**I'm 94% sure that I'm going to be injured
in a 'running in flip flops' incident.**
LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.1 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
Yesterday, 2/3/14 -
5.0 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
5.9 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
5.2 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
5.7 NEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G.
6.0 GREECE
VOLCANOES -
Kavachi Volcano, in the Solomon Islands, may be starting of a new cycle of island birth and death. "A NASA satellite image from 29th January 2014 shows a plume of discoloured sea water swirling and drifting from the location of the volcano."
Plumes of water vapor, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, fluorine, and chlorine gas escaped from Africa's Nyamuragira and Nyiragongo Volcanoes.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Current tropical storms - maps and details.
No current tropical storms.
Queensland 's third cyclone in a week comes - and goes - but could come back again. Ex-tropical cyclone Fletcher formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria and crossed the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coast between Karumba and Gilbert River Mouth late on Monday. It was then downgraded to a tropical low, and heavy rain, which may lead to flash flooding, is likely in the Gulf Country district, mainly in near coastal parts over the next couple of days.
Kowanyama had already recorded 128mm of rain by Monday evening. Due to the weakening of the system over land, gales are no longer expected between Burketown and Kowanyama, but it could recurve towards to the west during Tuesday, and re-enter southern Gulf of Carpentaria waters. The Weather Bureau said if that happened, the system could redevelop into a tropical cyclone.
Kowanyama, about 350 kilometres north of Karumba, suffered minor flooding on Monday. ‘‘All the street are starting to turn to rivers. ‘The drains can’t keep up. ‘Right around the township area is swampland - once they fill up, the water has got nowhere to go and Kowanyama becomes its own little island.’’ The locals were unfazed by the cyclone, as the township had been isolated for three weeks and locals were stocked up on fuel and food. ‘‘It doesn’t really cause anything up here. We go through it every year, but if it gets any bigger than that we might start worrying.’’ (map at link)
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
United Kingom - Several coastal towns in south-west England have been hit by fresh flooding, disrupting business and severing road and rail links. There had been "a severe amount of coastal damage" and the Environment Agency warned of extreme danger on the Cornish coast. On the Somerset Levels, thousands of hectares of land remain under water.
Meanwhile, a cheaper helpline for flooding victims in England has been opened for calls.The Environment Agency's new Floodline number was released after complaints that callers were being charged up to 41p a minute to call the existing helpline, with the money going to a private company.
The government was spending £100,000 a week extra to pump water in Somerset and 7,500 properties had been flooded since the start of December. 21 properties were still flooded and 200 people still cut off in the Somerset villages of Muchelney, Thorney, Oath, Stathe and North Moor. Places flooded in Cornwall included Looe, Fowey, Newlyn, Porthleven and Mevagissey. In Looe, flooding left the main street impassable. In Penzance, the seafront was closed because of the danger of debris being thrown by waves onto the road.
In Devon, parts of Kingsbridge, Salcombe and Exmouth were under water. Severe flooding at Devonport in Plymouth meant only one of three Torpoint Ferry vessels, which connect Devon and Cornwall, was in service. In County Antrim, Northern Ireland, powerful waves battered the coast. Meanwhile, police have said flood-hit victims are being targeted by thieves. About 600 gallons of domestic heating oil was reported stolen from a farm in the Somerset village of Moorland, and two fire service quad bikes were taken from nearby Burrowbridge.
The Environment Agency no longer has any "danger to life" severe flood warnings in place, but there are 60 lesser flood warnings and more than 175 flood alerts across England and Wales. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has 12 flood alerts in place, meaning flooding is possible. Along the Welsh coast, a clean-up operation is under way after strong winds and high tides over the weekend battered Aberystwyth seafront for a second time this year.
In Newgale, Pembrokeshire, police are investigating after a bus with 10 passengers was forced off the road by a large wave. The people on board had to be rescued following the incident, which left the bus stranded in flood waters. A search for a sea angler, missing off the Aberdeenshire coast since the early hours of Sunday, has been called off. Rescue teams scoured the water and shoreline at Tangle-Ha, north of St Cyrus, until midnight, but no trace of the man was found.
The Met Office said more rain was on the way over the next few days, which was particularly bad news for parts of southern England. It also said it was likely the weather would remain "very unsettled" for the rest of February. The Environment Agency said the flood risk would continue over the next week.
HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
Heavy snow in northern Iran has left around 480,000 homes without power and some towns and villages cut off. The winter storms were THE WORST IN 50 YEARS, with two metres of snow falling in some areas since the weekend. The head of Iran's Red Crescent said around 11,000 people had been rescued after getting stuck in heavy snow. "Some 3,800 people have also been settled in emergency shelters."
79 people had been taken to hospital as a result of the bad weather. Troops with the Revolutionary Guard have been delivering supplies to people trapped in both Mazandaran and neighbouring Gilan province, and helping with evacuations. In many areas of the provinces, roads have been left unusable.
Extreme Weather In Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan - At least 15 people have been killed after heavy snow blanketed parts of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. At least 10 deaths were blamed on the bad weather, including avalanches, over the past several days in Afghanistan.
The severe weather had affected northern provinces bordering Tajikistan, where numerous flights have also been canceled at the international airport in Dushanbe, the capital. Airports in two major cities in Tajikistan's south, Kulob and Qurghon-Teppa, have been completely shut down. In some parts of Tajikistan, up to 80 centimeters of snow reportedly fell in just a few hours. Tajik kindergartens, schools, and universities have been closed until February 10.
In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, avalanches killed five people. The airport in the southern city of Jalal-Abad has been closed.
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