MAGNITUDE 5.0 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=508004

Subject To Change

Depth: 76 km

Distances: 101 km S of Guatemala City, Guatemala / pop: 994,938 / local time: 08:51:22.3 2016-05-22
63 km S of Cuilapa, Guatemala / pop: 16,484 / local time: 08:51:22.3 2016-05-22
34 km SE of Iztapa, Guatemala / pop: 4,020 / local time: 08:51:22.3 2016-05-22

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Severe flooding forces over 1,300 students to evacuate school in China

Firefighters evacuated over 1,300 students and faculty from a middle school in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Friday after they were trapped by a sudden flood.

 

Water began pooling around the school’s main gate at 11:00 Friday and rose to knee high within 30 minutes.

 

The students were initially moved to higher floors as the floodwater continued to surge to 1.7 meters deep.

 

Some of the male teachers waded through chest-deep waters to bring in small amounts of water and food to the trapped students.

 

“After we moved the students to a safe place, many of our young teachers who can swim went to get some supplies for our students since they didn’t have time to get lunch when the flood occurred,” said Tan Baobiao, the deputy principal of the school.

 

The local fire department deployed close to 100 firefighters to bring food to the trapped students and faculty members, and then relocate them to safety in batches.

 

As of 21:00 Friday, all of the people trapped in the school had been relocated. No casualties were reported.

 

The flood caused more than three million yuan of damage to the school. Most of the school’s equipment was damaged and the school needs to be cleaned and sterilized before it reopens.

Courtesy of citizentv.co.ke

http://tinyurl.com/gr5gaxp

Major storm rips with large hail, damages property in Billings, USA

Courtesy: Viewer Photos

For a storm that dropped less than a half-inch of rain, it still managed to pound parts of the region with quarter-sized to golf ball-sized hail, sometimes larger.

 

It appears smaller towns and the West End of Billings received the brunt of the storm’s power, but other places did pick up rain and hail.

 

Broken windows, dented vehicles, and general damage scattered throughout the area and residents felt the effects.

 

The hail, in certain areas, grew past the golf ball size, but came in bunches. The National Weather Service in Billings reported several people were injured at the Rod and Gun Club.

 

For the rest of Saturday evening, it should remain relatively quiet.

 

Saturday’s storm comes two years and three days after the one in 2014, which created millions of dollars of damage.

Courtesy of ktvq.com

http://tinyurl.com/goswa2j

Funnel Clouds Appear During Thunderstorms In Parts Of The UK

Funnel clouds have been reported during thunderstorms in eastern parts of the UK.

 

Among the areas where people claimed they witnessed them were Hartlepool, Stockton, Spalding and Newton Aycliffe in England – as well as Forfar in Scotland.

 

The Met Office tweeted: “Funnel clouds have been reported during thunderstorms in eastern parts of the UK.”

 

Funnel clouds are cone-shaped and extend from the bottom of a cloud towards the ground without actually getting to it.

 

If it did reach land it would become a tornado and if it reaches water it would become a waterspout.

 

Funnel clouds are created like a tornado, where there is an area of intensely low pressure.

Courtesy of Sky News

http://tinyurl.com/h6e5ps4

Larger-Than-Average Pyroclastic Flow At Sinabung Volcano Claims At Least 3 Victims In Sumatra, Indonesia

The deadly pyroclastic flow at Sinabung yesterday (image: PVMBG)

 

A series of pyroclastic flows occurred yesterday afternoon – sadly, at least one of them was was much larger than most others during the past months and claimed at least 3 victims from local farmers who were working on their fields within the exclusion zone, approx. 4 km from the volcano. 

 

The pyroclastic flows – turbulent avalanches of hot debris and ash, caused by partial collapses of the slowly growing lava dome and its over-spilling lava lobes on the upper steep flanks – occurred in a series at 14:28, 15:08 and 16:39 local time. 

 

The first of them appears to have been the largest in the series (although clouds obscured views after the first one). The flow reached 4500 m distance (significantly more than any other recent one, compared to averages of 2000-3500 m of similar flows during the past months). Presumably it also was the one that killed the 3 villagers and burnt at least 4 others. All of the victims were caught by surprise (and had no chance of outrunning the flow) while working on their fields within the (unfortunately no longer much enforced) exclusion zone near the former (now officially evacuated) village of Kabanjahean. 

 

This sad incident shows once more that dome-building eruptions, even when the volcano is in a comparably low phase of activity (as Sinabung has been during the past year or more), they remain extremely dangerous. Erupted viscous (sticky) lava accumulated on the top of the volcano retains much of its gasses for a long time, and once larger pieces of it break off, simply by gravitational instability, the gasses trapped inside the rock fragment it, which increases the fluidization of the avalanche, enabling it to reach great speed and distances of many kilometers.

Courtesy of volcanodiscovery.com

http://tinyurl.com/zdohhmk

MAGNITUDE 5.5 TARIJA, BOLIVIA

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=507989

Subject To Change

Depth: 10 km

Distances: 390 km S of Sucre, Bolivia, Plurinational State of / pop: 224,838 / local time: 08:20:42.9 2016-05-22
112 km SE of Tarija, Bolivia, Plurinational State of / pop: 159,269 / local time: 08:20:42.9 2016-05-22
42 km W of Tartagal, Argentina / pop: 60,819 / local time: 09:20:42.9 2016-05-22

MAGNITUDE 2.9 NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=507993

Subject To Change

Depth: 2 km

Distances: 1343 km NW of Adelaide, Australia / pop: 1,074,159 / local time: 21:38:24.0 2016-05-22
451 km SW of Alice Springs, Australia / pop: 26,188 / local time: 21:38:24.0 2016-05-22

MAGNITUDE 5.0 COQUIMBO, CHILE

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=507985

Subject To Change

Depth: 30 km

Distances: 331 km N of Santiago, Chile / pop: 4,837,295 / local time: 07:47:09.1 2016-05-22
89 km SW of La Serena, Chile / pop: 154,521 / local time: 07:47:09.1 2016-05-22
48 km W of Ovalle, Chile / pop: 77,138 / local time: 07:47:09.1 2016-05-22

MAGNITUDE 3.7 SYRIA

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=507976

Subject To Change

Depth: 14 km

Distances: 199 km NE of Gibraltar, Gibraltar / pop: 26,544 / local time: 13:01:23.8 2016-05-22
158 km E of Sevilla, Spain / pop: 703,206 / local time: 13:01:23.8 2016-05-22
40 km W of Jaén, Spain / pop: 116,557 / local time: 13:01:23.8 2016-05-22
15 km N of Luque, Spain / pop: 3,253 / local time: 13:01:23.8 2016-05-22

MAGNITUDE 4.0 SYRIA

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=507973

Subject To Change

Depth: 2 km

Distances: 191 km SE of Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic / pop: 1,602,264 / local time: 12:40:10.4 2016-05-22
135 km E of Homs, Syrian Arab Republic / pop: 775,404 / local time: 12:40:10.4 2016-05-22
17 km NW of Tadmur, Syrian Arab Republic / pop: 51,015 / local time: 12:40:10.4 2016-05-22