**A lie gets halfway around the world before
the truth has a chance to get its pants on.**
Sir Winston Churchill
LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.0 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Yesterday, 12/18/13 -
5.1 BANDA SEA
5.1 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 GREENLAND SEA
5.0 BANDA SEA
5.1 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
China 5.2 quake leaves 6 injured - 2000 relocated. The quake hit the mountainous Badong County in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture at 1:04 p.m. Monday.
VOLCANOES -
What's erupting? List & map of currently active volcanoes.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Current tropical storms - maps and details.
* In the South Indian Ocean -
- Tropical cyclone Amara.
- Tropical cyclone Bruce.
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Tropical Cyclone Amara's stretched out eye - Tropical Cyclone Amara is spinning in the Southern Indian Ocean along with Tropical Cyclone Bruce, and both share elongated shapes. Even Amara's 10 nautical-mile-wide eye appeared stretched out. The eye was also cloud-filled. Bands of thunderstorms were wrapping into the center of circulation from the northeast and southwest.
At 4 a.m. EST on December 18, Amara's maximum sustained winds had increased to 80 knots/92.0 mph/148.2 kph. Amara was centered about 543 nautical miles/624.9 miles/1,006 km south of Diego Garcia. Amara has tracked to the west at 3 knots/3.4 mph/5.5 kph.
Amara is in an environment of low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures that will allow it to continue to intensify, even rapidly. Amara is moving between two subtropical ridges (elongated areas) of high pressure. In three days Amara is forecast to encounter increasing wind shear which will weaken the system. High pressure is also expected to build south of Amara, which should slow it down and bring in cooler, drier air, which will also weaken the tropical cyclone. (satellite photo)
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
Britain - Gale-force winds and rain have damaged properties and felled trees across the British Isles. A search is resuming for a sailor who fell from a small cargo ship off North Lincolnshire as winds gusting up to 90mph battered parts of the UK. Attempts to find the man, who was on a ship moored on the River Trent, were called off in "very poor" conditions. The 45-year-old foreign national who fell from the vessel was thought to have become tangled in wires and pulled overboard while working on deck during the storm.
Electricity was restored overnight in thousands of homes in parts of the UK. Multiple flood warnings are in place in Scotland, Wales and south-west England and an amber warning of severe gales has been issued by the Met Office. Meanwhile, snow showers are expected in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland on Thursday morning. In the afternoon, wild weather including heavy rain, hail, thunder and wet snow are expected in parts of England including the Midlands, Derbyshire, the Chilterns and the Cotswolds.
Scottish Environment Protection Agency flood warnings, indicating "flooding is expected, immediate action required", are in force for a large part of the west and centre of the country from Dumfries and Galloway to Tayside. There are more than 25 Environment Agency flood warnings in place, with homeowners in Wales, south-west England and north-west England urged to take action.
Northern Ireland Electricity has restored power to 10,000 customers after storms battered Northern Ireland, while 100 homes remain without electricity. Gale to severe gale force winds continue to affect the Western Isles and the west coast of Scotland. Roads in parts of Wales are still affected after torrential rain and high winds battered the country. About 1,250 homes were still without power in parts of Cumbria and Lancashire due to wind damage to overhead lines.
Elsewhere, a man was injured after a tree fell on his car in Warwickshire on Wednesday. "The large tree had fallen onto a car, travelling on the A45, and had smashed the windscreen. The driver and the rear seat passenger, both men in their 40s and 50s, were said to be 'walking wounded' and had suffered minor injuries. The front seat passenger, a 19-year-old man, sustained face and head injuries as well as suspected chest injuries."
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