Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.2 earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
5.2 earthquake hits Neuquen, Argentina.
5.1 earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.
5.0 earthquake hits offshore Atacama, Chile.
5.0 earthquake hits the Fox Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone (tc) 07s (Claudia), located approximately 270 nm northwest of Port Hedland, Australia, is tracking west-southwestward at 18 knots.
NewsBytes:
Afghanistan – Heavy snowfall has claimed lives of at least 16 people in Herat and Kandahar regions of Afghanistan. The death toll from the snowfall is expected to further rise in the coming days.
Dubai – The National UAE reports that rain fell throughout Friday and the early hours of Saturday. As a result, many roads were heavily waterlogged. Readings show that Dubai received 150mm of rain every hour for two-and-a-half hours. This is extremely out of the ordinary for Dubai as an average January experiences only 10mm of rain over the full month. Since Saturday, the third busiest airport in the world has had to deal with delayed, diverted and canceled flights as heavy rains have led to intense flooding. Dubai International Airport is scrambling to cope with the extreme weather, working to get its operations back to normal.
Venice, Italy – Just weeks after serious flooding caused widespread damage, the famous canals of Venice have been left almost completely dry due to exceptionally low tides. Two months ago the high tide in Venice peaked at 187cm (6.14ft), leaving around 70% of the lagoon city centre under salt water. But at high tide on Saturday the city was a very different sight, with its famous gondolas and boats almost beached at the bottom of canals.
Airdrops of Food of Australian Wallabies
The Australian government is using helicopters and airplanes to help feed starving animals displaced by the country’s wildfire crisis.
The New South Wales government used aircraft to drop more than 4,000 pounds of food, mostly carrots and sweet potatoes, to colonies of brush-tailed rock-wallabies that were left stranded as massive wildfires ravaged their habitat.
The brush-tailed rock-wallaby was already endangered in southeastern Australia before the fires began in September and government officials said their survival could be complicated further by the ongoing crisis. The fires are estimated to have killed more than a billion animals and scorched more than 8.4 million hectares — about twice the size of Maryland.
Measles – Tonga
In a follow-up on the 2019-2020 Tonga measles outbreak, the Government of Tonga reports six new measles case-patients in Tongatapu and Vava’u and 12 cases were added retrospectively, bringing the outbreak total to 630 confirmed or suspected cases.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.9 earthquake hits Puerto Rico.
5.6 earthquake hits the Bouvet Islands.
5.2 earthquake hits Puerto Rico.
5.1 earthquake hits northwestern Kashmir.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone (tc) 07s (Claudia), located approximately 210 nm north of Broome, Australia, is tracking west-southwestward at 11 knots.
NewsBytes:
USA Severe storm in Louisiana has claimed the lives of three people and caused damage from Texas to Tennessee. Two people died in a storm near Haughton when their mobile home was destroyed. Third person died when a tree fell on the house in Oil City. In Arkansas and Missouri, tornadoes destroyed homes and also caused damage in Oklahoma. A tornado destroyed two homes near Fair Play, Missouri, about 56 km northwest of Springfield. According to the Logan County Emergency Management, at least three homes were destroyed by the tornado in Arkansas. Saturday saw more rain than any other January day in Michigan history. Streets and yards were flooded all across southeast Michigan — some neighbourhoods were hit especially hard as rivers began to overflow.
Anthrax – Zimbabwe
Officials in Zimbabwe report at least three human anthrax cases in the Mahusekwa, Marondera district in Zimbabwe. The three people are in a serious condition after eating meat from animals that died of anthrax.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.5 earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.4 earthquake hits south of Africa.
5.1 earthquake hits Puerto Rico.
5.1 earthquake hits offshore Jalisco, Mexico.
5.1 earthquake hits the southwest Indian ridge
5.1 earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.0 earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.0 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Angola – Flash floods have claimed the lives of 41 people and affected around 11,190 people. Twelve out of 18 provinces in Angola have been hit by the violent downpour. The flash floods have damaged more than 2,400 houses, 12 churches and four bridges.
Peru -Landslides and floods have been affecting Huanuco, Pasco and Cusco departments (central Peru) since mid-December. National authorities report more than 300 families affected by the floods in Huanuco Department since the start of the year. 25 homes were damaged by a landslide in San Pablo de Pillao District on 8 January. The water level of several rivers has increased to flood levels. Moderate rain is forecast over central Peru on 10-11 January.
Wildfires – Australia
Gale-force winds in Australia merged two enormous fires into a megablaze across land almost four times the area of New York City on Friday, while thousands rallied to again demand action on climate change. Temperatures soared above 40°C in parts of New South Wales and neighbouring Victoria. Australian authorities urged nearly a quarter of a million people to evacuate their homes and prepared military backup as soaring temperatures and erratic winds were expected to fan deadly wildfires across the east coast. Emergency alert text messages had been sent to 240,000 people in Victoria state alone, telling them to leave.
Coronavirus – China
The novel virus sweeping across China has inflicted its first casualty, suggesting the brand new bug could potentially rival its microbial cousin – SARS – in lethality. Health officials are now scrambling to combat the outbreak. The bug’s first fatality was reported in the city of Wuhan early on Saturday, by Chinese state media, which offered few details beyond the death itself. Unknown to science when it first emerged on the scene, the coronavirus has hit Wuhan hardest, where it rapidly spread to at least confirmed 59 patients, seven of whom are now in critical condition.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.4 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.3 earthquake hits Tonga.
5.2 earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.1 earthquake hits New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
5.0 earthquake hits Chukotka, Russia.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Israel – Heavy rain this week has caused deadly flooding in Israel from the border with Lebanon to the Negev desert, increasing tension in a week already filled with threats of war. With rains continuing Thursday, rising waters had killed at least seven people, including a man swept away as he tried to rescue a family stuck in a drifting vehicle. The fierce rainfall has shuttered schools and government offices in some areas and submerged cars and low-lying buildings. Some Israelis were forced from their homes, and others were asked not to leave them, even as they were bracing for potential spinoff attacks from spiking violence between the United States and Iran.
Indonesia – Indonesia will replant trees in tens of thousands of hectares of lands along the upstream areas of a river following the floods and landslides in and surrounding the country’s capital of Jakarta that left over 67 people dead, an official said on Thursday.
More Locust Swarms
Kenyan officials began aerial spraying for hordes of arriving desert locusts that have ravaged vegetation across parts of Ethiopia and Somalia in recent weeks.
The worst infestation in 70 years has already destroyed 175,000 acres of crops across the Horn of Africa and parts of northeastern Kenya, threatening famine in a region that had already suffered devastating flooding last year.
“We have seen drought and torrential rains kill our people and animals, and now we have locusts,” Kenyan legislator Adan Keynan told reporters at the country’s parliament in Nairobi.
Microplastics Affect Coastal Wildlife
Microplastics (plastic particles under 5 mm) are an abundant type of debris found in salt and freshwater environments. In a Limnology & Oceanography Letters study, researchers demonstrated the transfer of microplastics through the food chain between microscopic prey and larval fish that live in coastal ecosystems. They also found that microplastic ingestion interferes with normal growth in fish larvae.
The investigators also looked at the effects of a common pollutant (the pesticide DDT) that attaches to microparticles in coastal waters. Organisms were not able to detect or discriminate against ingesting microparticles with high levels of DDT.
Wildfires – Australia
Australian authorities issued new warnings and evacuation notices across the country’s heavily populated southeast on Thursday as a return of hot weather fanned huge bushfires threatening several towns and communities.
A disaster notice in Victoria state, already in place for the past week, was extended by two days and people in danger zones were told to leave. In neighbouring New South Wales state, authorities told residents to prepare for worsening weather conditions on Friday.
The ongoing Australian firestorms that have caused such misery and death to the human population may have also killed billions of animals in recent weeks.
Beyond the scorched koalas and kangaroos, scientists also fear the long-footed potoroo marsupial may now be extinct in the wild due to the southeastern bushfires.
Experts fear the ecosystems there will never recover, with several other animal and plant species left critically endangered or extinct.
Snipers were dispatched in helicopters to cull up to 10,000 feral camels that were nearing remote aboriginal towns in search of water.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week’s hottest temperature was 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 degrees Celsius) in Penrith, New South Wales.
The week’s coldest temperature was minus 61.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 51.7 degrees Celsius) at Thomsen River, North West Territory.
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.
Ebola – DR Congo
Twelve new confirmed cases were reported from 1 to 7 January in the ongoing Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces.
Dengue Fever
Bangladesh – The number of dengue fever cases in Bangladesh dropped to 1247 in December 2019 in a year that saw more cases reported in the country than was seen since the first cases in 2000. The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) closed out the record year with 101,354 cases and 164 deaths.
Vietnam – According to data from the General Department of Preventive Medicine with the Ministry of Health in VietNam, the number of dengue fever cases reported in 2019 was a significant increase compared to 2018. Since Jan. 1 through Dec. 14, 2019, there have been a total of 320,702 cases with 54 deaths reported.
Measles – Gaza Strip
From 1 January through 19 December 2019, a total of 124 laboratory confirmed cases of measles, including two deaths, were reported in the Gaza Strip (case fatality ratio=1.6%).
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity – New Activity for the Week 1 January 2020 – 7 January 2020
Aira | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported nighttime crater incandescence at Minamidake Crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) during 30 December-6 January. Small eruptive events were occasionally recorded by the seismic network. An explosion on 6 January produced an ash plume that rose 1.7 km above the crater rim and ejected material as far as 1.1 km away from the crater. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).
Dukono | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on satellite and wind model data, and information from PVMBG, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 1-4 and 6 January ash plumes from Dukono rose to an altitude of 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted in multiple directions. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to remain outside of the 2-km exclusion zone.
Ebeko | Paramushir Island (Russia) : Volcanologists in Severo-Kurilsk (Paramushir Island), about 7 km E of Ebeko, observed explosions during 1-2 January that sent ash plumes up to 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. Ash plumes drifted N. Satellite images showed a thermal anomaly over the dome on 1 January and an ash cloud drifted almost 30 km N on 2 January. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Karangetang | Siau Island (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 30 December-5 January lava continued to effuse from Karangetang’s Main Crater (S), traveling as far as 1.8 km down the Nanitu, Pangi, and Sense drainages on the SW and W flanks. Sometimes dense white plumes rose to 600 m above the summit. Incandescence from both summit craters was visible at night. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).
Kerinci | Indonesia : The Darwin VAAC and PVMBG reported that during 3-6 January brown ash plumes rose 200-600 m above Kerinci’s summit and drifted S and ESE. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to remain outside of the 3-km exclusion zone.
Klyuchevskoy | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Klyuchevskoy was identified in satellite images during 28-30 December and 2 January, and ash plumes drifted 150 km SE during 29-30 December. Strombolian and Vulcanian activity were observed during 29-31 December. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange.
Merapi | Central Java (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that a relatively high number of deep volcanic earthquakes were recorded at Merapi during 30 December-5 January. The seismic network recorded a pyroclastic flow that began at 2036 on 4 January and lasted for one minute and 45 seconds. The event was not visually observed due to foggy weather conditions. Minor ashfall was reported in Cepogo (4 km NE) and Boyolali (16 km E). The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and residents were warned to stay outside of the 3-km exclusion zone.
Sheveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch was identified in satellite images during 27 December-3 January. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Shishaldin | Fox Islands (USA) : AVO reported that the eruption at Shishaldin continued during 1-7 January. Seismicity was low during 1-2 January and elevated surface temperatures identified in several satellite images indicated continuing lava effusion. Seismicity began increasing at 0930 on 3 January and within several hours a brief period of sustained ash emissions produced plumes that rose as high as 8.2 km (27,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted about 120 km SE. The ash plume produced minor amounts of volcanic lightning. Seismicity declined abruptly after the event. Satellite images acquired the next day showed no noteworthy activity; ash deposits from the day before mantled the upper flanks, lahars on the upper parts of the edifice and on the SW flank were visible, and lava flows on the upper NW and NE flanks were 1-2 km long. During 5-6 January seismicity was low but above background levels and elevated surface temperatures were visible in satellite images. A photo taken from Cold Bay (93 km NE) on 6 January showed glowing lava flows on the flank. Seismicity increased at around 0500 on 7 January and was followed by observations of an ash plume drifting NE at an altitude of about 5.8 km (19,000 ft) a.s.l. Seismicity then decreased for a few hours. Another episode of elevated seismicity was accompanied by an increase in the altitude of the ash plume; it rose to 7.6 km (25,000 ft) a.s.l. and seemed to have a denser ash content. The Aviation colour Code was raised to Red and the Volcano Alert Level was raised to Warning. Volcanic lighting was detected in the cloud and volcanic infrasound signals were detected at regional stations. Seismcity significantly decreased around 1200 and remained low. Later that day the Aviation colour Code was lowered to Orange and the Volcano Alert Level was lowered to Watch.
Suwanosejima | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) : JMA reported that on 28 December a very small eruptive event was recorded at Suwanosejima’s Ontake Crater. Explosions occurred on 31 December and 3 January; the latter explosion produced a gray ash plume that rose 800 m above the crater rim and entered the weather clouds. Crater incandescence was visible at night during 28 Deecmber-3 January. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a 5-level scale).
Ulawun | New Britain (Papua New Guinea) : RVO reported that during 16-22 December 2019 white vapor plumes rose from Ulawun’s Main Crater with some brief periods of no emissions. Occasional emissions rose from the new WSW flank and along the lava flow. A webcam sometimes recoded nighttime incandescence from the area. Seismic activity was low with RSAM values between 100 and 200 units. The Alert Level remained at Stage 1.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.1 earthquake hits Chukotka, Russia.
5.2 earthquake hits the southwest Indian ridge.
5.1 earthquake hits the Pacific-Antarctic ridge.
5.1 earthquake hits Dominica in the Leeward Islands.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
