September 20, 2013 – TAIWAN - Super Typhoon Usagi, the equivalent of a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, intensified rapidly Thursday in the western Pacific Ocean and will threaten parts of Taiwan, the far northern Philippines and southern China through the next several days. A tropical cyclone is dubbed a “super typhoon” when maximum sustained winds reach at least 150 mph. Usagi underwent a period of rapid intensification from early Wednesday through midday Thursday (U.S. Eastern time), going from a 55-knot tropical storm to a 140-knot super typhoon in just 33 hours, or just under a 100 mph intensification, based on satellite estimates of intensity. Usagi is expected to maintain a west-northwest path through the weekend. –The Weather Channel
September 20, 2013 – INDONESIA - More than 15,000 residents have fled a volcano that rumbled to life less than a week ago in Indonesia and local airlines have been warned to avoid flying near the mountain as thick ash continues to spew from its crater, an official said. The aviation warning was issued for small planes serving short-haul flights in the region as small eruptions continue at Mount Sinabung, said Susanto, general manager for air navigation at Kuala Namu airport in North Sumatra’s capital Medan. Like many Indonesians, he uses only one name.
September 20, 2013 – Israel – The Dead Sea is drying up at an incredible rate leaving huge chasms of empty space in its wake. These chasms appear in the form of large, devastating sinkholes and are increasing in number throughout the region. Experts claim they are now forming at a rate of nearly one a day, but have no way of knowing when or how they will show up. Estimates by Moment magazine suggest that, on the Israeli side alone, there are now over 3,000 sinkholes around the Dead Sea. This compares to just 40 counted in 1990, with the first sinkhole appearing in the 1980s. The Dead Sea spans more than 60 miles through Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. Its waters are 10 times saltier than the northern Atlantic Ocean because it has no outlet. This means that any minerals that flow there, stay there. The increase in sinkholes is directly related to the Dead Sea drying up at a rate of one meter per year. Sinkholes are basically bowl-shaped features that form when an empty space under the ground creates a depression. The depression is the result of a reaction between freshwater and salt buried in a subterranean level beneath the surface. When the freshwater dissolves the salt, it creates a void, causing the landscape around and above it to suddenly collapse. Over the last few decades, increasing numbers of people have been drawn to the Dead Sea causing its salt water to dry up. This leaves more fresh water in the area to dissolve the salt and create more cavities. –Daily Mail
September 20 - Alaska An ancient forest has thawed from under a melting glacier in Alaska and is now exposed to the world for the first time in more than 1,000 years. Stumps and logs have been popping out from under southern Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier — a 36.8-square-mile (95.3 square kilometers) river of ice flowing into a lake near Juneau — for nearly the past 50 years. However, just within the past year or so, researchers based at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau have noticed considerably more trees popping up, many in their original upright position and some still bearing roots and even a bit of bark, the Juneau Empire first reported last week.
"There are a lot of them, and being in a growth position is exciting because we can see the outermost part of the tree and count back to see how old the tree was," Cathy Connor, a geology professor at the University of Alaska Southeast who was involved in the investigation, told LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet. "Mostly, people find chunks of wood helter-skelter, but to see these intact upright is kind of cool."
The team has tentatively identified the trees as either spruce or hemlock, based on the diameter of the trunks and because these are the types of trees growing in the region today, Connor said, but the researchers still need to further assess the samples to verify the tree type.
A protective tomb of gravel likely encased the trees more than 1,000 years ago, when the glacier was advancing, Connor said, basing the date on radiocarbon ages of the newly revealed wood. As glaciers advance, Connor explained, they often emit summer meltwater streams that spew aprons of gravel beyond the glacier's edge.
September 20, 2013 – TOKYO (Kyodo) – A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Fukushima in the northeast early Friday morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, but no abnormalities were observed at the region’s nuclear power plants including the crippled Fukushima Daiichi, according to their operators. The focus of the 2:25 a.m. quake was around 17 kilometers underground in Fukushima Prefecture’s southern coastal region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
September 17, 2013 – UKRAINE – Two people were killed after heavy rains hit southern Ukraine’s Odessa region over the weekend, a local official said Monday, APA reports quoting Xinhua. The ensuing floods drowned some 4,000 farm animals and poultry, and destroyed or severely damaged more than 450 houses, causing an estimated loss of 21 million U.S. dollars, an official of the press service of Odessa regional administration told Xinhua. Around 600 residents have been evacuated in central Odessa, the worst-hit region. -APA
September 17, 2013 – MEXICO – Authorities scrambled to rescue people stranded in flooded homes in Mexico’s resort of Acapulco Monday after twin storms slammed opposite coasts in a rare one-two punch that has killed 34 people. Hurricane Ingrid weakened to tropical storm strength as it made landfall on the northeastern coast in the morning while the Pacific coast reeled from the remnants of Tropical Storm Manuel, which dissipated after striking on Sunday. Thousands of people were evacuated as the two storms set off landslides and floods that damaged bridges, roads and homes.
September 16, 2013 – SCOTLAND - Scotland experienced all four seasons in one day yesterday, as the first storm of autumn swept across the country, bringing chaos to the country’s roads. Torrential rain, accompanied by gale-force winds, gave way to sunny periods, before the wet weather returned. The Cairngorms were hit by gusts of 100 mph, with snow anticipated last night, and the Forth Road Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles after wind speeds of 69 mph were recorded. However, not everyone was bemoaning the gales. The weather was perfect for Scottish Windfest, at Barassie Beach in Troon, where windsurfers and kitesurfers were competing. Last night, the Met Office issued a blanket “yellow” warning, forecasting blustery winds continuing into today. They said high-altitude jetstream winds from the Atlantic pushing 200 mph – almost twice the usual – triggered the storm. It brought torrential rain yesterday morning, which flooded Nitshill Road and Thornliebank Road, in the south of Glasgow, with motorists in Dumfries suffering the worst driving conditions in the country with heavy spray on main roads.
The weather also caused severe disruption to Caledonian MacBrayne’s ferry timetable on the west coast, where dozens of sailings were either delayed or cancelled. Worst affected were the routes between Oban, Coll and Tiree, the new link between Ardrossan and Campbeltown, and the Tarbert to Portavadie crossing. A spokesman for Cal Mac said: “Ferry services across the network have been badly affected by high winds. “The bad weather is expected to continue into Monday and ferry travellers are advised to check our website (www.calmac.co.uk) for the latest information. Traffic Scotland warned motorists of high winds on the Skye, Friarton, Tay and Erskine bridges. And there was rail disruption on west coast northbound routes, after a tree fell on to overhead lines between Lockerbie and Carstairs. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issued flood warnings in Ayrshire and Arran, Dumfries and Galloway and west central Scotland. The CairnGorm funicular railway was closed all morning yesterday as 100mph winds blasted the area, but it was opened by midday. Paul Nixon, CairnGorm’s customer manager, said: “We’ve just been keeping a close eye on the weather today, making sure that visitors can come back down. “We’re expecting some snow tonight, but it’s unlikely to lie and will be restricted to the very top of the mountain. “This sort of weather usually does mark the start of winter for us really. In the past there has been skiing in October, and people are anticipating a very good season.” Tom Morgan, of the Met Office, said: “Scotland is only half-way there with the severe wind problems. –The Scotsman
September 16, 2013 – ATHENS - An earthquake shook buildings in the Greek capital on Monday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. A magnitude 4.5 quake struck central Greece just before 1500 GMT and was followed by a stronger tremor, the Athens Geodynamics Institute said. Fire brigade officials said they had not received any calls for assistance. The EMSC registered the earthquake as a 5.0 magnitude event. Greece is often rattled by earthquakes, most causing no serious damage. A 5.9 magnitude quake in 1999 killed 143 people. –Reuters
September 16, 2013 – JAPAN - Workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plant have braced for a powerful incoming typhoon. Japan is struggling and failing to keep radiation leaks from the facility, crippled by the 2011 quake and tsunami, under control. Typhoon Man-Yi hit southern Japan on Monday morning, bringing heavy rains and strong winds and sparking fears that it might further deteriorate the situation at Fukushima. Workers at the site are using large weights to try and prevent cranes used to move debris from toppling over from the wind, reports Japanese broadcaster NHK.
September 16, 2013 – COLORADO – Forecasters in Colorado are warning residents near Denver to brace for torrential overnight rains, as raging flood waters roar through the region and cloud cover hampers helicopter rescue efforts. Days of heavy rains and flooding have turned the state’s Rocky Mountain foothills into high risk zones, with dozens of washed out roads and bridges turning entire communities into disaster areas short on supplies and services. At least four people were known dead by late Sunday, with two others officially missing and presumed dead.
September 16, 2013 – RUSSIA – A team of Russian scientists has found the remains of 10 gray whales washed ashore in Russia’s most northeasterly region Chukotka, the Marine Mammal Council said Friday.–RIA NOVOSTI
September 16, 2013 – INDONESIA – Mount Sinabung erupted violently before dawn, spewing rocks and red-hot ash onto surrounding villages. Asren Nasution, head of the North Sumatra disaster agency, said more than 3,000 people within a two-mile radius had been evacuated, with no casualties reported. They are being sheltered in five wooden halls used for religious ceremonies. Several flights at Kualanamu airport, some 30 miles away in Medan, have been delayed because of the ash. Indonesia has dozens of active volcanoes, more than any other country, and straddles major tectonic fault lines known as the “Ring of Fire” between the Pacific and Indian oceans. –Sky News
27 killed in mine collapse: KABUL, AFGH. – A coal mine collapse has killed at least 27 miners in the north of Afghanistan, officials said Sunday, with rescue efforts under way to save about 12 workers trapped underground. Emergency teams rushed to the scene after the mine collapsed in a remote area of Samangan province on Saturday
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