**Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.**
Confucius
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.8 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.5 NEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G.
Yesterday -
6/28/10 -
5.0 VANUATU
5.4 VANUATU
5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.7 SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.8 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - The northernmost active volcano on Kamchatka Peninsula is spewing plumes of ash at a height of more than 6 kilometers. Mt. Shiveluch has been erupting for many days now with 80 underground temblors registered in the past 24 hours alone. Scientists say the volcano poses significant danger to villages in the area, just like the nearby Klyuchevskaya volcano. (photo)
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ALEX was 91 nmi NW of Campeche, Mexico.
Tropical depression CELIA was 897 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical depression DARBY was 165 nmi S of Acapulco, Mexico.
HEAVY RAINS, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
CHINA - 107 people buried in a landslide triggered by heavy rain in southwest China have a "slim" chance of survival as the country battles a string of weather-related disasters. State television showed rescuers searching through a huge mudslide and what appeared to be concrete rubble in the village of Dazhai in Guizhou province, and workers had still not found any signs of life. "One hundred and seven people from 37 families were trapped or buried. It's raining hard, making the rescue work difficult." Large swathes of eastern, central and southern China have been lashed by torrential rain for days. On Sunday, authorities said nearly 69 million people had been affected.
EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
WISCONSIN - The harvest of cherries is expected to be THE EARLIEST IN AT LEAST 35 YEARS. "THE WHOLE THING'S BIZARRE," said the owner of an orchard in southern Door County, where Montmorency tart cherry trees began blossoming May 4, causing the season to fast-forward. "That's UNHEARD OF, and I'm kind of in denial because it means we have to get things going a lot earlier for picking." He has owned the orchard for 10 years and expects to have tart cherries for tourist pickers the week of July 5 - the earliest he's ever opened by about two weeks. Another grower, who started in the business 35 years ago, said they've never seen a crop this early, either. Though the tart cherry harvest will be early - and may finish by the first week of August - it won't produce anywhere near last year's bumper crop. Wisconsin's warm spring took a toll, as early blossoms made trees vulnerable to the frost that followed. A cold spell in May contributed to poor pollination. The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects the state will produce 4.3 million pounds of tart cherries this year - about 60% less than last year's 10.7 million pounds. Last year's crop was one of the largest in 10 to 15 years.
The USDA estimate for this year may be a little low, as the crop looks better than it did two to three weeks ago, when surveys were collected from growers. Tart-cherry production is expected to be down 46% nationwide, to about 195 million pounds from last year's 355 million pounds. Michigan grows about 75% of the nation's crop. "They experienced a lot of the same weather factors we did, and that particular region is as bad or worse as ours," referring specifically to Traverse City, Michigan, where about half the nation's tart cherries are produced in a 40-mile area. Extreme weather virtually wiped out the Door County cherry crop two years ago, which made last year's bumper crop even more significant. The decrease in this year's crop shouldn't affect consumer prices much. Nearly all tart cherries are frozen, canned or dried, and a good share of last year's bumper crop is still in reserve. It also isn't unusual for a cherry crop to be smaller the year after a bumper harvest. "A lot of times, the trees take a little breather on their own."
