but I am optimistic that I'll be to do it on Thursday.
Thousands of dead herring wash up on a beach in Norway - it must be the end of the world, right? For those of the apocalyptic bent, the sudden appearance of 20 tons of dead fish in Kvaenes, in the northerly district of Nordreisa, after hundreds of blackbirds dropped dead in Arkansas, is a sign that the Mayans and Hollywood are right and 2012 IS the year we all go to hell.
Scientists are looking for a more sciencey reason. They want to conduct tests on the fish to see if they were driven to their death by a predator or simply swept ashore by a storm. Locals, although clearly puzzled by the appearance of the herring, are more worried about the smell: unless someone cleans up the mess quick, Nordreisa will start to reek of the underworld. (photo)
through continuous effort and struggle.**
Napoleon Hill
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
None 5.0 or higher.
Yesterday -
1/2/12 -
5.1 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
NEW ZEALAND - In the 10 months after the 6.3 magnitude quake struck Christchurch in February, killing 181, there have been 5025 earthquakes and aftershocks of varying magnitudes.
RUSSIA - The 6.7 earthquake damaged dozens of buildings in a city in southwestern Siberia, but no injuries or deaths have been reported. The epicenter of the 6.7 magnitude quake was about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Kyzyl, capital of the Russian republic of Tuva, which borders Mongolia. The municipal services in Kyzyl said Wednesday that 31 multistory apartment buildings, a school and a plant that provides hot water and heat suffered cracks and other damage. The plant was still operating. The Emergencies Ministry said 3,500 people were provided temporary shelter. After the quake struck last Tuesday evening, mines in the coal-mining region of Kemerovo were evacuated as a precaution, but work resumed Wednesday afternoon.
VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - Sakurajima hits 996-eruption high. Mount Sakurajima, an active volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture, explosively erupted 996 times in 2011, THE MOST SINCE RECORD-KEEPING BEGAN IN 1955.
TROPICAL STORMS -
In the Indian Ocean -
Tropical cyclone 04s (Benilde) was located approximately 810 nm south of Diego Garcia.
INDIA - Cyclone makes city sweat. The otherwise dipping minimum temperature has shot drastically over the last two days with the city of Hyderabad recording 21 degrees Celsius. This season's lowest temperature has been 11.8 degrees. The weathermen attributed the six degree jump from the normal weather during this period to the cyclone. Cyclone Thane hit the Tamil Nadu coast on Friday. The normal temperature during this time hovers around 15 degrees. "The temperature has gone up because of the cyclone. This will remain more or less the same for a couple of days." It is UNUSUAL to get rains during January.
NASA Image of the Day: January 2 - Tropical Cyclone Thane. By December 28, Thane had strengthened into a cyclone and was headed toward southern India. On December 28, Thane was located roughly 270 nautical miles (500 kilometers) southeast of Chennai. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 knots (120 kilometers per hour) with gusts up to 80 knots (150 kilometers per hour). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured a natural-color image on December 28. Thane lacked a distinct eye but still sported the spiral shape characteristic of strong storms. After this image was captured, Tropical Storm Thane strengthened to a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm and peaked on December 29 with 1-minute sustained wind speeds measured at 150 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour). It weakened slightly before making landfall during December 30 on the north Tamil Nadu coast. After making landfall, it weakened quickly and the JTWC issued their final advisory on December 30. The storm left at least 46 dead in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, with the city of Cuddalore the most severely impacted location. In addition, 700 fishermen were reported as stranded near the Nizampatnam Bay area due to rough sea conditions. Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Thane was THE STRONGEST TROPICAL CYCLONE OF 2011 WITHIN THE NORTH INDIAN OCEAN.
PHILIPPINES - A potential cyclone remained a threat to Mindanao as it inched closer to the General Santos City area Monday afternoon, as state weather forecasters warned rains may threaten saturated areas in eastern Visayas, Mindanao and the Bicol Region in Luzon.
Cyclone Grant hit the north coast of Australia last week - It was a very windy start to last week across parts of northern Europe as several very deep areas of low pressure tracked eastwards across Scandinavia. On Monday, gusts of wind blowing at 63mph were recorded in Aarhus Syd, Denmark. Meanwhile, gusts of wind at 67mph occurred at Bjuroklubb in north-east Sweden on Tuesday. The strong winds caused flights to be cancelled at Turku airport, with trains delayed and some homes and businesses in Finland left without power.
Despite it being high summer in the southern hemisphere, Australia was also hit by stormy weather on Monday, when tropical cyclone Grant impacted on northern coastal areas. This time, it was persistent torrential rain that caused the most disruption. In the space of 24 hours 134.6 mm of rain fell at Tindal airbase, Northern Territory. The cyclone was eventually downgraded to a category two storm as it moved southwards across the mainland. (photo)
EXTREME HEAT & DROUGHT / WILDFIRES / CLIMATE CHANGE -
Blackouts and fires have marked South Australia's first heatwave of the summer with Adelaide sweltering through its HOTTEST NEW YEAR FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY. The city was sweating after four days with the temperatures in the high-30s or hotter, including two days above 40C. The weather bureau says a cold front is expected to sweep across the state this evening, dropping the city's forecast temperature to a more manageable 25c.
