Archive | June 6, 2015
Train collides with truck injuring 11 in Wilmington, USA
(Eric Ginnard – eginnard@shawmedia.com)
Eleven people were injured and taken to area hospitals Friday when an Amtrak train headed to Chicago from San Antonio slammed into a semi-trailer truck at a crossing near Wilmington.
Courtesy of theherald-news.com
Cyclone alert issued for Karachi, Pakistan
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a cyclone alert for Karachi in the wake of a ‘potential cyclonic activity’ in Arabian Sea.
According to the PMD, the persistence of clouds in Arabian Sea shows an area of convection with a potential of development of a cyclonic circulation. A deep low pressure area developing in the sea at a distance of 1600 km south of Pakistan coast may turn into a cyclone in next couple of days, the PMD said.
It said the cyclone warning centre (Karachi) is monitoring the local and regional meteorological conditions regularly.
The PMD said a weather advisory, in case of any cyclonic activity, would be issued in next 24 hours. All stakeholders and concerned authorities have been advised to be alert about the situation.
The storm will be named Ashubha if it develops into a full-blown cyclone, said the Met Office.
The alert comes a day after many parts of Sindh received showers with gusty winds, and a massive dust storm whipped across Karachi. The second storm of the summer blasted the metropolis with strong and blinding winds that forced the people to take shelter. The dust enveloped the city and caused traffic jams as drivers slowed down because of poor visibility. The Met Office says the storm may usher in the yearly monsoon season, bringing with it localized heavy rains.
Courtesy of pakistantoday.com.pk
13 foot of snow buries most of Folgefonna Resort in Norway
Photo: Fonna Glacier Ski Resort
Holy pow-a-bunga! Folgefonna, a Norwegian glacial resort, just got dumped on. Over 13 feet of snow pounded the resort in during the first week of June. That’s one heck of a summer snowstorm! The massive and quick accumulation buried many parts of the resort causing it to close. The crew has been digging out lifts and other structures, and hopes to resume operations soon.
“We are doing our best to get the lift running again. The park is still under a lot of snow, but hopefully we can start building it up again tomorrow,” commented Fonna SnowPark on their Instagram.
As of Friday, the storm seemed to have subsided, and the sun was back out, but crew still has a lot of work to do. Summer shredding is going to be all time on this glacier, maybe it’s time to pack out bags and head to Folgefonna.
Photo: Fonna Glacier Ski Resort
Courtesy of snowboarding.transworld.net
Severe heatwave kills 10 pilgrims in Sehwan, Pakistan
Ten pilgrims have died at the 763rd Urs of the Great Saint of the sub-continent Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Sindh due to the heatwave and high temperature across the Sehwan.
The temperature is currently 42 degrees in the Sehwan. Local administration had claimed that arrangements of cold water, shelters and other necessary arrangements have been already completed.
PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari took notice and directed the relevant authorities to provide ice , cold water and other facilities free of cost to the devotees.
Every year more than half a million pilgrims from all over Pakistan especially Sindh and Punjab visit the Shrine of Hazrat Shehbaz Lal Qalander to offers tributes and make wishes. Most of the people present garlands and a green chadar (shawl) with Quranic inscriptions in silver or gold threads.
A qawwali “Lal Meri Pat Rakhiyo” sung by many Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Indian musicians and singer like Noor Jahan, Nustrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Sabri Brothers, Wadali Brothers, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Mika Singh, and Runa Laila.
Courtesy of thenewsteller.com
MAGNITUDE 5.2 PAPUA, INDONESIA
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20002mld#general_summary
Subject To Change
Depth: 49 km
Distances: 194km (121mi) WNW of Abepura, Indonesia
205km (127mi) W of Jayapura, Indonesia
273km (170mi) W of Vanimo, Papua New Guinea
395km (245mi) ENE of Nabire, Indonesia
1170km (727mi) SSE of Koror Town, Palau
Scientists Detect Plasma Tubes in Earth’s Magnetosphere
An artist’s impression of plasma tubes in the Earth’s magnetosphere. Image credit: Mats Bjorkland / ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics
Scientists using the Murchison Widefield Array in the Western Australian desert have confirmed the existence of tubular plasma structures between the plasmasphere and ionosphere of our planet, approximately 370 miles (600 km) above the ground.
“We saw a striking pattern in the sky where stripes of high-density plasma neatly alternated with stripes of low-density plasma,” said team member Shyeh Tjing Loi from the University of Sydney and the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, Australia.
“This pattern drifted slowly and aligned beautifully with the Earth’s magnetic field lines, like aurorae.”
The Earth’s magnetosphere is filled with plasma that is created by the atmosphere being ionized by sunlight.
The innermost layer of the magnetosphere is the ionosphere, and above that is the plasmasphere. They are embedded with a variety of strangely shaped plasma structures including, as has now been revealed, the tubes.
“For over 60 years, scientists believed these structures existed but by imaging them for the first time, we’ve provided visual evidence that they are really there,” Ms Loi said.
According to the scientists, the structures are strikingly organized, appearing as regularly spaced, alternating tubes of overdensities and underdensities strongly aligned with the Earth’s magnetic field.
“We measured their position to be about 370 miles (600 km) above the ground, in the upper ionosphere, and they appear to be continuing upwards into the plasmasphere,” Ms Loi said.
“This is around where the neutral atmosphere ends, and we are transitioning to the plasma of outer space.”
Dr Tara Murphy, also from the University of Sydney and the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, added: “when they first saw the data, many of her senior collaborators thought the results were literally ‘too good to be true’ and that the observation process had somehow corrupted the findings, but over the next few months, Ms Loi managed to convince them that they were both real and scientifically interesting.”
The findings are reported in a paper published online by the journal Geophysical Research Letters on May 25, 2015.
Courtesy of sci-news.com
Apocalyptic hailstorm strikes a neighborhood in Denver, USA
AIRTRACKER 7 found hail several feet deep as it flew over South Irving Street and West Alaska Place, that’s near Alameda Avenue and Federal Boulevard.
“It started last night around 8 or 8:30. Within a half an hour it started accumulating,” said Sinforoso Sanchez. “Then all of a sudden, probably within 45 minutes, we heard like a rumble and we ran down our porch and looked down the street and a car was coming sideways — just rolling on ice. Next thing we know, within an hour’s time, this whole area was just… it was deeper than it is now.”
People were seen using shovels in an effort to free their cars.
“Where this came from I don’t know,” Sanchez said with a laugh, “but we got it.”
“Cars were floating down the street”. Snow plows and shovels removing hail measuring in feet. #cowx. @DenverChannel pic.twitter/GGYysmtFqc
— Brad Bogott (@bbogott) June 5, 2015
Heavy loaders and dump trucks were called in to scoop up and remove the hailstones by the truckload.
Courtesy of thedenverchannel.com
Strong ash emissions at Dukono volcano in Halmahera, Indonesia
Strong ash emissions continue from the volcano. Based on satellite data, VAAC Darwin reported that ash plume rose to 8,000 ft (2.4 km) altitude and extended 70 km NW this morning.
Courtesy of volcanodiscovery.com
Eruptive phase; steam and ash plume reported, hot spot at Barren Island in India
Hot spot at Barren island (MIROVA)
A steam and ash plume at estimated 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude and extending 35 km to the east from the volcano was detected yesterday on MTSAT satellite imagery (VAAC Darwin).
A moderately strong hot spot is visible at the volcano as well, suggesting that the eruptive phase that had started in April might still be going on at a low level.
Courtesy of volcanodiscovery.com
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