Earth is fighting to stay alive. Mass dieoffs, triggered by anthropogenic assault and fallout of planetary defense systems offsetting the impact, could begin anytime!
Emergency Bulletins are now available via FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.
-------------------------------
We do NOT use Twitter or Facebook accounts. Our user names including "FEWW" have been hijacked by trolls.
-------------------------------
WARNING: WordPress Digitally Tracking Visitors!
Injury Claims Against Google: Fire-Earth posts important news & unique analysis that could help save you from harm, but Google [Alphabet Inc] filters the blog to protect their vast business interest. If you incur any injury or loss due to the denial of information, you may sue the Internet Mafia for damages.
STOP CENSORING THE REAL NEWS
WordPress is HACKING this blog!
WordPress continues to hack FIRE-EARTH & affiliated blogs at the behest of its corporate clients.
Blog Moderators condemn in the strongest terms the blatant removal and manipulation of content.
Starting January 29, 2013, Google & WordPress have restricted access to FIRE-EARTH reducing blog traffic by up to 95 percent, enabling their affiliated sites and commercial partners to hijack (and twist) the news, analysis and core ideas presented here.
Blocking information, hacking websites and twisting the facts concerning harm inflicted to Earth by humans are major crimes against nature, punishable by drought, famine, disease...
Caution
Technical information and scientific data from the US Government agencies (NASA, EPA…) are subject to variation due to political expediency.
This caution also extends to the UN organizations (e.g., FAO, WHO…).
As of August 2011, FIRE-EARTH will no longer reprint photos from NASA, due to the agency's wanton crimes against nature.
Air pollution in Beijing again soared to “Beyond Index” [AQI=506] at 6.00 am on Thursday.
The air quality further deteriorated as a massive sandstorm accompanied by gale force winds from Mongolia hit the Chinese capital several hours later, according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau.
The sandstorm has so far affected parts of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shanxi and Hebei provinces.
Beijing authorities had already issued a “yellow haze” warning on Wednesday.
The amount of pollutants suspended in the air over the city of Beijing during the worst smog last month was more than 4,000 tons, according to a report by the Chinese Academy of Science.
135 counties across 10 states designated as drought disaster areas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 135 counties across 10 states and an independent city in Nevada as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.
The states are Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Utah.
The designations include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.
U.S. Drought Disaster Map as of Feb. 27, 2013. Source: USDA
US Drought Map for February 19, 2013, Released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on February 21, 2013. The map was prepared before the current winter storm.
State of Emergency Declared for 56 Oklahoma Counties, Kansas City, Washington County, FL
The state of Oklahoma has declared a state of emergency for 56 counties due to a powerful winter storm that is pounding the state. Blizzard conditions have moved into the state, creating whiteout conditions, prompting the closure of highways in the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Kansas
Kansas City Mayor has declared a State of Emergency for the city.
“This declaration allows the city to keep crews on, add additional personal to battle the storm, waive administrative and budget routine requirements and collective bargaining agreements, so that we are able to meet public safety and transportation needs without undue delay,” James said. “Essentially we’re calling in everyone we can to help.” He said.
“This storm has the potential to be quite serious, and we know it’s going to dump somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 or more inches on Kansas City.”
Florida
Washington County in Florida has declared a state of emergency due to flash flooding. Torrential rains have inundated roadways causing dangerous driving conditions.
Significant flooding on the Choctawhatchee River is forecast with some sections expected to reach major flooding stage this week.
Mid-America: Second major winter storm in five days
National Weather Service (NWS) has advised everyone from southern Texas to east-central Michigan to prepare for “one of the biggest winter storms to hit the region.”
U.S. Weather Hazards Map – February 26, 2013 – Source: NWS
Storm Forecast
The latest storm is forecast to dump up to 18 inches of snow in some locations, like its predecessor 5 days ago. Some 10-14 inches of snow will be common through Tuesday night, forecasters said.
Parts of 14 states are under winter weather alerts including Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.
Blizzard Warnings are in effect for southeast Colorado, southwest Kansas, Northeast New Mexico, northwest Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Panhandle and the Texas Panhandle.
Winter Storm Watches cover parts of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
A historic blizzard has buffeted Texas Panhandle, shutting down roads and airports, knocking out power in multiple areas.
The blizzard dumped more than 19 inches of snow in Amarillo on Monday, setting a new record for the snowiest February day.
Australia
The Mid North and Coffs Coast have been declared disaster zones by the Australian Pm and New South Wales Premier, as 10,000 people in the Kempsey shire remain isolated by flood waters.
“This is the second largest flood I’ve seen in 45 years, probably the third largest in 100 years.” said a long time resident of the Thora Valley. “1950 was the really big one, followed by 2001, and then this current event,” he said.
Australia’s weather bureau is forecasting 24-hour rainfalls totals in south-east Queensland of up to 200mm.
NOTE: This Blog is virtually blocked in Australia, NZ, UK …
Australia: Back-to-back disasters intensify
Two Major floods in 2 months cause more disasters in NSW
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell have declared 11 areas in northern NSW as disaster zones due to severe storms and widespread flooding.
The disaster areas are Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Camden, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Kiama, Nambucca, Port Macquarie Hastings and Randwick.
It is northern NSW’s second major flood this year.
In southern Queensland, at least one person drowned in floodwaters north east of Brisbane.
Since the toxic pollution is gonna reach the water tables, you might as well…
Chemical factories, paper mills… in the city of Weifang, Shandong Province [as well as tens of thousands of other factories across China,] reportedly discharge their toxic waste a thousand meters deep into underground water table using high pressure techniques [what’s the use of science and technology, if you couldn’t pump your waste deep below!!]
Suspicions were raised when the authorities investigated more than 700 companies in the city, but found no traces of pollution, a technical impossibility, saidWeifang Environmental Protection Bureau.
Australia: The Maralinga Mushroom Cloud Fairies
Some 320 Australian servicemen were exposed to deadly radioactive fallout after their government ordered them to take part in the UK atomic bomb testing more than 50 years ago.
Image of one of the nuclear tests at Maralinga, supplied by Alan Batchelor, one of the Maralinga veterans, who lost most of his colleagues to cancer.
Most of the victims were ordered by the government to fly through the mushroom cloud after a nuclear test at Maralinga, in South Australia.
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the UK government carried out more than 500 nuclear tests, including seven major detonations.
”A stated aim of the British Nuclear Test Programme was to discover the detailed effects of various types of explosions on equipments, stores and men with and without various types of protection,” the veterans said.
”The procedure was to turn their backs to the bomb 10 seconds before detonation, cover their eyes and then turn to observe the bomb when instructed about five seconds after detonation.”
Whereas the British scientists wore protective suits, the Australians—dressed in shirtsleeves and shorts—stood within 50 yards of the test site, said Mr Batchelor, one of the veterans.
“Britain’s Supreme Court last year “blocked a bid by 1000 British Maralinga veterans to seek compensation over the tests. The decision quashed the hopes of 320 Australian servicemen, who had hoped to join the case. Almost 100 of those men have now died,” said a report.
“The hopes of Australians exposed to nuclear testing were dealt a blow by a UK court ruling against compensation in January. The people exposed to the testing at Maralinga and other sites have been denied adequate compensation on onerous and fastidious technical grounds. Justice has been delayed too long,” said Greens spokesperson for nuclear policy Senator Scott Ludlam, according to a report.
NOTE: This Blog is virtually blocked in Australia, NZ, UK …
Australia: Back-to-back disasters intensify
Major flooding in NSW forces mass evacuations
Evacuation orders are being enforced in several towns along the northern New South Wales (NSW) coast, including Kempsey, Port Macquarie and Bellingen, and emergency services are warning people not to enter floodwaters, said a report.
Flood warnings are in effect for at least 11 rivers in NSW as floodwater from a low-pressure system continues to swamp a large region.
At least two deaths have so far been reported in the region as a result of flooding.
New South Wales Rainfall Map to 9:00am, 23 Feb 2013.Source: Australia BOM. Image may be subject to copyright.
Other Disasters/ Significant Events
The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Louisiana in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding during the period of January 8-17, 2013.
The damage caused by the severe storms and flooding occurred in the parishes of Acadia, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Evangeline, Franklin, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, Madison, St. Landry, and Vermilion.
Leaking tanks hold “two-thirds of the nation’s high-level nuclear waste”
Six Hanford underground tanks holding a brew of radioactive and toxic waste at the most contaminated nuclear site in the U.S. are leaking, says Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
“None of these tanks would be acceptable for use today. They are all beyond their design life. None of them should be in service,” said Tom Carpenter of Hanford Challenge, a Hanford watchdog group. “And yet, they’re holding two-thirds of the nation’s high-level nuclear waste.”
Handford Site sits on 586-square-miles of shrub-steppe desert in southeastern Washington State, bordering the Columbia River. Six underground tanks are leaking radioactive waste. Hanford’s 177 tanks hold two-thirds of America’s high-level nuclear waste. Image source:United States Department of Energy
This aerial photo shows the Plutonium Finishing Plant complex. A red “X” has been placed on facilities that workers are demolishing. The plutonium vault complex consists of five ancillary structures and a larger building (2736-ZB) that once stored plutonium produced at Hanford during the Cold War for the U.S. nuclear weapons program. Source: US Dept of Energy
The tanks, built in the the 1940s with intended life span of 20 years, hold at least 53 million gallons (200 million liters) of highly radioactive waste, the leftover from plutonium production used in nuclear weapons.
State officials announced last week that one of Hanford’s 177 tanks was leaking up to 300 gallons a year, posing a risk to groundwater and rivers.
Gov Inslee said he had received the “very disturbing news” during meetings Friday that in fact six tanks are leaking.
Uncapped fuel stored underwater in K-East Basin. Source: US Dept of Energy
The authorities say they haven’t yet detected higher radioactivity levels at nearby monitoring wells.
Hanford, home to several tribes of Native Americans and a small agricultural community in the state of Washington, was depopulated in 1943 along with the town of White Bluffs to make room for the nuclear production facility known as the Hanford Site.
Weather Hazards forecast for Friday across the U.S.
‘Snow, heavy at times, will impact the Upper Great Lakes, Washington and Oregon Cascades, and northern Rockies on Friday. Meanwhile, significant ice accumulations are possible for the central Appalachians. Further south, severe thunderstorms may develop along the central Gulf Coast, with heavy rainfall capable of river and/or flash flooding from southern Mississippi to the eastern Carolinas.’ NOAA forecasters reported.
The storm brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the U.S. Midwest on Thursday, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations.
The system is forecast to hit the East Coast, dumping heavy snow on parts of New England for a third consecutive weekend.
Earlier, NWS issued a Winter Storm Warning for all of Kansas, nearly all of Missouri, as well as most of Nebraska and Iowa. Advisories were also issued for parts of South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, northern Texas and Arkansas.
Kansas Governor has already signed an emergency declaration for all 105 Kansans counties yesterday, shutting down all state offices in the Executive Branch.
A state of emergency has been declared in Missouri in response to the severe winter storm.
“A severe winter storm continues to bear down on communities across the state,” said Gov. Jay Nixon. “Missouri stands ready to help communities in need and to deploy the resources to keep folks safe. I urge all Missourians to keep a close eye on the weather and avoid unnecessary travel.”
Tornadoes Strike MS and LA
SPC received 18 storm reports including 3 tornadoes in Mississippi and Louisiana on Thursday.
Moderate to heavy damage reported in counties Jefferson Davis (MS), as well as Concordia and Vernon (LA).
SPC filtered storm reports- 21 Feb 2013.
US Drought Monitor
As of February 19, 2013 more than two-thirds of Continental U.S. was experiencing drought or was abnormally dry. The U.S. Drought Monitor reported. The report was prepared before the current winter storm, which may have alleviated the drought conditions in parts of the High Plains.
US Drought Map for February 19, 2013, Released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on February 21, 2013. The map was prepared before the current winter storm.
.
February 22, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,114 Days Left
Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,114 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human History
Kansas Governor signed an emergency declaration for all 105 Kansans counties, shutting down all state offices in the Executive Branch amid “massive snowfall” forecast.
“Every indication is that our state is going to receive a tremendous amount of snow in the next 24 hours. I want to urge Kansans to heed the winter weather warnings and avoid traveling tomorrow,” Gov. Brownback said in a statement.
Nebraska
The mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska’s capital city, has declared a snow emergency ahead of a powerful winter storm which is expected to hit the southwest and south-central parts of the state.
The city of Grand Island has also declared a snow emergency beginning on Wednesday into Friday, in anticipation of large snowfall.
Heavy snowstorm forecast prompts the city of Omaha to declare a state of emergency.
The City of Kearney has declared a snow emergency.
A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect for the Omaha metro area, NWS reported.
Iowa
The city of Council Bluffs has declared a snow emergency.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared 14 counties in Missouri as primary and contiguous disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.
Texas
USDA has designated 8 counties in Texas as drought disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought. The designation includes both primary and contiguous areas.
Michigan
Detroit’s long-term liabilities exceed $14 billion. A second state-appointed review team has declared a financial emergency in Detroit with no plan in place to resolved it.
Michigan State Treasurer Andy Dillon has alerted the public that the city is in a financial quagmire and “that there is no plan in place to correct…”
The declaration was sent to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who in turn declared a “financial emergency” for the city, according to MSNBC
“As of June 30, 2012, the City’s long-term liabilities, including accrued pension liabilities and other post-employment benefits, exceeded $14 billion,” said a report.
The city’s budget deficit climbed to $327million in June last year.
Mount Etna, Europe’s highest volcano, erupted spectacularly shooting a fountain of fire into the air.
Video by Klaus Dorschfeldt
Italy’s highest and most voluminous volcano, Mt Etna stands 3,333 tall overlooking Catania, Sicily’s second largest city.
Repeated eruptive episodes at Etna, including intermittent emissions of small quantities of ash have been observed from both the New Southeast Crater (NSEC) and Bocca Nuova Crater since February 2, 2013, GVP cited Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.
‘A new born puppy knows no fear of a tiger’ —NK Diplomat
North Korea has threatened the South with ‘final destruction’ during a debate at the UN Conference on Disarmament, Reuters reported.
The threat follows the underground nuclear test, which NK conducted on February 12.
NK has warned that it could take “second and third steps,” referring to the nuke test.
“As the saying goes, a new born puppy knows no fear of a tiger. South Korea’s erratic behavior would only herald its final destruction,” said North Korean diplomat Jon Yong-ryong, Reuters reported.
The North Korean diplomat said Pyongyang recent “resolute step for self-deference” was “strong counter-actions to a foreign aggressor.”
“If the US takes a hostile approach toward the DPRK to the last, rendering the situation complicated, it (North Korea) will be left with no option but to take the second and third stronger steps in succession,” he added.
The US and UK Representatives to the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva have strongly criticized North Korea.
.
February 19, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,117 Days Left
Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,117 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human History
Hongyanhe nuclear power plant’s first 1,000 megawatt (MW) unit started operation Sunday, according to the plant’s operator, Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Co. Ltd.
Hongyanhe NPP, located in Liaoning Province, is the first nuclear power plant and largest energy project in northeast China.
The plant is said to be also the first in China to use desalinated seawater for cooling its pressurized water reactors (PWRs).
It is located near the city of Wafangdian, some 104 km from Dalian, Liaoning Province (registered population: ~ 45 million).
Dalian is a major city and seaport located south of Liaoning province, surrounded by the Yellow Sea to the east and the Bohai Sea to the west and south.
Original caption: Photo taken on July 12, 2012 shows the Hongyanhe nuclear power station near Wafangdian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province. The Hongyanhe nuclear power station, the first nuclear power plant and largest energy project in northeast China, started operation on Sunday afternoon. Construction on the first phase of the project, which features four power generation units [1,000 MW CPR-1000 PWRs, which are based on Areva design] to be built at a cost of 50 billion yuan (7.96 billion U.S. dollars), began in 2007 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2015. The four units will generate 30 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity annually by then. Construction on the second phase of the project, which features two power generation units to be built with an investment of 25 billion yuan, started in May 2010 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. The power plant will generate 45 billion kwh of electricity after it is fully completed in 2016. (Xinhua). – Image may be subject to copyright.
Beijing and other Chinese provinces entombed in dense smog: Round 6
Chinese capital Beijing and many other large cities across the country were enveloped in dense smog Sunday for the 6th time in as many weeks.
Where are you going today?Dense smog chokes Neihuang County of Anyang City in central China’s Henan Province, Feb. 17, 2013. (Xinhua/Liu Xiaokun). Image may be subject to copyright. More images…
Hazardous smog again shrouded Beijing and neighboring provinces today, disrupting flights and halting highway traffic, officials said.
The visibility at Beijing Capital International Airport fell to 5 – 10 meters earlier today, said a report.
The Beijing municipal traffic authorities were forced to shut down large sections of expressways linking to Kaifeng, Harbin, Shanghai and Tianjin.
Dense smog also enveloped the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Tianjin as well as NW China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the south today.
“The air quality index reached 500, or extreme pollution, in five monitoring sites at 8 a.m. in Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei,” said the report.
NOTE: On January 29, 2013, WordPress/Google again tightened access to this blog, reducing traffic by a further 75 percent.
.
Severe flooding in Mozambique affects about ¼ million, killing 111 and displacing 186,000 people
A storm system in the Mozambique Channel threatens to bring even more heavy rains to much of Mozambique and Madagascar, exacerbating the current flood situation, said UN OCHA.
“The Ministry of Agriculture’s preliminary assessment indicates about 191,315 ha (473,000 acres) have been affected by floods, including 166,278 ha of cultivated land destroyed. The most affected province is Gaza, followed by Inhambane and Maputo.”
Other affected provinces include Zambezia and Cabo Delgado.
Hundreds of cases of cholera infections and at least 2 related deaths have been reported in Cabo Delgado province between 28 January and 13 February 2013, according to the Ministry of Health.
Extreme rain events have triggered severe flooding in several other southern African countries, including Zambia, Malawi, South Africa and northern Zimbabwe.
.
February 16, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,120 Days Left
Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,120 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human History
Large object falls from the sky over Cuba turning into a fireball “bigger than the sun”
Residents in the central Cuban province of Cienfuegos say they saw a large, bright object the size of a bus in the sky on Friday at about 01:00 GMT.
The object turned into a fireball “bigger than the sun” before exploding with a loud bang that shook some houses, according to eyewitnesses, said a report.
An explosion in the stratosphere, said to have been caused by a meteor, has rocked the Russian Urals.
Many residents in Chelyabinsk (population: ~ 1.2 million), the largest city in the affected region, located 1,500 km east of Moscow, reported that the shockwave had rattled their homes, smashing windows, knocking out the phone system, and leaving the air smell like gunpowder.
The meteoroid weighed about 10 tons before entering Earth’s atmosphere, traveling at a low trajectory with a speed of about 30 km/s, Russian Academy of Sciences has estimated.
A bright flash was observed in the Chelyabinsk, Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions, Russia’s Republic of Bashkiria and in northern Kazakhstan, RT reported.
About 1,200 people have been injured, including at least 950 people in Chelyabinsk.
Some 160 children are among the injured.
“According to preliminary estimates, this space object is of non-technogenic origin and qualifies as a meteorite. It was moving at a low trajectory with a speed of about 30 km/s.” Russian space agency Roskosmos has said. confirming that the object that crashed in the Chelyabinsk region is a meteorite, RT reported.
The meteor shower and the shockwave have damaged about 3,000 buildings in Chelyabinsk, including 34 medical facilities and 361 schools, shattering about 100,000 square meters of window glass and leaving 450 other buildings without natural gas supply, because of the damage to the city’s distribution facilities, Russia 24 news channel quoted officials as saying.
–
“The impact wave damaged several buildings, and blew out thousands of windows amid frigid winter weather. Hundreds are seeking medical attention for minor injuries.” said a report.
–
“According to unconfirmed reports, the [meteor] was intercepted by an air defense unit at the Urzhumka settlement near Chelyabinsk. A missile salvo blew the [meteor] to pieces at an altitude of 20 kilometers, local newspaper Znak reports quoting a source in the military.” RT said.
–
“According to preliminary data, the flashes seen over the Urals were caused by [a] meteorite [sic] shower,” the Emergency Ministry told Itar-Tass news agency.
“Radiation, chemical and biological protection units have been put on high alert. Since the explosion occurred several kilometers above the Earth, a large ground area must be thoroughly checked for radiation and other threats.”
Some 20,000 rescue workers are searching the region and 3 aircraft have been deployed to survey the area and pinpoint all impact locations, RT reported the Russian Emergency Ministry as saying.
U.S. Disasters 2013: Drought, derecho, hail, excessive heat, excessive rain, flash flooding, Hurricane Sandy, a snowstorm and a nor’easter
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 21 counties in 4 states—New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania—as natural disaster areas, both primary and contiguous, due to damages and losses caused by the combined effects of drought, high winds (derecho), hail, excessive heat, excessive rain, flash flooding, Hurricane Sandy, a snowstorm and a nor’easter that occurred during the period of June 28 – November 8, 2012.
As of February 13, prior to the latest designations, about 980 counties, nearly a third of all U.S. counties, had been designated for 2013 crop disaster losses, USDA reported.
The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Mississippi in the areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding beginning on February 10, 2013, and continuing.
The worst affected areas are Forrest and Lamar Counties.
Drought Disaster Extends to Georgia and Florida Counties
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 51 counties in Georgia and 5 counties in Florida as drought disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought. The designations include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.
U.S. Drought Disaster Map as of February 13, 2013. Source: USDA
Map of primary and contiguous designations for 2012 crop losses, as of February 13, 2013
Intensive thunderstorm ignites wildfires in Western Australia
An emergency warning remained in place in Western Australia’s South West as a dozen wildfires raged.
At least 130 personnel are battling an out of control fire in forest between Bridgetown and Nannup, which has consumed more than 1,700 hectares in less than 24 hours.
Australia experienced its hottest month on record in January 2013, with both the average mean temperature of 29.68°C and the average mean maximum temperature of 36.92°, topping previous records set in January 1932, Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABOM) reported.
“The heatwave in the first half of January was exceptional in its extent and duration. The national average maximum temperature on 7 January was the highest on record. Numerous stations set records for the most days in succession above 40°C, including Alice Springs (17 days) and Birdsville (31 days).”
January heatwave set all-time record high temperatures in many locations including Sydney (45.8°C on 18 January) and Hobart (41.8°C on 4 January). The highest temperature recorded during the heatwave was at Moomba in South Australia (49.6°C on 12 January), ABOM reporetd.
Extreme Rain Events
Extreme rain events plagued coastal areas of Queensland and New South Wales as a low pressure system associated with ex-tropical cyclone Oswald tracked steadily south between 22 and 29 January.
“Many coastal areas from Sydney to Cape York received more than 200 mm of rainfall. The most extreme rainfalls were in the region between Rockhampton and Bundaberg, and in the ranges along the New South Wales – Queensland border region.” BOM reported.
Some 1,496 mm of rain fell in Upper Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland in eight days, and 1,426 mm in Boolaroo Tops, southwest of Gladstone.
The tornado that struck Lamar and Forrest County, MS on February 10, was a low end EF-4 tornado with maximum wind force of about 170mph, and a damage path of 20 miles, National Weather Service (NWS) reported.
“Additionally, multiple other locations along the path through West Hattiesburg and across the city were rated in the EF-3 range.”
82 people were taken to area hospitals including 63 in Forrest County and 19 in Lamar County, Said NWS. “There are likely many more minor injuries that have not been accounted for at this time.”
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck at a depth of 28.7 km (USGS/EHP) off the coast of Santa Cruz Islands (Temotu Province) in the southeast Solomon Islands archipelago at 1:12 PM UTC on 6 February 2013, triggering 1.0 meter tsunami wave that reached the islands in Temotu Province.
Some 600 houses were destroyed, affecting more than 3,300 people, 80 percent of whom have been moved to makeshift shelters.
Aftershocks continue to cause damage, hampering the relief operations and preventing people from returning to their homes.
“Health services have continued to be disrupted due to ongoing aftershocks, with patients being moved to higher ground.” UN OCHA reported.
A swarm of tornadoes rake 7 counties in Mississippi and Alabama, causing significant damage, injuring dozens
Mississippi Gov. declared a State of Emergency for four counties following ‘significant damage’ caused by severe storms and tornadoes. Those counties are: Forrest, Lamar, Lawrence and Marion.
The other affected counties were Wayne County, Mississippi, Clarke and Washington counties in Alabama.
The worst affected areas were the city of Hattiesburg in Marion County and the nearby town of Petal in Forrest County
Twisters cut power to large section of southern U.S.
Major winter storm bringing heavy snow, high winds to Northern Plains
‘A major winter storm will bring heavy snow and strong winds from northeast Colorado into central Minnesota Sunday into Monday. Snowfall amounts in the hardest hit areas across eastern South Dakota will reach over a foot with 50 mph winds creating whiteout conditions.’ NWS reported.
Fire Earth 