Archive | June 30, 2014
Severe hailstorms devastate agriculture in Valencia & Murcia, Spain
Valencia’s agriculture is not going through good times and the weather has become its worst possible ally. After one of the driest years on record, which has resulted in significant losses, the region has now been hit by hail.
The storms affected large areas of the Region of Valencia last Tuesday afternoon, causing severe and extensive damage to agriculture. According to initial estimates of the Valencian Growers Association (AVA-ASAJA), the area affected is of about 45,000 hectares, mainly in the region of Ribera, with a total of 40,000 h. affected, and to a lesser extent, the region of Safor and certain parts of the town of Navarrés. They claim that the hail at times reached the size of golf balls.
Between 60% and 100% of the crops have been affected, including citrus, persimmons, melons and watermelons. The damage is sure to have dire repercussions for the future persimmon and citrus campaigns, as well as for melons and watermelons, whose campaigns are currently in full swing.
The president of AVA-ASAJA, Cristóbal Aguado, said that “this storm is a real disaster and the worst part is that it adds to other recent hailstorms occurred in various Valencian regions, but above all, to the devastating effects of the droughts. Our agriculture is going through a critical time and the response we have received from the government is not up to the sector’s needs.”
12,000 hectares damaged in Murcia
Although with not as heavy losses, about 12,000 hectares of stonefruit and, to a lesser extent, table grapes are estimated to have been affected in the Region of Murcia.
Fortunately, the stonefruit season is nearly over, as already 80% of the production has already been harvested. The only damaged crops are yellow peaches and the later nectarine varieties. It remains to be seen whether the damages will affect next year’s production volumes.
The table grape plantations, where the harvesting period is now starting, have suffered fewer damages, as they are generally protected by anti-hail nets; however, in several areas of Blanca and Abarán hail reached the size of golf balls, as in the case of Valencia.
“For growers in the areas affected, hail is their worst enemy. For this reason, thankfully, most have their properties insured against this type of weather and have not lost everything,” said Jose Luis Muñoz, Communications Manager of COAG Murcia. “Definitely the biggest drawback of this is that the stonefruit season is over between 15 and 20 days earlier than usual, with the consequent losses in revenue and wages.”
At least six tornadoes spotted across Iowa, USA
Tornadoes, thunderstorms and hail hammered the Hawkeye State on Sunday, damaging trees and property but leaving Iowans mostly unscathed.
The National Weather Service said that at least six tornadoes were reported by spotters between 4:45 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday along with scores of funnel clouds that did not transform into twisters. No reports of serious injuries were available late Sunday.
More severe weather is expected Monday across Iowa, perhaps more intense than Sunday.
Monday’s rainfall could tally an inch or more, with higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. The already saturated ground means flash floods and flooding along rivers, said Aubry Wilkins, meteorologist for the National Weather Service bureau in Johnston.
“We can’t take much more water right now,” she said. “Keep an eye on those flash floods. Water can rise fast and unexpectedly, especially in heavy downpours.”
Sunday’s storms sauntered into Iowa shortly before 5 p.m. and exploded across the state with a flurry of severe weather.
The storm cut a diagonal swath across the state from Harrison County in western Iowa through Fort Dodge and Webster County in north central Iowa north toward Winneshiek County.
Two tornadoes were spotted near Stratford in Webster County at 7:12 p.m., according to storm spotters.
Landslide at stone quarry: 2 workers killed, 1 wounded in Sultangazi, Turkey
Two workers have lost their lives and another was injured after a landslide at a stone quarry in Istanbul’s Sultangazi district at the evening hours of Sunday.
A construction vehicle operating at the site and another truck were both buried by the landslide. Both conductors of the vehicles were unable to be rescued by the firefighters who were dispatched following the accident. The victims were identified as Erdem Çelikmen and Süleyman Akay. The reasons for the landslide are still unknown and an investigation into the incident has been launched.
Turkey is passing through one of its deadliest years in terms of labor-related accidents. The recent Soma mine disaster, which cost the lives of 301 workers, has once again drawn attention to the lack of regulation and safety conditions at worksites in Turkey.
Landslide deaths increase to 23 in Southern India
The balance of people who have lost their lives in New Delhi (India) by the collapse of a building on Saturday due to heavy rains in Chennai, in the state of Tamil Nadu (south) on Monday has risen to 23.
The building under construction collapsed when several workers were inside to shelter from the rain.
On Sunday, the beginning balance was at least 11 people dead, while on-site rescue teams searching for dozens of people over the rubble.
“Forty-three people were pulled from the rubble, 23 dead and 20 alive,” he told AFP a senior Tamil Nadu police. “Another 30 could it be trapped, but we ignore the exact number,” he added.
The building collapses are frequent accidents in India due to lax regulations on the construction and the high demand for affordable housing. The builders used inferior materials and add unauthorized floors on existing buildings.
Intense activity and lava flows at Stromboli volcano in Eolian Islands, Italy
Activity at the volcano increased further and produced several lava overflows both inside the crater and on the upper Sciara del Fuoco. At the moment, the latter one is still active and has a length of approx. 200 m.
Following intense phases of continuous spattering (or small lava fountaining) from the central and other vents, accompanied by increasing tremor, a first intra-crater lava flow started around 08:30 local time from the NE hornito (S2).
Shortly after, starting from 11:18 an effusive vent starts to open up on the outer northwestern slope of the crater terrace, some ten meters beneath the NW vent complex (vent S3), and issue a lava flow directly onto the Sciara.
Both lava flows were relatively short-lived, while strombolian and spattering activity continued intense at the various vents.
A third lava flow occurred again from the NE hornito at 19:30 inside the crater terrace.
A 4th lava flow, and the most vigorous one so far, and the one still active, began around 20:30 last night as overflow from the same NE hornito (S2) and has been traveling down the upper Sciara del Fuoco. Whether it will reach the sea will mainly depend on how stable the current magma supply rate is.
YELLOWSTONE REGION MAGNITUDE 2.2 SPRING CITY, UT
http://www.seis.utah.edu/req2webdir/recenteqs/Quakes/uu60075262.html
Subject To Change
Depth: 9 km
Distances: Spring City, UT – 7 km (4 miles) SE (136 degrees)
Mount Pleasant, UT – 12 km (7 miles) S (173 degrees)
Ephraim, UT – 15 km (10 miles) NE (55 degrees)
Moroni, UT – 16 km (10 miles) SE (129 degrees)
Provo, UT – 92 km (57 miles) SSE (168 degrees)
YELLOWSTONE REGION MAGNITUDE 2.4 SPRING CITY, UT
http://www.seis.utah.edu/req2webdir/recenteqs/Quakes/uu60075217.html
Subject To Change
Depth: 3 km
Distances: Spring City, UT – 7 km (4 miles) SE (135 degrees)
Mount Pleasant, UT – 12 km (8 miles) S (171 degrees)
Ephraim, UT – 15 km (10 miles) NE (56 degrees)
Moroni, UT – 16 km (10 miles) SE (129 degrees)
Provo, UT – 92 km (57 miles) SSE (168 degrees)
YELLOWSTONE REGION MAGNITUDE 2.6 SPRING CITY, UT
http://www.seis.utah.edu/req2webdir/recenteqs/Quakes/uu60075212.html
Subject To Change
Depth: 9 km
Distances: Spring City, UT – 7 km (4 miles) SE (143 degrees)
Mount Pleasant, UT – 13 km (8 miles) S (175 degrees)
Ephraim, UT – 15 km (9 miles) NE (56 degrees)
Moroni, UT – 16 km (10 miles) SE (132 degrees)
Provo, UT – 92 km (57 miles) SSE (168 degrees)
MAGNITUDE 5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=388439
Subject To Change
Depth: 45 km
Distances: 1009 km S of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga / pop: 22,400 / local time: 09:45:34.6 2014-07-01
1384 km S of Suva, Fiji / pop: 77,366 / local time: 08:45:34.6 2014-07-01
1436 km NE of Wellington, New Zealand / pop: 381,900 / local time: 08:45:34.6 2014-07-01
MAGNITUDE 6.2 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000rnx0#summary
Subject To Change
Depth: 512 km
Distances: 359km (223mi) WNW of Chichi-shima, Japan
656km (408mi) SSE of Shingu, Japan
682km (424mi) SSE of Owase, Japan
683km (424mi) SSE of Tanabe, Japan
817km (508mi) S of Tokyo, Japan
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