Prophecy, Drought, Earthquakes, Famine, Pestilence, War, and Strange Weather.

[Soldier4Christ]

Volcano rumbles again

For the third time in two weeks, Mount St. Helens trembled with a 3.6-magnitude earthquake.

Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver say the quakes probably do not represent a change in eruption style, although they are the largest since the earliest days of the eruption in the fall of 2004.

“They are consistent with what we’ve seen before,” said Seth Moran, a seismologist with the USGS David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory.

The volcano quaked with a 3.6-magnitude temblor at 2:34 a.m. Monday, which follows two other 3.6-magnitude quakes and a 3.5-magnitude over the past two weeks. Scientists suspect that the movement represents a lurching upward of the massive new lava spine evolving on the crater floor.

“We’ve been seeing these kinds of events throughout,” Moran said. “The only difference is these are slightly bigger.”

[Soldier4Christ]

 SAMOA: Savaii's Matavanu Volcano Could Blow Again

Savaii's famous Matavanu volcano which last erupted a century ago could do so again over the next decade predicts officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Meteorology, reports eventpolynesia.com.

"In the next ten to 15 years, we could be witnessing another eruption on Matavanu volcano at Saleaula, Savaii," said Shaun Williams of the Meteorology division. His comments were based on analysis from a recent survey done on the area.

Williams said the next eruption may not be on the exact spot of the last eruption, but would most likely be "around that area." He said the difficulty in pinpointing the exact area was because "we do not have the equipment and resources to do survey and monitor the activities of Matavanu volcano."

Williams said the area needs to be monitored and they have already put a request to the Government for funding of the project. So far they have not received any approvals.

[Soldier4Christ]

Tajikistan: Earthquake OCHA Situation Report No. 1


1. Tajikistan has been hit by two earthquakes, on the morning and afternoon of Saturday 29 July 2006. At 5 a.m., an earthquake of magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale affected at least five settlements in Kumsangir District and Panj Jamoat (Dusti (the district centre), Villages no. 6 and no. 8, Sholikori, and Zamini Now) close to the Afghan border. Another quake (magnitude 5.4 on the Richter scale) stroke at 3:57 p.m. local time, the same day. The epicenter of this quake was 145 km South of the capital Dushanbe, and 55 km. East of Shartuuz.

[Soldier4Christ]

Moderate quake shakes western Mexico

An earthquake shook part of western Mexico on Monday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.

The 5.4-magnitude temblor struck shortly before 1:30 p.m. and was centered in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Michoacan state, 45 miles southeast of the port city of Manzanillo, according to the U.S. National Earthquake Center.

Local authorities said the quake did not cause any damage but was strong enough to be felt in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, 280 miles northwest of Mexico City.

[Shammu]

Rare cloud formation seen in Antarctica

16 minutes ago

HOBART, Australia - Some of the coldest temperatures on Earth brought a rare cloud formation to the skies over Antarctica, scientists said Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENT

Meteorological officer Renae Baker captured spectacular images of the nacreous clouds, also known as polar stratospheric clouds, last week at Australia's Mawson station in Antarctica.

The clouds only occur at high polar latitudes in winter, requiring temperatures less than minus 176 degrees Fahrenheit. A weather balloon measured temperatures at minus 189 degrees Fahrenheit on the day the photos were taken.

Resembling airborne mother-of-pearl shells, the clouds are produced when fading light at sunset passes through water-ice crystals blown along a strong jet of stratospheric air more than six miles above the ground.

"Amazingly, the winds at this height were blowing at nearly 230 kilometers (143 miles) per hour," Baker said on the Australian government's Antarctic Division's Web site.

Australian Antarctic Division atmospheric scientist Andrew Klekociuk said the clouds are seldom seen, but are occasionally produced by air passing over polar mountains.

"You have to be in the right part of the world in winter, and have the sun just below your horizon to see them," he said.

Rare cloud formation seen in Antarctica

[Soldier4Christ]

Tropical Storm Chris intensifies, moves toward Caribbean islands

Tropical Storm Chris strengthened considerably Tuesday evening as it moved closer to the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Forecasters said its top sustained winds reached 60 mph, just 14 mph below hurricane strength.

Chris posed no immediate danger to Florida, but the unpleasant consistency of its forecast tracks suggested that Floridians should keep a close eye on it through this week and into the weekend.

"Right now, it is just a heads-up that we've got a system with a name out there and we'll follow it over the next couple of days," said Mike Stone, spokesman for Florida's Division of Emergency Management.

Chris was predicted to grow stronger, though forecasters said its future intensity and path were particularly difficult to assess because of a complex interplay of atmospheric steering currents and other conditions.

Meanwhile, they issued tropical storm watches or warnings for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, St. Kitts, Nevis and nearby islands.

"I am not going to panic," Maxwell Stevens, a tourist from New Jersey, said from Dickenson Bay, a resort area near St. Johns on Antigua. "I will take it in stride."

Up to five inches of rain, with isolated amounts to eight inches, were possible over some islands, forecasters said.

"It should be noted that, even if the center of Chris passes just to the north of some of these islands, rather strong winds could be experienced in the islands due to rain bands over the southern semicircle of the storm," said forecaster Richard Pasch.

He said that some computerized forecast models called for Chris to weaken, but he believed they were trailing behind actual conditions.

The latest forecast had Chris developing 65 mph winds, 9 mph below hurricane strength, by Sunday afternoon - and moving into the general neighborhood of Florida and Cuba.

Many things can change during the next few days, but hurricane scientists said the tropics have been heating up recently - a warning to everyone in the hurricane zone.

"It's time to start paying attention again," said Michael Black, a meteorologist with the federal government's Hurricane Research Division on Virginia Key.

[Soldier4Christ]

Tropical storm Chris approaches hurricane strength

Weather forecasters said Wednesday that tropical storm Chris could reach hurricane strength in the eastern Caribbean by Thursday.

The third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Chris had maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h, with some higher gusts, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

To be classified as a hurricane, the storm's maximum sustained winds have to reach at least 119 km/h.

As of 8 a.m. AT, the storm was 105 kilometres north of the island of St. Martin, and moving west-northwest at 17 km/h.   A tropcial storm warning remains in effect for the islands of Anguilla, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin and St. Maarten, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Forecasters said the storm's centre will remain north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this afternoon and evening.

The storm's track could take it anywhere from south of Cuba to Florida by the weekend, according to long-range forecasts.

The first named storm of 2006 season was tropical storm Alberto, which struck Florida in mid-June before plowing north past North Carolina's Outer Banks. It was blamed for one drowning.

Tropical storm Beryl followed, causing some damage on the New England seaboard and dumping heavy rain on Atlantic Canada.

[Soldier4Christ]

Earthquake Hits New Zealands Sea Bed

An earthquake measuring 6.2 jit the seabed north of New Zealand's coastal area.

However the earthquake did not cause any damage or waves due to it's strike deep down in the ocean bed.The earthquake media studies centre indicated that the earthquake that hit was 320 kilometers underwater.

[Soldier4Christ]

5.2 magnitude quake shakes Myanmar, no casualties reported

A 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook central Myanmar on Wednesday, but no damage or casualties were reported, according to the meteorology department in neighboring Thailand.

The earthquake occurred at 5:11 p.m. Myanmar time (1041GMT), said a statement of Thailand's meteorological department.

Thailand was not affected by the temblor, it said.

The quake occurred 220 kilometers (135 miles) northwest of Yangon, a Thai meteorological official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Officials in Myanmar were not immediately available for comment.-

[Soldier4Christ]

Heat Wave Cooks Eastern Part of U.S.

Commuters sweated on their way to work Wednesday as the temperature and humidity started climbing back up to heat wave levels after a night of little relief.

The National Weather Service posted heat advisories and warnings from Maine to Oklahoma. Triple-digit temperatures were forecast Wednesday along the East Coast as far north as parts of Maine and New Hampshire.

The temperature was already above 80 before dawn Wednesday at Nashua, N.H. New York's LaGuardia Airport still had 92 degrees at midnight and eased only to 86 degrees by 6 a.m., the National Weather Service said. In the heart of crowded Manhattan, the low at Central Park only got down to 83.

In the stifling subway tunnels, there was no air conditioning on three cars of the train Sayed Bukhari rode into Manhattan.

"People were crying," Sayed said.

"You don't beat it," workman Frank Kenney, 40, said Tuesday in Bangor, Maine. "You just get through it."

Equipment problems and stormy weather caused scattered power outages during the night in parts of New England, shutting off fans and air conditioners, utilities said.

Electricity usage in the six-state New England region could top 28,000 megawatts Wednesday, breaking the one-day record of 27,395 megawatts set just two weeks ago, according to Erin O'Brien, a spokeswoman for ISO New England, which oversees the region. The demand Tuesday was just shy of the record, she said.

The hot weather brought its share of troubles Tuesday, putting animals in jeopardy, disabling cars and prompting New York to turn off lights atop the Empire State Building.

Residents on Chicago's South Side were evacuated from high-rise buildings by the hundreds on Tuesday, one day after the power went out to 20,000 customers. Illinois officials blamed three deaths on the heat.

A 15-year-old high school football player died in Georgia, one day after collapsing in the heat at practice, and the heat was suspected in the death of a 75-year-old woman in Wisconsin who kept the air conditioning off to save money.

To the north and west, some areas had started to enjoy a break from the heat. Hayward, Wis., cooled to 70 on Tuesday, down from 104 degrees on Monday.

Elsewhere, however, by mid-afternoon Tuesday the temperature in Chicago was 100, Baltimore reached 99 and Washington hit 97, though the humidity made it feel like 107. Highs of 100 in Newark, N.J., and 97 in Atlantic City, N.J., tied records. In Manchester, N.H, it reached 95, tying the record for the date set in 1933.

Utilities said customer demand for power reached or exceeded all-time record highs.

With a disastrous 10-day power outage in one borough still fresh in memory, thermostats at city offices in New York City were set at 78, up from the usual 72. Lights were turned down on the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, as were the lights illuminating the George Washington Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge and other spans.

Farmers used fans and cold showers to keep their cattle cool, but at least 25,000 chickens died of the heat at an Indiana when electricity was shut off so firefighters could fight a blaze at an adjacent building.

The American Automobile Association's Mid-Atlantic division handled 7,400 calls for assistance from Monday afternoon through Tuesday evening - a 37 percent rise over normal summer call volume.

"That's about comparable to what we get in a major snowstorm," said John B. Townsend, an AAA spokesman. Many were for overheated vehicles, hoses, belts breaking down and cracking and tires blowing out on the hot asphalt.

In Maine, Aquaboggin Water Park in Saco prepared for big crowds on Wednesday, bringing in cases of bottled water for customers and calling in extra staff.

"We're gearing up for it," general manager Sally Christner said. "Nobody else is excited about the heat, but we are. This is a great place to be when it's hot."

[Soldier4Christ]

It isn't as hot today as it has been nor as hot as it is in some places. It has only reached 97 degrees with a heat index of 107 today. We still had a major power outage here in town ( my immediate area is not affected, I have power ). There are about 3,000 residents that don't have any and won't until about 4 PM this afternoon. They have told people to go to the cooling centers. The problem with this is Wal-Mart is one of those cooling centers and it is without power right now and had to shut their doors, too. The remainding cooling centers are only big enough to hold a couple hundred people at the very most and that would be really crowded.

I called the cooling centers and opened my doors to some of the over flow but so far they haven't sent anyone my way.

[Shammu]

Snow, icy winds and low temperatures in South Africa
 Aug 2, 2006, 11:49 GMT

Johannesburg - Snowflakes over Johannesburg, icy winds, flooding, an overnight storm that might have been a tornado, and the thickest snow in recent years in Sutherland, the country's coldest town in recent years, have all hit South Africa recently, newspapers said Wednesday.

Just last week South Africans, confident that spring was in the air, had begun shedding their winter woollies.

But on Wednesday one newspaper summed up the apparent case of deception with the headline 'Winter bites back' in the Johannesburg- based Star newspaper.

The latest icy spell to grip the city, the paper observed, follows a weekend 'where citizens wearing T-shirts and the scent of jasmine seemed to shout out that spring has sprung.'

Other parts of the country have also recorded low temperatures and harsh winter weather conditions that are expected to last at least to the end of the week, according to weather forecasts.

Meteorologists were called in to determine whether the storm that left seven people injured, destroyed several houses and took down electric poles and trees in parts of the northern Mpumalanga area was a tornado.

'The rain is going to come in sideways and it's going to be very cold indeed,' a television weatherman warned ahead of the cold spell that saw the normally arid Karoo town of Sutherland record relatively heavy snow of around 30 cm deep - the most since 1988, according to The Star.

In the southern Cape town of George, flooding on Tuesday caused some havoc, with the local airport having to close and 24 flights postponed to Wednesday.

But no-one expected light snow to fall over the country's Gauteng Province where the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria are situated. There the sun generally shines for most of winter and a mercury level of between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius - the average case on Wednesday - is considered 'bitterly cold'.

Residents and visitors to the plush northern suburb shopping district of Sandton and other parts of the city seemed to savour the spectacle that is seen only every eight or ten years.

Snow, icy winds and low temperatures in South Africa

[Soldier4Christ]

Storm Chris weakens, may not become hurricane

Tropical Storm Chris weakened on Thursday and forecasters said they did not expect it to become the season's first hurricane over the next several days as it headed west toward U.S. oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.

At 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT), Chris was about 115 miles (185 km) north-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and appeared to be heading west near 11 miles per hour (18 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

That track would bring it north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti and across Cuba by the weekend.

Its top sustained winds had slowed to near 55 mph (90 kph) and the system was become disorganized, its center moving away from its thunderstorm activity. Tropical storms become hurricanes if such winds reach 74 mph (119 kph).

"Currently, we're not anticipating or forecasting Chris to become a hurricane in our last five-day forecast that we issued," Michelle Mainelli, a hurricane specialist at the center, told Reuters. "... It's under a little bit of a hostile environment right now."

The Bahamas issued a hurricane watch for the Turks and Caicos islands and for the southeastern Bahamas, meaning hurricane conditions could be expected within 36 hours.

A tropical storm warning, indicating the arrival of tropical storm conditions within 24 hours, was in effect for Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. A tropical storm watch was up for much of the northern Dominican coast.

Chris' forecast path, although subject to considerable uncertainty, could take it into the Gulf on Monday and potentially again threaten New Orleans, which was decimated last year by monster Hurricane Katrina.

 Mainelli noted that Chris would be further weakened if it travels as expected over the mountainous terrain of Cuba.

Experts have predicted this year could see another active Atlantic hurricane season with several major storms though nothing like the record number seen in 2005. Chris was the third tropical storm of the 2006 Atlantic season.

Oil and natural gas prices had risen on the threat to drilling platforms and exploration rigs in the Gulf, where the waters are especially warm -- as they were last year when they fueled Hurricanes Katrina and Rita before they slammed into the Louisiana and Texas coastlines.

The hurricanes of 2005 shut a quarter of U.S. crude output and sent oil prices to record highs.

Forecasters have predicted up to 17 tropical storms and hurricanes this year. Last year saw a record 28, including Katrina, the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Katrina killed more than 1,300 people.

[Soldier4Christ]

4.4 earthquake rattles Napa/Sonoma counties


A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has just struck the Sonoma/Napa county regions. The 8:02 p.m. quake was centered about 6 miles east of Rohnert Park in Sonoma County. Residents in Napa and American Canyon have reported minor rolling for 10-15 seconds but no damage.

Tess and Jeff Rawlinson were just tucking their 20-month-old daughter Kendall in to bed in Rohnert Park when the quake hit.

“As soon as I laid her head down the entire crib and mattress started rolling,” said Tess Rawlinson from her Crossbrook Apartments unit at Enterprise and Seed Farm roads.

Their friend Jeremy Sauce was walking down the soap and detergent aisle of a Safeway supermarket when the 4.4 temblor rolled through.
   

“You could tell it was an earthquake because all the aisles started shaking,” said Sauce.

He said Safeway employees started cleaning up the aisles right away, and there was little damage but for the broken bottles in the liquor department.

Early-evening callers to the Register from across the Napa Valley reported feeling some minor shaking and rolling.

"Things were moving around," said Charlotte King from her Lake Berryessa-area home. "It was like being in a big ship and having a big wave hit it."

In September, 2000, a 5.2 quake northwest of Napa caused an estimated $65 million in damage to more than 2,000 buildings. Chimneys cracked and contents fell off shelves, primarily in west Napa.

Napa sits near the powerful Rodgers Creek fault that runs through San Pablo Bay and into Sonoma County.

According to the U.S. Geological Service, Rodgers Creek has a 27 percent chance of a major rupture by 2032. A powerful 7.1 quake on Rodgers Creek would kill an estimated nine Napa residents, injure more than 500 and cause $360 million in property damage, the USGS reported in 2003.

[Shammu]

Up to 10,000 casualties in North Korea flooding: aid group
Aug 02 4:49 AM US/Eastern
Email this story    

Up to 10,000 North Koreans are believed dead or missing in what Pyongyang's official media is describing as the worst flooding in a century, a respected South Korean humanitarian group said.

"About 4,000 people are now listed as missing, and we expect the final toll of dead and missing to reach 10,000," said the independent aid group Good Friends.

North Korea's official media has so far admitted that hundreds of people were dead or missing after the country was battered by heavy rainfall for nearly two weeks from July 10.

Seoul-based Good Friends said the media was now terming the flooding as the worst to hit the impoverished country in a century.

Up to 10,000 casualties in North Korea flooding: aid group