Category: Black Horse

Strong earthquake swarm under Cumbre Vieja volcano, Canary Islands

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A strong earthquake swarm started under Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands at 03:18 UTC on September 11, 2021.

From the beginning of the seismic series until 08:00 UTC on September 13, a total of 1 570 earthquakes have been detected, of which 354 were located. 315 earthquakes have been detected (90 located) to 17:45 UTC on September 12.

The magnitude of earthquakes have been increasing in recent hours, with a maximum magnitude of 3.4 mbLg.

The depth of the earthquakes remains between 8 and 13 km (5 – 8 miles).

Since October 2017 there have been 10 seismic series with similar characteristics in this area of the island of La Palma.

“The occurrence of events of this type in an active volcanic zone is within normality and does not present any risk to the population,” the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN) said.1

Only 15 earthquakes (M0.9 – 2.6) have been detected on the island during the entire month of August. 10 of these earthquakes have been part of a small seismic series that occurred on August 27 and 28 located in the south of the island.

Shallow depths suggest that new magma is currently intruding into a reservoir under the volcano, volcanologist Dr. Tom Pfeiffer said.2

“Whether or not this might be leading up to new volcanic activity is impossible to say at this stage, as there seem not to be other signs of significant volcanic unrest at this stage.”

Earthquakes registered in the previous two earthquake swarms under the volcano — December 20203 and February 20214, were deeper (20 – 30 km / 12 – 18 miles, and 15 – 20 km / 9 – 12 miles, respectively), which could indicate that magma has now risen higher in the volcano’s underground storage systems.

“Without a doubt, the current seismic swarm represents a significant change in the activity of the volcano and is related to a process of magmatic intrusion beneath La Palma Island,” the Volcanology Institute of the Canaries (INVOLCAN) said.

https://watchers.news

Massive earthquake in Mexico produced “rare lights” in the sky gripping locals with fear of “apocalypse”

ETH – September 8, 2021

A rare natural light show flashed across the night sky during a powerful earthquake that shook Mexico City and beach resort Acapulco late on Tuesday, adding to a sense of doom as startled residents rushed into the streets.

According to Reuters, Twitter users posted dozens of videos of the phenomenon, prompting a trend under the tag Apocalipsis, which is Spanish for Apocalypse, the biblical term used to denote the end of the world. The 7.0 magnitude quake, which hit 11 miles (17.7 km) northeast of Acapulco in southwestern Guerrero state killed one man and damaged buildings in the holiday getaway but did not appear to cause widespread destruction, authorities said in initial reports.

There were no reports of significant damage in Mexico City. USN reported that in footage from Acapulco, the flashes start shortly after the ground starts shaking, illuminating previously darkened hills behind the ocean bay and at one point appearing to bathe buildings on the shoreline in bright light.

In Mexico City, panicked residents tried to keep their balance outside an apartment building while the sky flashed blue, white, and pink, another video on social media showed. Strange lights reported during earthquakes around the world are often imbued with religious meaning by those who witness them.

There is little scientific consensus on what causes the luminosity, or even if it is a real phenomenon. Theories for what researchers call Earthquake Lights (EQL) include friction between moving rocks creating electrical activity. Similar lights were reported by some people during a destructive quake in Mexico in 2017. Skeptics say witnesses may be seeing more mundane lightning.

https://endtimeheadlines.org

UPDATE: More than 45 are dead after Ida’s remnants blindside Northeast

ETH – September 3, 2021

(ETH) – A stunned U.S. East Coast faced a rising death toll, surging rivers, and tornado damage Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the region with record-breaking rain, drowning more than 40 people in their homes and cars.

According to the Associated Press, In a region that had been warned about potentially deadly flash flooding but hadn’t braced for such a blow from the no-longer-hurricane, the storm killed at least 46 people from Maryland to Connecticut on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

At least 23 people died in New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said. At least 13 people were killed in New York City, police said, 11 of them in flooded basement apartments, which often serve as relatively affordable homes in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. Suburban Westchester County reported three deaths.

Officials said at least five people died in Pennsylvania, including one killed by a falling tree and another who drowned in his car after helping his wife to escape. A Connecticut state police sergeant, Brian Mohl, perished after his cruiser was swept away. Another death was reported in Maryland.

https://endtimeheadlines.org

Major hurricane may strike Louisiana exactly 16 years after Katrina

ETH – August 27, 2021

(ETH) – Hurricane watches were issued for several Gulf Coast states Friday morning as Tropical Storm Ida, which formed in the Caribbean Sea, barreled toward the southern U.S. with forecasters warning it could rapidly strengthen into one of the strongest storms of the Atlantic hurricane season.

According to USA Today, The warnings were issued along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, including New Orleans, Mississippi, and parts of the Alabama coastline. A tropical storm watch was also issued along with parts of the Alabama coastline to the Florida border. A tropical storm warning for the Cayman Islands was discontinued Friday morning but remains in effect for two of the islands: Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

The system is taking aim at the U.S. Gulf Coast, but conditions appear right for the storm to cause extreme weather for inland regions as well, according to a Thursday afternoon AccuWeather briefing. Senior meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said parts of Tennessee still reeling from deadly floods are at risk for more heavy rain.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Thursday evening due to the potential impacts from the future hurricane. “Unfortunately, all of Louisiana’s coastline is currently in the forecast cone for Tropical Storm Ida, which is strengthening and could come ashore in Louisiana as a major hurricane as Gulf conditions are conducive for rapid intensification.

Now is the time for people to finalize their emergency game plan, which should take into account the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” Edwards said. New Orleans is covered under the hurricane watch, and many residents were already taking to the stores to stock up on food and supplies ahead of Ida’s arrival. The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans was assessing three downed pumps on Thursday, but officials expected 96 out of 99 drainage pumps to be available.

https://endtimeheadlines.org

US declares first-ever Colorado River water shortage – Arizona and Nevada affected

Strange Sounds – August 17, 2021

For the first time ever, the US federal government has declared a water shortage on the Colorado River.

That’s because Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, is lower than it’s ever been. It provides water to 25 million people across Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico, but as of Monday it’s at just 1,067 feet above sea level – about 35% full.

The federal water-shortage declaration means that Arizona and Nevada will face mandatory water cut-backs in January. The cuts will mostly affect farmers in Arizona; the state will lose about one-fifth of the water it normally gets from the river.

“It’s very significant,” explains Brad Udall, senior water and climate scientist at Colorado State University. “It’s something that those of us in the climate community have been worried about for over a decade, based on declining flows and increasing droughts.”

Drought Monitor, which tracks such conditions across the country. Last week, 26.5% of the country was in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought.

Such droughts will probably become more common and more intense as global temperatures continue to rise in the coming decades. Rising temperatures will also reduce the snowpack that would normally replenish the Colorado River every year. That could lead to more severe water cutbacks.

https://strangesounds.org

Tsunami THREAT for Philippines after M7.2 earthquake hits the coast of Mindanao

Strange Sounds – August 11, 2021

An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 has struck about 40 miles (63km) east of Pondaguitan in the Philippines.

The quake hit early morning on Thursday, August 12, 2021 around 1:46 am local time (5:46 GMT, August 11, 2021) at a depth of 65.6km (40.8 miles).

The major jolt has triggered tsunami threat within 186 miles of the epicenter, prompting a tsunami warning that was later cancelled.

Thailand’s earthquake monitoring center reported two aftershock quakes of 5.1 and 5.0 magnitude. More are expected.

Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should have been felt widely by almost everyone in the area of the epicenter.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said that damage and aftershocks were expected.

https://strangesounds.org

In drought-plagued northern Mexico, tens of thousands of cows are starving to death

By Kate Linthicum – August 1, 2021

CAJEME, Mexico — In the parched hills of southern Sonora, Marco Antonio Gutierrez paced around a clearing, counting the dead.There were seven rotting carcasses — jutting ribs and shriveled hides — and two sun-bleached skulls. Nine cows, felled by heat and hunger.

“There’s nothing for them to eat,” said Gutierrez, a wide-brimmed hat shading his downcast eyes. “There used to be big ranches here. Now it’s pure sorrow.”

Two years of extreme drought have turned large stretches of northern Mexico into a boneyard. Between starvation and ranchers forced to prematurely sell or slaughter their livestock, officials say the number of cattle in Sonora has dropped from 1.1 million to about 635,000.

It’s an unimaginable loss for a state that is world-famous for its high-quality cows, and where beef is not just a central part of the diet and economy but also a tradition that binds families together.

This is a place, after all, with a bull on its state flag, and where families gather every Sunday around their charcoal grills. Red meat is considered a birthright: It’s not uncommon for folks here to eat beef three times a day — machaca scrambled with eggs for breakfast, arrachera for lunch and carne asada for dinner.

Gutierrez, 55, and pretty much everyone he knows was born ranching. By the age of 10, he and his friends had all learned from their fathers how to lasso, brand and even pull a calf from the womb.

Now, as they desperately watch the skies for rain, they wonder if there’s any future in it.

https://www.latimes.com

Biggest in 50 Years: Alaska Rocked by Powerful 8.2 Earthquake, Follow-up Tsunami Warnings

Simon Kent – July 29, 2021

A powerful earthquake rocked Alaska’s southern coast early Wednesday morning, with prolonged shaking in the aftermath that prompted tsunami warnings across nearby coastal areas.

AP reports only minor damage was recorded, but officials said that could change after sunrise and people get a better look at an earthquake event set at the biggest in 50 years.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was magnitude 8.2 and hit 56 miles (91 kilometers) east southeast of Perryville, Alaska at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday.

The National Tsunami Warning Center canceled the warnings early Thursday when the biggest wave, of just over a half foot, was recorded in Old Harbor.

A tsunami warning that had also been issued for Hawaii was also canceled, and officials said there was no threat to Guam, American Samoa or the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.

Patrick Mayer, the superintendent of schools for the Aleutians East Borough, told AP he was sitting in his kitchen in the community of Sand Point when shaking from the quake started.

“It started to go and just didn’t stop,” Mayer told the Anchorage Daily News. “It went on for a long time and there were several aftershocks, too. The pantry is empty all over the floor, the fridge is empty all over the floor.”

On the Kenai Peninsula, a steady stream of cars were seen evacuating the Homer Spit, a jut of land extending nearly 5 miles (8 kilometers) into Kachemak Bay that is a draw for tourists and fishermen.

https://www.breitbart.com

Plummeting reservoir levels could soon force Oroville hydropower offline

Julia Wick – July 21, 2021

A major California hydroelectric power plant could soon stop generating power amid worsening drought conditions.

According to state water officials, the Edward Hyatt Powerplant at Lake Oroville could go offline as soon as August or September — a time frame that would coincide with a feared power crunch this summer. The plant, which opened in the late 1960s, has never been forced offline by low lake levels before.

“I think it’s a bit shocking,” said Jordan Kern, a professor at the department of forestry and environmental resources at North Carolina State University. “The fact that it’s projected to go offline just speaks to how severe the drought is,” said Kern, who studies how power grids are impacted by extreme weather.

California Energy Commission spokesperson Lindsay Buckley said the commission is actively planning for the power plant to go offline this summer. But the Hyatt power plant is far from the only hydroelectric power source in the state that will likely be affected by California’s extreme weather.

On July 1, the energy commission, along with the California Independent System Operator and the California Public Utilities Commission, released a letter touching on the drought-driven hydropower losses expected this year, which are occurring amid historic heat event driven by climate change. According to the system operator, drought conditions could reduce the state’s hydropower capacity by up to approximately 1,000 megawatts in the coming months.

The Hyatt power plant is designed to produce up to 750 megawatts of power but typically produces between 100 and 400 megawatts, depending on lake levels. According to Buckley, average high demand in a day across the state is typically about 44,000 megawatts, so 400 megawatts would be a little less than 1% of that total.

“It’s not necessarily the tipping point,” Buckley said. “There’s a lot of different factors that are challenging overall grid reliability this summer. And Hyatt is one piece of the story.”

https://www.latimes.com

The U.S. experienced 8 billion-dollar disasters in the first six months of 2021

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The first six months of 2021 brought a total of 8 billion-dollar disasters to the United States, according to data provided by the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Disasters. The 1980 – 2020 annual average is 7.1 events (CPI-adjusted), while the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2016 – 2020) is 16.2 events (CPI-adjusted).

The United States experienced 4 severe storms with damages in excess of $1 billion in the first 6 months of 2021, including tornadoes, hail and high wind damage. The nation also had 2 flooding events with damages exceeding $1 billion, 1 winter storm with a deep freeze, and 1 heat wave-influenced drought.

The costliest event was the February 10 – 19 winter storm and cold wave in Texas that incurred direct losses of approximately $20 billion.

The next costliest disaster was the severe weather outbreak of April 27 – 28 in Texas and Oklahoma that caused $2.4 billion in damages.

The large hailstone you can see on the featured image fell on April 28, 2021, near Hondo, Texas. NCEI verified that it’s the largest hailstone on record to fall in Texas. It had a diameter of 16.29 cm (6.416 inches) and weighed 0.57 kg (1.26 pounds).

According to NOAA, these events resulted in the deaths of 331 people, but the actual number might be higher as it’s still not clear how many people died in the 2021 Texas deep freeze.

In 2020, the country had a record 22 weather and climate disasters, each causing at least $1 billion in damages. However, despite the record number of disasters in 2020, none of them made it among the costliest disasters ever to strike the U.S.

The 2021 YTD inflation-adjusted losses from all eight disasters were also at a near-record high for the first 6 months and came in at nearly $30 billion – only behind 2011, NOAA said.

The U.S. has experienced 298 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment to 2021). The total cost of these 298 events exceeds $1.975 trillion.

https://watchers.news