmørsposten published reader photographs of daffodils emerging as early as mid-December, along with crocuses, daisies, dandelions and honeysuckle.

“It was very unusual to see no snow in large areas where it is normal in December,” said Ketil Isaksen, a scientist at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

“Only in the mountains and certain parts of Norway could you find snow.” Heavy rainfall, instead of snow, is believed to have flooded bear dens, forcing the animals out of hibernation.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 116.8 degrees Fahrenheit (47.1 degrees Celsius) at Mardie, Western Australia.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 60.7 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 51.5 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Siberian community of Verkhoyansk.

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 - California

Colby fire above Glendora burns homes, spews smoke over L.A. Basin.

The fast-moving wildfire in the hills above Glendora burned at least 1,700 acres of withered brush and five homes Thursday, and sent a smoky pall over much of the Los Angeles Basin. Weather officials had been warning about the fire danger for months, capped by a January that had the windy, nosebleed feel of October. The native chaparral that burns so easily in normal circumstances was parched and ready to combust.

The fire sent smoke and ash south and west toward the Pacific Ocean. People as far away as Huntington Beach and Santa Monica smelled the wood smoke and saw their shadows cast in an eerie red light. Commuters on the 10 Freeway reported seeing the flames from as far away as West Covina, with cars caked in dust and ash 30 miles from the fire.

Winds were gusting to 30 mph Thursday morning and were projected to climb to 40 mph by Thursday night.

Wildfires - South Australia

A massive 41,000-hectare bushfire in Victoria's Grampians has caused significant concern for firefighters by creating its own weather system.

The fire has caused a 12-kilometre convection column that has created thunderstorms and lightning.

ABC weather expert Graham Creed says a pyrocumulus cloud in the Grampians was triggered by heat and intense updrafts, and could result in damaging winds as well as potentially large hail.

Officials confirmed a woman died in the Grampians fire whilst at least two homes were destroyed in South Australia's Eden Valley north-east of Adelaide.

Firefighters had to battle another day of stifling conditions and while a cool change is predicted, it is bringing wind gusts of up to 120kph that have the potential to start new bushfires.

Drought

California

Record warm and dry weather has hit California this month, as one of the worst drought in state history continues to intensify. San Francisco Airport observed its warmest January day on record on Wednesday: 73°. This beat the previous all-time January record of 72° set twice before (on January 13, 2009 and January 24, 1948). Oakland hit 77° on Wednesday, and Monterey topped out at a remarkable 83° -- which would be a daily record on many summer days.

The record January heat has been accompanied by record dryness. California recorded its driest year in its history during 2013. The most widely used measure of drought in the U.S. shows that December 2013 drought conditions in California were the 2nd most intense for any December going back to 1895, with only December 1898 being worse.

Less than an inch of precipitation has fallen over more than 95% of the state so far in January 2014, and the prospects for significant rain for the next ten days look bleak. A large and persistent ridge of high pressure has set up over the West Coast and shows no signs of budging. Since rain-bearing low pressure system tend to travel along the axis of the jet stream, these storms are being carried well to the north of California into Southeast Alaska, leaving California exceptionally dry.

Thursday's U.S. Drought Monitor showed that the area of California experiencing extreme drought expanded from 28% to 63% over the past week, and January 2014 drought conditions are expected to challenge 1899 for the dubious honour of worst January drought in state history.

Disease

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

On 14 January 2014, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China notified WHO of 3 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.

On 15 January 2014, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China notified WHO of four additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.

South Africa releasing patients with deadly TB strains into community

The spread of a virtually untreatable form of tuberculosis in South Africa is being fueled by the release of infected patients into the general community, according to a new study.

Scientists tracked 107 patients with extensively drug-resistant TB, also known as XDR-TB in three South African provinces between 2008 and 2012. Despite most patients being treated with about eight TB drugs, 78 died. More than 40 others were released from hospitals without further monitoring. TB is an infectious bacterial infection that usually affects the lungs and is often spread by coughing and sneezing.

In one case, DNA testing confirmed a discharged patient passed on the deadly strain to his brother; both eventually died without being admitted to a hospital.

Researchers said releasing patients with the lethal TB strain was happening on a widespread level in South Africa because there were few available beds in TB hospitals or palliative care facilities.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): Vulcanian-type explosions, which presented a spectacular show during much of the past year, are again becoming more frequent at the volcano, with now averaging one event per day. This is still very low compared to most of last year, but a significant increase compared to the past 3 weeks when there were almost none.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Activity remains elevated although pyroclastic flows seem to have become less frequent over the past 24 hours. This could be due to several possibilities or a combination of them:

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): The volcano's activity, essentially unchanged over the past weeks, has returned to very low levels, with usually less than 5 weak explosive emissions per day. Crater glow remains visible at night, indicating continuing slow lava extrusion.

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): The effusion of blocky lava from the deom has become weaker, evidenced by some avalanches from the southern and southeastern rims. Explosive activity seems in turn to be picking up. On average 2-3 explosions per hour are seen from the Caliente lava dome with ash plumes rising up to 800 m and often causing light ash fall in areas to the southwest.

Pacaya (Guatemala): The lava flow from the southern fissure vent at the base of Mackenney crater remains active, and weak strombolian activity occurs at the summit vent.

Fuego (Guatemala): No changes in the explosive and effusive activity at the volcano occurred. 13 explosions were observed during the past 24 hours (11 weak and 2 moderate ones) with ash plumes rising up to 800 m above the crater and forming a plume 8 kilometers to the south and southwest. Incandescent material was seen rising to 75-125 m and locomotive-like degassing sounds, as well as shock waves were noted. The lava flow on the upper SE flank remained moderately alimented and was 300 m long yesterday morning.

El Misti (Peru): The volcano experienced an earthquake swarm during 14-15 January, IGP reported in its latest bulletin. An increase of approx. 25% in seismic activity overall with respect to last year's average was calculated, but IGP stresses that this activity is still low and does not suggest new activity in a near future. According to the report, a total of 418 seismic events were recorded during the first half of January, most of them during the swarm that occurred on 14-15 Jan when almost 120 quakes were registered within 17 hours. From these events, 144 were so called long-period quakes (internal fluid movements), 269 volcano-tectonic earthquakes (internal rock fracturing) and 5 short pulses of tremor (internal vibration). El Misti, which is only 17 km from the center of Arequipa city, is one of the countries major and most active volcanoes. Due to its closeness to a large city and its history of explosive eruptions, it is also one of the most dangerous volcanoes in South America, and clearly one that deserves being closely monitored.

Puyehue-Cordón Caulle (Central Chile and Argentina): A small emission of gas and some ash was reported by Buenos Aires VAAC. In fact, a diluted plume of gas, steam, and possibly some volcanic ash is visible on satellite images from yesterday and this morning. However, the ash if present might have been picked up by winds. It is unclear whether the volcano has actually erupted and new ash. SERNAGEOMIN has not reported any unusual activity and keeps the volcano's status at green (normal).

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits in the Andreanof Islands in the Aleutian Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.

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

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Tropical cyclone Colin is located approximately 1090 nm northeast of Kerguelen Island.

There a cyclone watch underway in Solomon Islands with meteorologists tracking a tropical disturbance that is showing signs of developing further in the next couple of days. The chief forecaster at the Solomon Islands Meteorological Service said if the current weather conditions remain, the Pacific region can expect its second cyclone of the summer by this weekend.

Environment

The sea froze so fast that it killed thousands of fish instantly

Norwegian public radio has reported on the instant death of thousands of fish in a bay in the island of Lovund, Norway. An air temperature of -7.8 C (17.96 F) combined with a strong east wind froze the sea water instantly, trapping and killing the fish. A witness says that he has never seen such a phenomenon.

It seems that the herrings were chased by cormorants into the bay when the deadly freezing happened. It is not uncommon for herring to get very near the shore when chased by predators, sometimes getting trapped by the low tide in areas like this bay.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.3 Earthquake hits San Juan, Argentina.

5.1 Earthquake hits Tajikistan.

5.1 Earthquake hits Turkmenistan.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of the Kermedec Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Tropical cyclone Colin is located approximately 1300 nm south of Diego Garcia.

NewsBytes:

A state of calamity has been declared after floods and mudslides claimed the lives of at least ten people and left 10 others missing in southeast Brazil.

Wildfires

Wildfires - South Australia

The heatwave frying South East Australia gets worse as hundreds of new fires are reported.

Emergency warnings have been issued for two uncontrolled bushfires apparently started by thunderstorms in sweltering South Australia.

The Country Fire Service (CFS) says it’s receiving reports of fires at the rate of one a minute, from the state’s west to the wine region of the Barossa Valley, the Mt Lofty Ranges near Adelaide and the Murraylands.

Two fires have been given emergency warning status which means the blazes are a risk to lives and homes.

In Adelaide today, the state capital melted under 45 degree heat with more 40 degree plus temperatures forecast for the next three days.

A thunderstorm swept across the state earlier today sending lightening strikes into bushland.

A badly burned woman was fighting for her life in hospital last night after being airlifted from one of the 300 bushfires burning across the state.

Disease

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

On 13 January 2014, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China notified WHO of 6 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus, and the death of a previously reported case.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission of China notified WHO of 5 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus, including 1 death.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The volcano's eruption continues at elevated levels similar to the past days. The growing lava dome produces frequent small to medium-sized pyroclastic flows, sometimes surpassing 5 km length. Thus, the flows approach the current limits of the exclusion zone (5 km, 7 km on SE side) and it would be wise to extend it to at least 10 km, although the logistic and social problems and side-effects involved would be immense. Already more than 26,000 people are now listed as evacuees and authorities make efforts to establish emergency escape routes in the 10 km radius zone everyone should know. It is impossible to predict how the volcano's eruption will evolve. In addition to the pyroclastic flows caused by collapses of the highly unstable growing lava dome, the vents show a tendency towards increasing ash venting and explosions. One scenario could be the re-appearance of larger explosions, which would destroy the lava dome and possibly produce pyroclastic flows that well surpass the ones currently seen, as happened in the deadly Merapi 2010 eruption.

Dukono (Halmahera): More explosions occurred today at the volcano. Ash plumes were reported at 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude extending up to 60 nautical miles to the NE.

Pacaya (Guatemala): The volcano continues to effuse a weakly alimented lava flow from the southern fissure and has mild strombolian activity at the summit crater, with explosions occurring about every 2 minutes and ejections reaching 25-70 m above the crater.

Fuego (Guatemala): Activity continues at moderate levels as during the past days. INSIVUMEH counted 13 moderate explosions with shock waves and ash plumes rising 300-800 m. The lava flow on the upper southern slope towards the Trinidad drainage was 300 m long this morning.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

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

5.0 Earthquake hits the Taiwan Strait.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Tropical cyclone Colin is located approximately 1171 nm south of Diego Garcia.

Southern Indian Ocean:

Tropical cyclone Ian is located approximately 978 nm south of Pago Pago.

NewsBytes:

According to updated reports, at least 14 people have died while 13 are missing due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Philippines.

Disease

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

On 10 January 2014, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China notified WHO of 6 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus, including 1 death.

Foot and Mouth Disease in Tibet

Chinese authorities have confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among cattle in Tibet.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Aso (Kyushu): The volcano is active from 2 vents in the Nakadake crater. During the night, sometime strong incandescence, suggesting possible weak (strombolian-type) ejections of lava, steaming and minor ash venting are visible.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): After a few days of deceiving calm, the eruption of the volcano intensified again today and produced the so-far largest pyroclastic flows, reaching probably more than 5-6 km in length, and associated ash plumes that rose to approx. 25,000 ft (8 km) altitude.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.5 Earthquake hits Puerto Rico.

5.0 Earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Tropical cyclone Colin is located approximately 819 nm south-southeast of Diego Garcia.

Southern Indian Ocean:

Tropical cyclone Ian is located approximately 739 nm south of Pago Pago.

TC Ian is the most powerful cyclone ever to hit Tonga and has destroyed villages, flattened trees and left at least one person dead. Up to 70 per cent of houses and buildings in the central Ha'apai islands group - which is home to about 8000 people and bore the brunt of Cyclone Ian - were damaged or destroyed. The Tongan government on Sunday declared a state of emergency in the Ha'apai region after it was pounded by winds in excess of 200 kilometres an hour, which whipped up mountainous seas around coastal villages.

US extreme weather caused by shifting Arctic Cyclone?

As residents of the United States and Canada were surprised by the frigid cold dipping below minus 30 degrees Celsius, Russians and other Europeans were also surprised by the January weather, with temperatures in Moscow rising some 11 degrees above average. In Germany tourists sat outside in the warm sun enjoying Italian Ice Cream. Now weather experts say the two anomalies are in fact connected.

As Americans kept struggling with extreme cold and snow brought on by a ‘polar vortex,’ people in central Russia were puzzled by warm rainy weather that melted all the snow away. Central Europe also experienced sudden warm-up, and trees in Moldovan capital Chisinau got confused to the point their buds started swelling, apparently in anticipation of the blooming season.

One of the reasons for the snowless January in Russia and the coldest winter in the last 17 years for the US is the shifting of the Arctic Cyclone towards North America, says a warning meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The arctic cyclone may come to Russia in a week or two, he said, predicting that the temperatures in the country could soon leap back to below zero and even below average. Russian meteorologists have said that the gradual return of winter is to be expected even sooner.

According to the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia, frost and snow is coming back, starting from this weekend and reaching minus 17 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, people in practically every US state (except Alaska and Hawaii) have been suffering the fate of the US East Coast and Midwest, which were hit by heavy storms ahead of Thanksgiving, and then have suffered Winter Storm Hercules, with its severe snowfall and chilling wind, just after New Year’s. The natural disaster grounded thousands of flights, halted some trains and traffic midway, cut power lines, leaving whole parts of cities in the dark, and was responsible for countless road accidents, some of them fatal. New York's Governor on Tuesday even declared a state of emergency due to a “polar vortex” raging in the state, describing the weather conditions as “life threatening.”

Weather experts, however, have stopped short of saying the anomalies are direct signs of global warming. "What is happening now in the US and Russia is due to “natural climactic variations,” said a spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization. The so-called Rossby planetary waves, which, among other factors, are responsible for the emergence of jet streams – the strong high-altitude winds blowing from west to east – are behind the extreme weather fluctuations.

NewsBytes:

A modest severe weather outbreak over the Southeast U.S. on Saturday, January 11, brought the first tornadoes of 2014: three to Virginia, and one to Georgia.

Lightning strikes in Mozambique have claimed lives of four people and injured eight others during storms.

Disease

Isolated case of Congo fever in Western Cape, South Africa

The woman is being treated for Congo fever in Somerset West, Western Cape, is an isolated case, hospital officials said on Sunday.

The 39-year-old contracted the fever from a multi-coloured tick. She was in a serious but stable condition after she was admitted to the hospital over a week ago.

People with Congo fever suffer from flu-like symptoms and haemorrhaging. According to the World Health Organisation Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever is primarily transmitted to people from ticks and livestock animals.

Human-to-human transmission can occur from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected persons. There is no vaccine available for either people or animals.

Drought

Australia

Food prices are expected to soar within months without a downpour over drought-ravaged New South Wales.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Perth Australia

Wildfires in the hills around Perth, Australia have claimed the life of at least one person and destroyed around 40 homes.

Around 275 firefighters are battling the wildfires.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.6 Earthquake hits Guatemala.

5.0 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 07p (Ian), located approximately 618 nm south of Pago Pago, is tracking south-southeastward at 12 knots. Tc Ian is expected to gradually weaken as it encounters increasing vertical wind shear and cooler sea surface temperatures.

Southern Indian Ocean:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 08s (Colin), has formed in the southern Indian Ocean and is located approximately 745 nm south-southeast of Diego Garcia, tracking southwestward at 07 knots.

The cyclone is expected to maintain its current intensity over the next 12 hours as low vertical wind shear (vws) and good outflow persist. Afterwards, cooling sea surface temperatures and increasing vws are expected to gradually weaken the system.

NewsBytes:

Four states in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia have been affected by annual monsoon floods. More than 1 000 families were evacuated in Kelantan.

Five villages in three tambons of Narathiwat's Waeng district in Thailand have been hit by flash floods following two days of continuous rain.

Disease

Nipah Virus is Bangladesh

Health specialists have expressed concerns about a potential fresh outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus (NiV), following the confirmation of two recent deaths from NiV infection and four more suspected fatalities.

Laboratory tests at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has confirmed that two boys – aged 13 and 14 – died from NiV infection at Shibaloy and Ghior of Manikganj district on the last week of December last year.

Both of them died after being infected with the virus by drinking raw date-palm sap.

The NiV – an enveloped RNA virus belonging to genus Henipavirus – is a highly pathogenic paramyxovirus, which is transmitted by the drinking of virus-contaminated raw date palm sap or through close physical contact with Nipah infected patients.

The NiV infection has a fatality rate of 78%, with 148 people out of the 189 reported cases between 2001 and May 2013 – succumbing to the disease in the country.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Pacaya (Guatemala): According to INSIVUMEH, the eruption has considerably slowed down since last evening around 19:15 (local time), although weather prevented detailed observations. Activity at the summit decreased to moderate strombolian explosions with ejections reaching 100 m height and degassing. The tremor signal is still saturated, suggesting that the effusion of lava continues. A strong thermal anomaly, corresponding to the new lava flows, is now visible on satellite data. The ongoing eruption of the volcano involved the opening of at least two effusive fissure vents on the northern and southern base of the Mackenney cone (this info according to images and maps published by CONRED, although CONRED / INSIVUMEH at the same time report 3 vents on the east, west and south flank). These fissures feed two large (and possibly one smaller third) lava flows that have reached lengths of 3-5 km length and are several hundred metres wide at their fronts (up to 800 m on the western side). The lava flows have burned extensive areas of farmland and woods and are close to some villages.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.4 Earthquake hits east of the Izu Islands off Japan.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Severe tropical cyclone Ian category 4 was located about 180km south of niuafo'ou or about 230km northwest of Vava'u at 10:00am this morning. Tropical cyclone Ian has estimated winds of 90knots near its centre with momentary gusts up to 125knots The cyclone is now moving southeast at 6knots.

On its current track, tropical cyclone Ian may bring:

Damaging gale force winds to Vava'u in the 3-6hrs, destructive storm force winds in the next 6-12hrs and very destructive hurricane force winds in the next 12-18hrs

For the Ha'apai group tropical cyclone Ian may bring damaging gale force winds in the next 6-12hrs, destructive storm force winds in the next 12-18 and possible very destructive hurricane force winds in the next 24 to 36hr.

For Tongatapu and Eua the cyclone may bring damaging gale force winds in the next 24-48hrs.

Neutral El Nino

US weather forecaster said on Thursday that it maintains its forecast for neutral El Nino and La Nina conditions in the Northern Hemisphere through summer 2014.

NewsBytes:

Rain in parts of Mindanao in the Philippines may result in flooding in low-lying areas as a low pressure area moved closer to the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

Wildlife

Bats Fall Dead From Sky During Australian Heatwave

A spell of scorching summertime weather in Australia’s southern Queensland state killed as many as 100,000 bats in an environmental disaster officials called unprecedented.

Many of the flying foxes, or fruit bats, fell dead from the sky while the carcasses of others hung on branches.

Local residents said the stench of decay was unbearable as temperatures reached nearly 110° F in Brisbane.

At least 16 people were reportedly receiving anti-viral treatment after coming into close contact with a bat.

The animals sometimes carry lyssavirus, which can cause paralysis and even death in humans.

But wildlife officials say the flying foxes are a key part of the ecosystem, and such a massive loss to their populations will have consequences.

“I don’t necessarily like the bats, but I don’t like seeing them dead,” Dayboro resident Murray Paas told Guardian Australia.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was caring for many young bats left orphaned by the heat disaster.

Disease

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

The Centre for Health Protection, China, Hong Kong SAR, notified WHO on 8 January 2014 of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.

Cholera in Nigeria - Update

No fewer than 71 deaths have been recorded in a cholera outbreak in Kano, Nigeria since the outbreak was first noticed in the State on November 6th, 2013. Kano state has recorded 2165 official cases of cholera from 22 local government areas of the state.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Activity remains unchanged. The Northeast crater produces a weak ash plume currently drifting east. Tremor levels are fluctuating, but generally low. Interestingly, a few shallow (6-7 km) earthquakes of magnitudes around 1.7-1.8 occurred along a W-E line over the past days.

Shiveluch (Kamchatka): The volcano continues to extrude viscous lava, generating explosions and hot avalanches. An ash plume to estimated 23,000 ft (7 km) altitude and drifting east was detected on satellite imagery yesterday. Cloud cover prevents more detailed observations.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The volcano continues to be very active with viscous lava extruded at the new dome, which frequently collapses to form hot avalanches (pyroclastic flows) that generate ash plumes rising up to a few km. The direction of the path of the latest pyroclastic flows has shifted a bit to the east (right) of the previous flow path, possibly due to the obstacle formed by the accumulated latest deposits themselves. These are the gray areas visible on the flank and at the base of the volcano, where a broad delta of hot deposits has formed (that has destroyed everything that used to be there - farmland, scattered houses etc).

Cleveland (Aleutian Islands, Alaska): No new volcanic activity has been observed at the volcano since the 3 brief explosions on December 28 and 30 and January 2. Satellite views since January 2 suggest that no new lava has effused at the summit crater. AVO lowered the Level of Concern Colour Code to YELLOW and the Alert Level to ADVISORY. (AVO / USGS)

Pacaya (Guatemala): A strong increase in activity began last night at the volcano. Accompanied by steeply rising tremor, the so-far mild strombolian activity picked up to become intense enough to produce pulsating lava fountains that eject glowing material to several hundred meters height and is visible from tens of kilometres distance (e.g. the Pacific coast at 50 km to the west). The new surge of lava (or paroxysm) has also generated a new lava flow, which for the time being is confined to the inside of the Mackenney crater, but might soon be able to pour outside of the cone. As a response, CONRED has closed access to the park and civil aviation authority has limited the number of flights in and out of Guatemala airport because of the presence of ash plumes.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Severe tropical cyclone Ian, a category four storm was located 170 km South-SouthWest of Niuafo'Ou and 295 km NorthWest of Vava'U at 1:00 AM Friday morning.

Following the current track, Tropical cyclone Ian is predicted to bring destructive storm force winds to the Vava'U group in the next 12-18 hours followed by a very destructive hurricane force winds in the next 18-24 hours.

Tropical cyclone Ian updates issued at 4:30 Am Friday morning (January 10, 2014) has kept Ha'apai and Niuafo'ou under gale warning. A storm alert remains in force for the Ha'apai group. Similarly, a tropical cyclone alert remains in force for Tongatapu and 'Eua. A hurricane warning has also been issued for the Vava'u group in Tonga.

NewsBytes:

An avalanche in Kashmir, India has claimed the life of an army jawan and left other missing.

Lightning strike in Argentina has claimed the lives of at least three people and injured 22 others. The lightning bolt hit Villa Gesell, Argentina on Thursday afternoon and injured 16 adults and six children. Villa Gesell is a seaside village in Villa Gesell Partido on the Atlantic coast located around 400 kilometres from Buenos Aires.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.1 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.0 Earthquake hits Java, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Colombia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Cuba.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Caspian Sea, offshore Azerbaijan.

Environment

Atomic Testing Contamination Lingers in Stratosphere: Study

Earth’s upper atmosphere is still littered with radioactive particles from the more than 500 above-ground nuclear tests that took place decades ago, according to a new Swiss study.

Most of the plutonium and cesium isotopes from those blasts have since been rinsed out of the lower levels of the atmosphere by falling in rain or snow, or by being brought down by gravity.

The stratosphere was also thought to be relatively fallout-free before the Swiss team found its contamination to be about 1,000 to 1,500 levels higher than in the troposphere, the layer just above the surface.

Jose Corcho of the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection told AFP that the contamination probably poses no danger to humans, and is "comparable to the levels measured at ground level air at the end of the sixties and in the seventies."

“Most of the radioactive particles are removed in the first few years after the explosion, but a fraction remains in the stratosphere for a few decades or even hundreds or thousands of years,” said Corcho.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, used aerosol samples taken by Swiss military aircraft over the past several decades.

A previous study, conducted by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, concluded that nuclear fallout from atmospheric testing might have led to approximately 11,000 deaths, mainly from thyroid cancer.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 119.0 degrees Fahrenheit (48.3 degrees Celsius) at Onslow, Western Australia.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 68.1 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 55.6 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Siberian community of Selagoncy.

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.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Activity and tremor have decreased for now, but weak ash emissions continue to be observed from the NE crater.

Fuego (Guatemala): Seismic activity has decreased at the volcano, suggesting that the latest surge in lava emission (both as larger-than-usual strombolian explosions and lava flow) is over.

Disease

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

WHO has been informed by Canada of a laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus in a previously healthy adult, who was first symptomatic on 27 December 2013 and died 3 January 2014.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits the southwestern Ryukyu Islands, off Japan.

5.1 Earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits southern Iran.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Tropical cyclone 07p (Ian), is located approximately 302 nm east-northeast of Suva, Fiji and is tracking east-southeastward at 02 knots. Interaction with the mid-latitude westerlies will lead to a weakening trend which is forecast to begin extra-tropical transition.

Frost Quakes in Canada

Loud booms startled sleeping Canadians last week when bitterly cold temperatures triggered an unusual weather event called frost quakes.

Frost quakes typically strike after a rapid temperature drop, such as the big chill that hit Ontario when the polar vortex swept through on last week. The quick freeze makes ice in the ground swiftly expand and crack, producing thunder-like booms. These "frost quakes" were reported throughout Ontario, with the first complaints of cracks and booms starting on Twitter around 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 and peaking about 2 a.m. ET Friday, Jan. 3.

Though frost quakes can shake the ground, their effects are so localized that the tremors are rarely caught on earthquake monitors. Natural Resources Canada did not record any shaking on its seismometer network, said Allison Bent, a seismologist with Earthquakes Canada in Ontario.

NewsBytes:

A wave of extremely cold weather in Nepal has claimed the lives of two persons in Mahottari and Jhapa districts on Wednesday. Dozens of flights from various western Terai districts have been cancelled including the flights from Bhairahawa, Dhangadhi, and Nepalgunj.

Communities across storm-battered England and Wales are braced for yet more flooding misery as another band of heavy rain heads from the Atlantic.

Wildlife

Lions Face Extinction in West Africa

Lions in West Africa are on the brink of extinction, new research suggests.

Fewer than 250 adults may be left in West Africa, and those big cats are confined to less than 1 percent of their historic range.

The new study, detailed in the journal PLOS ONE, suggests that without dramatic conservation efforts, three of the four West African lion populations could become extinct in the next five years, with further declines in the one remaining population, study co-author Philipp Henschel, the lion program survey coordinator for Panthera, a global wildcat conservation organization wrote.

The West African lions are genetically distinct from their brethren in other regions of the continent and are closely related to Barbary lions of North Africa and the few Asiatic lions left in India.

Environment

“Most Threatened” Tribe in Brazil Gains Respite

A tribe of indigenous Brazilians dubbed the world's most threatened are getting some breathing room in a new government effort to remove illegal loggers and ranchers from tribal lands.

The Awá, a group of about 450 men, women and children who are among the 800,000 or so indigenous residents of Brazil have been in a long legal battle over the rights to their lands in northeastern Brazil. The forested territory is of great interest to loggers, ranchers and miners, who have staked out claims in the area despite court decisions granting it to the Awá.

Now, Brazil's indigenous affairs department, known as FUNAI, has sent police and special agents to the territory to evict illegal squatters.

Space Events

Sun Unleashes 1st Major Solar Flare of 2014

A massive solar flare erupted from the sun on Tuesday (Jan. 7), rising up from what appears to be one of the largest sunspot groups seen on the star's surface in a decade, NASA officials say.

Tuesday's big flare was an X1.2-class solar event on the scale used to classify sun storms. It occurred at 1:32 p.m. EST (1832 GMT) and came just hours after an M7.2-class flare. Space weather officials at the the Space Weather Prediction Center overseen by NOAA are expecting the flare to spark geomagnetic storms in Earth's magnetic field when a wave of super-hot solar plasma associated with the flare - known as a coronal mass ejection - reaches Earth in the next few days.

Disease

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

The National Health and Family Planning Commission of China has notified WHO of seven additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.

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

WHO has been informed of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Oman.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): The activity of the volcano has remained similar to the previous days: so far, relatively weak but more or less steady ash emissions are occurring at the North-East crater, and tremor continues its slow rise. Whether this is a precursor to more vigorous activity (from the New SE crater?) remains to be seen probably in the coming days.

Shiveluch (Kamchatka): A series of ash plumes to altitudes around 20,000 ft (6 km) from the volcano were reported by VAAC Tokyo, suggesting that the lava dome is currently in a relatively active phase with frequent explosions and/or rockfalls / pyroclastic flows.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): Following an unusually long interval with no real explosions, two small to modest vulcanian eruptions have again occurred on 6 January and today, with ash plumes reported to 10,000 ft (3 km) and 6,000 ft (1.8 km) altitude.

Marapi (Western Sumatra, Indonesia): The volcano (not to be confused with MErapi in Central Java) erupted again yesterday (Thu) morning, producing a series of small (probably phreatic?) ash explosions, with ash plumes that rose to a few 100 m above the crater. According to local newspapers citing PVMBG, the new eruptions were preceded by an increase in seismic activity under the volcano since 1 January and there were 5 explosions at 05:34, 05:53, 05:59, 06:12 and at 07:14 am local time, as well as some weaker ash emissions at 08:07. The current alert status of Mount Marapi, a popular climbing destination, still stays at level 2 (out of 4), but it is recommended not to approach the crater within a radius of 3 km.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 Earthquake hits Tarapaca, Chile.

5.5 Earthquake hits the central east Pacific rise.

5.1 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Tropical cyclone 07p (Ian), forms in the Pacific and is ocated approximately 275 nm east-northeast of Suva, Fiji, tracking northward at 02 knots.

NewsBytes:

An avalanche in the backcountry near Vail. Colorado, USA has claimed the life of one person. The avalanche occurred at around 11:30 am in East Vail Chutes, an area between Vail Mountain and Vail Pass.

Several parts of central Oxford in the UK have flooded in storms described as “the worst in two decades”.

Disease

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

On 31 December 2013 Taipei Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported a laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9).

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The volcano's eruption remains essentially stable. The volcano continues to produce frequent pyroclastic flows - avalanches of lava rocks and ash mixed with gas and air, triggered by partial collapses of the growing lava dome. They continue to reach 2-4 km lengths and run down the SE slope where an extensive delta of pyroclastic deposits is formed. The flows reach lengths of 2-4 km, but the risk of larger flows that would threaten the village in the foreground remains high. The exclusion zone in this area is 7 km from the summit.

San Miguel (El Salvador): Chaparrastique (the local name of the volcano) is still restless. SNET reports seismicity at (low) levels similar to before and after the eruption on 30 Dec, and a degassing plume of 100 m height, with a decreasing tendency. However, new eruptions with little or no warning could occur and authorities ask people not to approach the crater.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits Tarapaca, Chile.

5.2 Earthquake hits Alaska.

5.1 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Aisen, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits the south Indian Ocean.

5.0 Earthquake hits the central Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.0 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

Wildlife

Mysterious Silkhenge Spider

About six months ago, a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology first spotted a mysterious web unlike anything scientists had seen before: Each one of the weird webs was a tiny sphere surrounded by a circular fence less than an inch in diameter.

The student, Troy Alexander, found the mysterious formation underneath a tarp at the Tambopata Research Centre in Peru and had no idea what it was, so he posted photos of the webs on Reddit. Despite consulting with several experts who made several wild guesses, from moths to slide moulds no one knew what built the structure, or for what purpose.

About a month ago, the researchers finally got a chance to go back to the spot where they found the webs. They searched around the area where the first ones were found, eventually spotting 45 to 50 of the weird formations.

They then spent day and night studying the structures to see if they could find any signs of activity.

"We were really hoping to catch something being made or hatching out of it, or interacting in some way," Torres told LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet. And they did.

One of their first hypotheses was that the blobs in the middle were spermatophores, or packages filled with sperm and nutritious food that would attract female spiders. But over the course of a week, they didn't find any signs of females coming to eat the packages.

Finally, the researchers removed three of the structures from a tree and put them under a glass. After about a week, the mystery was finally solved when two spiderlings came out of two of the structures, and later, a third spiderling hatched from the formation.

During one of their days of observation, they saw an ant approach a tower and then turn back. The web towers are found on Cecropia trees, which have a symbiotic relationship with ants, so one possibility is that the fence defends against ant invaders that live on the tree.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Pacific Ocean:

Tropical cyclone 07p (Ian), forms in the Pacific and is located approximately 314 nm east of Suva, Fiji, tracking northward at 05 knots. The system is expected to intensify over the short to medium term.

NewsBytes:

Flash floods hit Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

At least four people have died after a storm hit a dhow on the Indian Ocean off the Rufiji District in Tanzania.

Wildfires

Wildfires Rage in Chile

Parts of South America continue to struggle under blistering conditions.

In Chile, this has caused forest fires to spread rapidly. Residents have been forced from their homes and authorities have been prompted to declare a red alert.

Once lit, the combination of high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds ensure the fires spread quickly, which makes them very difficult to extinguish.

The fires are burning almost 200km to the south of Santiago, but despite the distance, the acrid smoke drifted north and covered parts of the city.

The air quality is believed to be the worst pollution the city had dealt with for a number of years.

Disease

Foot and Fourth Disease - India

The recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Kerala, india has claimed the lives of 4,705 head of cattle across the State and affected 51,581 head of animals since August last year.

Claiming that the FMD outbreak was now under control, he said, “Ring vaccination is being carried out in the areas around the affected locations and diseased animals are being treated free of cost.

Hepatitis Outbreak - Uganda

An outbreak of hepatitis E confirmed on New Year’s eve in the Karamoja region of Uganda has to date resulted in 344 people sickened and 13 fatalities.

Of the 13 fatalities, 10 were pregnant women.

The Health ministry’s director general of health services, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng explained that the outbreak is attributed to unsafe water sources like rivers and ponds, poor sanitation and hygiene and low latrine coverage in the district.

Polio

We learned in September 2013 that an outbreak of the deadly polio virus occurred in Syria. It was the first in that country since 1999. While the worldwide incidence of polio has declined dramatically in the last 25 years, we are actually seeing more cases in some areas. Syria is one of those.

There are but three endemic countries left in the world where the wild polio virus breeds. Those countries are Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. But the virus can and does travel. The virus can be traced to a country, even a province and in some cases to a specific village. In Syria, where 17 new cases were reported during 2013, the virus probably came from Pakistan.

In 2012, there were 262 reported cases of polio worldwide. There were 362 reported in 2013. Nigeria and Afghanistan reported respectively 50 percent and 33 percent decreases; Pakistan's cases increased by 35 percent. Syria is up from zero. Why the increases despite magnified efforts to eliminate the scourge of polio? It's because of violence, which has attracted some to the war in Syria, and violence toward polio workers. Violence curbs efforts to immunize, and in each of these countries, violence can be ever-present.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): (6 Jan) This morning, the North-East Crater appeared to be covered by ash deposits and strong, pulsating degassing activity continued from it. The volcanic tremor signal is still low.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The activity of the volcano has remained similar with frequent, fortunately only small to medium sized pyroclastic flows and associated ash plumes.

Kilauea (Hawai'i): Over past 31 yrs, lava has buried 48 sq mi of land, 214 structures, 9 mi of highway & vast tracts of native forest. -USGS-HVO. It's Volcano Awareness Month in Hawai’i.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.4 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.

5.2 Earthquake hits offshore Tarapaca, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits north of Halmahera, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 01B weakened to a tropical depression prior to making landfall over northeast Sri Lanka on Sunday 5 January, and has now dissipated.

NewsBytes:

Strong storms and high tides swept Spain on Saturday, seriously injuring two children and leaving at least one person missing. Winds of at least 110 km/hr hit the country. A fisherman has been missing from the coast of Balieiros beach in Ribeira. More than 500 lightning strikes were recorded in Galicia.

A violent storm brewing in the Atlantic has brought more flooding and travel chaos as Britains returned to work after the Christmas holidays. Forecasters warned gusts of up to 70mph will hit western coasts, while officials around the country urged people to remain vigilant and to stay away from high-risk areas with high waves crashing on to land. As winds whipped up rough seas in the Atlantic, there were fears of further coastal flooding with 10-metre-high waves potentially striking southwest England, Wales and western Scotland.

Wildfires

Wildfire - Australia

Firefighters were last night battling to save the North Stradbroke Island town of Dunwich from a second fiery onslaught after a raging bushfire jumped containment lines over the weekend.

Disease

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

On 25 December 2013, WHO has been informed of five additional laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia.

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

On 18 and 19 December 2013, the National Health and Family Planning Commission, China notified WHO of two new laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain): The island has remained calm with not much signs of volcanic unrest. Two small earthquakes (magnitudes 2.8 and 1.7) occurred at approx 10 km depth east of La Restinga yesterday, but so far, there have not been new ones since. Tremor is absent except perhaps on some of the stations in the western El Golfo area (CTAB station) and deformation has been stagnating.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The current eruption, characterized by the growing lava dome producing numerous explosions and pyroclastic flows, continues at increasing levels. During yesterday, several (at least 5) pyroclastic flows (hot block and ash avalanches triggered by partial collapse of the unstable dome) traveled down on the southeastern side and reached lengths of up to 4 km, with associated ash plumes rising more than 4 km height to altitudes of 24,000 (7.3 km).

Dukono (Halmahera): Mild to moderate explosions produce frequent small ash plumes detected by VAAC Darwin on satellite data.

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): The volcano observatory reports no changes in activity: abundant degassing, weak to moderate explosions with ash plumes rising 500-700 m and constant block avalanches from the lava flows on the east and SW flanks of the dome.

Pacaya (Guatemala): Mild strombolian activity continues with little changes. Incandescent ejections can be seen from the capital on clear nights.

Fuego (Guatemala): Occasional strombolian explosions are relatively strong, producing incandescent ejections up to 100-150 m above the crater and causing incandescent avalanches around the crater. Ash plumes rose to up to 500 m. Shock waves can often be felt accompanying the explosions.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 Earthquake hits Colombia.

5.2 Earthquake hits north of Halmahera, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits southwestern Sakha, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Kuril islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Sunda Strait, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone Bejisa is moving away from the Vanilla Islands southwestwards and is not expected to have further interaction with land.

Tropical cyclone 01b (one), located approximately 235 nm south-southeast of Chennai, India, has tracked westward at 03 knots. Tc 01b is slowly tracking westward along the southern periphery of a subtropical ridge to the north and is expected to take a slight west-southwest track through the remainder of the forecast as the system interacts with the dominate northeasterly low level flow. As the system approaches the northern coast of Sri Lanka, the hampering effects of the land interaction will dissipate the system within the next day.

NewsBytes:

Strong storm in Belgium has caused heavy rainfall and flooding leading to extensive damage, including extensive damage to the KV Mechelen soccer stadium near Antwerp.

The U.K. braced for more flooding as heavy rains were forecast to persist through the weekend, affecting the south and west in particular.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): More explosions (and probably pyroclastic flows) occurred this morning. An ash plume rose to estimated 24,000 ft (7.3 km) altitude.

Kilauea (Hawai'i): No significant changes have occurred over the past weeks. The level of the lava lake at the summit fluctuated slightly and remained around 45 m (148 ft) below the floor of Halema`uma`u crater. At the middle east rift zone, the Pu`u `O`o vent continued to feed the Kahauale`a 2 lava flow, which was active as small scattered breakouts burning forest to the northeast. Gas emissions remained elevated. (USGS)

Erta Ale (Ethiopia): The level of Erta Ale's active lava lake in the southern pit crater has risen considerably during recent months and is now only about 5-10 m below the rim in some places.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.6 Earthquake hits offshore Tarapaca, Chile.

5.4 Earthquake hits of the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone Bejisa has claimed the life of one person and injured at least 15 others on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion. The eye of the Cyclone passed within 15 kilometres of the western side of Reunion.

NewsBytes:

Heavy storm in Santiago del Estero, in the north of Argentina has claimed the life of a girl. Heavy rains and hailstones also hit the area causing damage to buildings.

Several rivers have burst their banks and flood protection systems are taking a battering as a tidal surge hits the Wales coastline. In the UK, many major roads were flooded, while trains to and from Gatwick Airport in West Sussex were among those affected by storm-related problems.

Disease

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

On 31 December 2013, WHO has been informed of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in United Arab Emirates.

Space Events

Meteor Shower

The first major meteor shower of 2014 will peak tonight. The Quadrantids (QUA), January meteor shower are expected to be seen at the rate of at least 40 per hour.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Again few days after the end of the last paroxysm at the New SE crater, weak ash emissions have started to occur from the North-East crater over night or this morning. Tremor is low.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands region in the Philippines.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands region in the Philippines.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands region in the Philippines.

Tremors Before Major Baja California Highway Collapse

A series of relatively minor tremors in northern Baja California is believed to have contributed to the collapse of a stretch of coastal highway near the port city of Ensenada.

The strongest quake registered a magnitude of 4.6, causing portions of the road and adjacent ground to begin cracking on Dec. 19.

Then Saturday, the small fractures became large fractures that eventually caused portions of the highway to plunge almost 300 feet toward the ocean.

There were no reports of injuries or fatalities from the overnight disaster.

Officials estimate it could take up to a year for the road to be rebuilt.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone Bejisa is located approximately 160 nm south-southeast of Saint Denis, La Reunion, has tracked south-southeastward at 08 knots. Bejisa is expected to dissipate.

Wildlife

Polar Birthday

About 5,000 polar bear cubs were born in the Arc- tic around New Y ear’ s Day, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The end of December is typically when the bears give birth — a time when the northern polar region is blanketed by some of the coldest and darkest conditions of the year. WWF celebrates the polar bears’ birthday on Dec. 29 and estimates the global population of the iconic animal is between 20,000 and 25,000. The bears, which can typically live to be about 25 years old, are threatened by poachers, global warming and pollution. They have become the “poster animal” for climate change and the resulting melt of their Arctic ice cap homes.

Locusts Devour Yemen's Crops: Hunger Looms

Starvation looms for some residents of the Arab nation of Yemen as a plague of desert locusts has devoured vast tracts of crops there.

Unusually heavy rainfall during the past several months has created perfect breeding conditions for the insects, according to agriculture officials.

About 75 percent of Yemen’s population relies on agriculture for a living, and many farmers may not have any crops left to harvest in the aftermath of the swarms.

The Food and Agriculture Organization says that ground spraying has been conducted along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, where new generations of the insects were emerging.

The U.N. agency says that the insects can lay waste to entire farming regions within days.

Yemen's last severe locust swarms arrived following heavy rainfall in 2007.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 120.0 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 degrees Celsius) at Tarcoola, South Australia.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 61.8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 52.1 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Siberian community of Verkhoyansk.

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

Heat Wave - Australia

Parts of Australia have suffered under an intense heat wave over the holidays, and before the weather pattern breaks, temperatures today were expected to reach nearly 50 degrees Celsius (more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit), The Guardian reports. Temperatures in many inland towns in particular have reached above 40 C (100 F) for several days. The culprit is a high-pressure system sitting over the country.

The heat wave has prompted fire officials in the state of South Australia to rate fire conditions as "catastrophic," with total fire bans in place for the northern parts of the state. The heat wave has meant the summer has started out much like it did last year, hot and very dry. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology is expected to announce on Friday (Jan. 3) that 2013 was the hottest year on record for the country.

A large fire started by lightning has ravaged Stradbroke Island off the Queensland coast. More than 900 tourists were evacuated.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.6 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.5 Earthquake hits southern Iran.

One person has been reported dead with another 30 injured. Several houses were badly damaged.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Philippine Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits Jujuy, Argentina.

5.0 Earthquake hits the eastern Sea of Japan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone Bejisa - As of 05:00 UTC, Tropical Cyclone Bejisa was located 385 km to the west north west of Mauritius. A cyclone warning Class II is in force in Mauritius.

The clean-up after ex-Tropical Cyclone Christine has started in parts of Western Australia, but the worst may be yet to come in other parts.

Fresh flood warnings have been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for two rivers in Pilbara and a flood watch alert for the Goldfields area. The forecaster also issued a severe weather warning for a large part of the state's southeast on Wednesday.

Flash floods and winds of up to 100km/h are expected as the storm moves southeast across the state.

NewsBytes:

Flooding in the Andean Cusco region in Southern Peru has made 16,000 people homeless. The Quillabamba River burst its banks following torrential downpours and caused flooding in the area. A state of emergency has been declared and rescue teams have been send to help the people in disaster area.

Heavy rainfall in Metro Cebu in the Philippines caused massive flooding in some areas of the city, with flood waters in some streets reaching knee level.

Global Warming

Global Warming Is Rapidly Accelerating

The many scientific links in this comprehensive article about global warming, by Dahr Jamail, on December 22nd, make clear that climate change is accelerating, and that our planet will probably be unliveable by 2100, if not by 2050.

The best explanation of the process that's occurring is in this link within one of those scientific links: "The collapse of Arctic sea ice will change the reflective properties of the Arctic from 90% reflection of the sun's rays to a 90% absorber of the sun's energy. A vicious cycle of Arctic warming started between twenty and thirty years ago, when currents from the Atlantic and Pacific, warmed by greenhouse gases, carried their extra heat into the Arctic to initiate an accelerating decline in sea ice and increase in Arctic temperatures."

The global warming that was previously predicted to occur within 2,000 years, is now predicted to occur within the lifetimes of some people who are alive even today.

Disease

Sydney measles outbreak spreads in NZ

AN outbreak of measles linked to a Sydney hip-hop dance festival has spread from Auckland to the New Zealand cities of Turangi and Taupo, with 10 cases confirmed.

West Nile Virus Killing Bald Eagles

An unprecedented wintertime outbreak of West Nile virus has killed more than two dozen bald eagles in Utah and thousands of water birds around the Great Salt Lake.

At least 27 bald eagles have died this month in the northern and central parts of Utah from the blood-borne virus, and state biologists reported that five more ailing eagles were responding to treatment at rehabilitation centres.

The eagles, whose symptoms included leg paralysis and tremors, are believed to have contracted the disease by preying on sick or dead water birds called eared grebes that were infected by the West Nile virus, said Leslie McFarlane, Utah wildlife disease coordinator.

Some 20,000 of the water birds have died in and around the Great Salt Lake since November in an outbreak that may be a record in North America, McFarlane said. Initial testing suggested an infectious bacterial disease such as avian cholera caused the deaths, but findings released on Tuesday showed West Nile virus was the culprit, McFarlane said.

The dead birds do not pose a risk to people, Utah Health Department epidemiologist JoDee Baker said in a statement. Yet Baker urged those who find sick or dead birds to avoid handling them.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The volcano's eruption continues with increasing and more and more frequent (every 15 minutes) explosions and pyroclastic flows from the growing lava dome. Ash plumes have been reaching 20,000 ft (6 km) altitude, run-out lengths of the pyroclastic flows approx. 2-3 km. The lava dome has now reached an estimated volume of more than 2.5 cubic million meters and a larger collapse could generate pyroclastic flows that reach considerable greater distance and destroy several villages, the Jakarta Post mentions. According to Ahmad Nabawi from the Sinabung monitoring post, 22 eruptions had occurred on Wednesday from midnight to noon. "Fortunately, the nearest villages are not situated in the path of the lava [pyroclastic flows, ann.], so the villages are safe for now,” he continued, the Jakarta post cites. The nearest villages and most at risk include Bekerah, Simacem, Sigarang-garang and Suka Meriah.

San Miguel (El Salvador): No new explosions have occurred at the volcano of Chaparrastique (San Miguel), but elevated degassing (SO2 flux estimated at about 2800 tons / day) suggests that new magma is still arriving inside the volcano and could lead to new eruptions. Authorities decided to order evacuation of additional 3,000 people from the cities of San Miguel, San Jorge, San Rafael Oriente, and Chinameca. However, it appears that a significant number of people decided to return to their homes inside the danger zones, because of the apparent (and possibly very dangerous) lack of new activity in the past few days. Analyses of ash from the 30 Dec eruption indicate that they consist of 80% juvenile material (i.e. from new magma), which supports the idea that a new magma batch has risen inside the volcano and could lead to new activity in the near future. MARN also mentions that the absence of crystals in the juvenile glass matrix of the ash indicates that the magma rose quickly, i.e. without having time to form crystals. That further adds to the need to stay on alert, because a sudden eruption might just happen again.

Suwanose-jima volcano (Ryukyu Islands, Japan): Bright glow from intense strombolian activity, or perhaps even the presence of a small lava lake or lava fountains, are visible on the JMA webcam on Nakanoshima island to the NE. VAAC Tokyo reports continuous low-level ash emissions.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands region in the Philippines.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands region in the Philippines.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands region in the Philippines.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands region in the Philippines.

5.0 Earthquake hits Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone Christine has been downgraded to a category one system as it continues to sweep inland through Western Australia leaving behind largely superficial damage to trees, fences and roofs.

Tropical storm Bejisa is forecast to hit Mauritius on January 3, 2013, the US Navy and Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Centre said. A cyclone warning Class 1 has been issued in Mauritius for Bejisa.

Winter Weather - USA

Winter Storm Hercules is expected to dump six to ten inches of snow in New York City beginning Wednesday night. Heaviest snowstorm is likely across southern New England on Thursday and early Friday. The entire New York City area will be kept under a winter storm watch for Thursday and Friday by the weather service.

NewsBytes:

Floods in Zimbabwe have claimed lives of three children aged 9, 10 and 14 years.

An avalanche east of Steamboat Springs caught three snowmobilers and has claimed the life of one.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain): It seems more and more likely that the crisis is appraching an end (with the likelihood of a new eruption soon becoming less and less). Seismic activity has decreased to normal levels with no unusual signs over the past 24 hours. Deformation has been stagnating or mostly reverted to deflation at most stations.

Suwanose-jima (Tokara Islands, Japan): The volcano continues to produce frequent and intense strombolian explosions and produces a low level ash plume.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): More and increasingly larger (and hence more dangerous) pyroclastic flows are being formed by the growing lava dome of the volcano. These "flows" are hot turbulent avalanches of hot blocks and ash in suspension with hot gas and air, that can travel down at great speed the slopes of the mountain, typically following the paths of valleys. Today, one of the pyroclastic flows reached a distance of 3000 m, ie. the lower slopes. It needs to be pointed out that anything living in the path of these flows is killed, and even larger structures usually destroyed or completely burned. The exclusion zone of 5 km currently in place seems clearly to be too small.

Dukono (Halmahera): Elevated explosive activity continues at the remote volcano. Ash plumes up to 12,000 ft (3.6 km) altitude were spotted on satellite data by VAAC Darwin.