Strong quakes rattle Tokyo, northeast Japan

TOKYO (AP) -- A series of earthquakes rattled Tokyo and northeast Japan late Wednesday evening but caused no apparent damage or injury in the same region hit by last year's devastating tsunami.

The strongest tremor, off Hokkaido, had a magnitude of 6.8 and caused tidal changes that prompted some communities to issue evacuation orders or tsunami advisories to residents nearest the coast.

A swelling of 20 centimeters was observed in the port of Hachinohe in Aomori, northern Japan, about one hour later. Smaller changes were reported in several locations in Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture.

The Japan Meteorological Agency lifted all tsunami advisories about an hour and half later.

The earthquake felt in Tokyo was magnitude 6.1 and centered just off the coast of Chiba, east of Tokyo, at a rather shallow 10 kilometers below the sea surface. Read More

COMING CRISIS ALERT: Swarm of quakes strike Japan and Pacific region, with potential for more -- March 14, 2012

A swarm of quakes has struck in the Pacific region, particularly off Japan. The first of the Japanese quakes was measured as a 7.0 mag, but was later reduced to a 6.8. However, many stations in the area reported the quake as a 8.0 or 8.1 magnitude event. The second major quake was a 7.x+, but for reasons unknown, was removed from USGS servers (it still exists on Japanese monitoring sites, leading us to believe that it did, in fact, occur just seconds after the initial quake).

We are issuing an alert out of concern that this swarm may lead to another major earthquake event in the Pacific, or near Japan. During the 3/11 event, a similar swarm with two major quakes was the precursor to the 9.0 magnitude event and the subsequent tsunami that killed 20,000 individuals. Japanese scientists have also expressed concern as of late that Japan may indeed be gearing up for another major seismic event, Tokyo in particular.

Emergency instructions:

1. In the event of an Earthquake get outside of any buildings immediately. Watch for falling debris or wires, and head to designated emergency zones.

2. Do not, we repeat, do not return to your homes in coastal areas once the quake has subsided. Wait at least several hours, or better yet, for official instructions indicated that it is safe for you to return. Keep alert for any tsunami warnings.

3. In the event of a tsunami warning, run for higher ground. Do not stop to collect things. Do not stop to see if others are coming. Do not pause to think. You literally will have just minutes to head for higher ground in the event of a tsunami.

3. Stay close to a radio or television for further official instructions or information.

Stay tuned to the Coming Crisis for updates on this situation.

Japan Tsunami Warning Pacific Coast Aomori Pref. and Iwate Pref.

Tsunami Warning/Advisory

Issued at 18:12 JST 14 Mar 2012

******************Headline******************
Tsunami Advisories have been issued for the following coastal regions of Japan:
PACIFIC COAST OF AOMORI PREF.
IWATE PREF.
*******************Text********************
Tsunami Advisories have been issued for the following coastal regions of Japan:

PACIFIC COAST OF AOMORI PREF.
IWATE PREF.

***********About Tsunami Forecast************

Tsunami height is expected to be about 0.5 meters. Attention advised.

Igloo man' weighs just six stone

The Swede who survived two months without food in a snow-covered car weighs just six stone (40kg), nearly a month after his rescue.

"He is still in a very poor condition and bedridden," a source told Sweden's Aftonbladet newspaper. "Last week he weighed only 40kg." When Peter Skyllberg, 44, was found on February 17, his story of survival made headlines across the world.

He told rescuers he had eaten nothing since December 19. His car had been trapped on a forest track outside Umea, one of Sweden's most northerly cities, during a month when outside temperatures regularly dropped below -22F (-30ºC).

Ulf Segerberg, the chief medical officer at Norrland University Hospital, where he is being treated, said that Mr Skyllberg was recovering well.

"He is awake and speaking lucidly," he told the newspaper.

Since his rescue, Mr Skyllberg has refused contact with his relatives and with the media, leaving the question of how and why he ended up in such a situation a mystery. Read More

Forest Fires All Over Costa Rica

The fire at Cerro Chirripo at the Talamanca Mountain Range, began to expand to other two national parks in Costa Rica, confirmed on Monday the Environment Ministry (Minaet).

The latest arson attacks consume hectares of forest in Palo Verde, in the province of Guanacaste, and Tivives on Route 27, in Atenas, emphasized a release by the governmental ministry.

These fires, caused by unknown, so far affected the flora and fauna of 700 thousand hectares in the three protected areas.

Much of the Chirripo National Park burned for 15 days and the process of extinguishing the flames came over the weekend in its finishing stage said Minaet.

The state agency thanked the Government of Guatemala for their collaboration to put out the fire in the territory, which will take three decades to regenerate after this event, according to the Association for the Preservation of Flora and Fauna. Source

Rain causes road collapse in Papua New Guinea

TORRENTIAL rain in Papua New Guinea has caused part of the main freeway in the nation's capital to collapse.

The section gave way after Port Moresby was bombarded by a fierce electrical storm and saturated by 83.2 millimetres of rain.

Authorities say there are no reports of injuries.

Measuring the length of about two cars and cutting across four lanes of Spring Garden Road - one of two main links between Port Moresby's central business district and outlying suburbs - the road collapsed late last night.

"It is the nature of the rain," said National Municipal authority Deputy manager for Engineering, Simon Vai.
"It caused the corrugated iron (drains) to collapse."

"We were addressing the issue - it already fell on one side - when it happened." Read More

Tornado Warning TEST Please Check Link For all COUNTIES

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
131 PM CDT TUE MAR 13 2012

...THIS MESSAGE IS FOR TEST PURPOSES ONLY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE QUAD CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TEST TORNADO WARNING FOR...
CLARK COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSOURI...
SCOTLAND COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSOURI...

* UNTIL 145 PM CDT.

* THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE. AT 130 PM CDT...THIS IS A TEST TORNADO
WARNING ISSUED IN CONJUCTION WITH THE MISSOURI STATEWIDE TORNADO
DRILL AS A PART OF MISSOURI SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK. NO
SEVERE WEATHER IS OCCURRING. THIS IS A TEST.

* THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
ALL CITIES IN MISSOURI.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW AND PRACTICE YOUR SEVERE
WEATHER ACTION PLAN IN YOUR HOME...SCHOOL...AND BUSINESS. THE
SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT OR ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY
WITHOUT WINDOWS.

ONCE AGAIN...THERE IS NO SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRING IN THE LOCAL AREA
AT THIS TIME. THIS IS A TEST TORNADO WARNING ISSUED AS A PART OF
SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK. SOURCE

Cold wave damages crops in Akole, India

PUNE: Crops in their early stages of growth were damaged due to extreme cold wave in Akole taluka in Ahmednagar district.

The main cash crop - onion - did not suffer, but the frost, which was unexpected in the middle of the planting season of the summer crop, proved harmful to horse gram, pearl millet, maize, beans and groundnut.

This is the second consecutive year of climate variability here. Last year, the untimely rain in June had damaged the summer crop.

Crispino Lobo, co-founder and managing trustee of the Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), an NGO working for the climate change adaptation project in this region, said extreme cold in February and March, the middle of the planting season of the summer crop, proved to be harmful for the crops. "February and March are almost the end of winter in Maharashtra, and cold wave is not experienced during this time. Rather, a cold wave at the height of winter, middle of December or first week of January, is beneficial for the rabi crop," he said. Read More

Forest fires in Spain come early...about 4 months Early

Normally, the season for forest fires in Spain is the height of summer when high temperatures and dry conditions add to the dangers. However, the fire season seems to have started much earlier this year following a very mild and dry winter.

Fires broke out in several different areas of Spain on Sunday March 11 due to the dry conditions. According to El Pais, a fire in the province of Aragón destroyed over one thousand hectares of forest in the Pyrenees whilst fifty firefighters and a helicopter struggled to control it. Officials told the paper that winds in the area were helping to fuel the fire.

Fires also broke out in the regions of Girona and Lleida in Catalonia, some of which are still not under control. People have had to be evacuated from their homes and thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed. Fire fighters are working round the clock to get the fires under control. Read More

Drought Threatens British Ecosystems

474,000 tons of disaster rubble remains piled up in nuke crisis no-go zone

There is still some 474,000 metric tons of earthquake and tsunami debris piled up in coastal areas of the Fukushima nuclear disaster no-go zone, the Environment Ministry announced on March 12.

The debris is contaminated with radioactive cesium from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, with concentrations reaching as high as 58,700 becquerels per kilogram in the town of Okuma, where some of the No. 1 plant's reactors are located. As the toxic debris is inside the nuclear crisis exclusion zone, its disposal is up to the central government, which is moving ahead with plans for sorting facilities and temporary incinerators.

The single largest amount of debris in six coastal municipalities covered in whole or in part by the no-entry zone was in the city of Minamisoma, where some 183,000 tons of rubble remains to be dealt with. Read More

New flood disaster zones declared in New South Wales

One-third of NSW's communities have been declared natural disaster zones as the worst flooding in decades continues to threaten parts of the state.

Four more natural disaster zones were declared on Tuesday, bringing the total to 53 out of NSW's 152 local government areas.

The latest areas to be declared were Bombala, Murray Shire, Central Darling and Hay Shire.

Residents of Hay, in southwest NSW, were on evacuation alert on Tuesday night as the Murrumbidgee River crept towards a nine-metre flood peak - equal to heights not seen since 1974.

"Although the rain has eased and flood waters are starting to recede, it will be a long time before these communities will be back to normal," NSW Emergency Services Minister Mike Gallacher said in a statement.

The State Emergency Service warned Hay Shire residents, particularly those in low-lying areas, to prepare to flee their homes.

"Given that this region has not seen a flood of this magnitude for nearly 40 years, floodwaters will behave differently," SES Murrumbidgee regional controller James McTavish said in a statement. Read More

South West fire crews waiting for cooler conditions, Australia

Fire crews battling a blaze in the South West are hoping cooler conditions will allow them to re-establish containment lines.

The fire broke containment lines between Balingup and Nannup this afternoon and is moving in a north-westerly direction.

The blaze started in the Ellis plantation yesterday afternoon.

Authorities say the fire is erratic, out of control and burning in rugged terrain.

Homes and lives are under threat and residents in the area are being urged to leave, taking a route to the north. ontain a bush fire threatening lives and homes south of the South West town of Donnybrook.

The blaze has broken containment lines and is out of control, burning in a north westerly direction.

More than 100 firefighters are working to re-build containment lines around the fire which is burning in a plantation 30 kilometres south of Donnybrook.

The Department of Environment and Conservation's incident controller Roger Armstrong says the blaze is burning away from nearby properties.
However he says the wind direction is erratic, and residents remain at risk. Source

Tropical cyclone tipped to form off Top End coast, Western Australia

The weather bureau has upgraded its advice on a cyclone threat for parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Forecasters say a cyclone should develop off the Top End coast tomorrow morning.

A tropical low-pressure system is about 340 kilometres west of Darwin and tracking south-west towards the Aboriginal community of Wadeye (Port Keats).

But forecaster Graeme King says the system could turn back towards Darwin.

"We are talking tropical lows in the most unpredictable cyclone area in the world," he said.

"It is possible for anything."

The bureau says even if the system does not turn into a cyclone, it could cause gale-force winds and monsoonal rains along the Territory coastline for several days.

A cyclone watch has been declared for Northern Territory coastal communities from Cape Hotham to Kalumburu in Western Australia, including Darwin and the Tiwi Islands. Read More

Chavez's dream grows in 'socialist' Venezuelan city (which is a massive success, by the way)

After nine months in a flood victims' shelter, Daviana Padron now lives in a free apartment, works in a cooperative bakery and her kids attend a new school in the Venezuelan city of Caribia.

The coastal town outside Caracas is a model of what President Hugo Chavez refers to as his Bolivarian socialist revolution. And he plans to eventually turn the socialist-minded project into home to more than 100,000 people.

It also is an example of how Chavez hopes passionate grassroots support from low-and-middle-income Venezuelans will propel him to a third term as president in the upcoming October 7 vote.

He faces a tough election against Henrique Capriles, a 39-year-old lawyer who is popular among Venezuela's moderate and conservative voters.

Chavez says Capriles appeals to business interests while the ailing president draws supporters from more rural and economically disadvantaged.

Padron is one thousands of Venezuelans who credits her new lifestyle to Chavez's policies after heavy rains in 2010 washed out thousands of homes, leaving her and about 130,000 other people as victims. Read More

Forget Spring, Summer is already here

The fourth warmest meteorological winter on record is being followed up by a mild March. Highs this week will be as much as 20 to 35 degrees above average at times in the Midwest and Northeast. This kind of warmth sends temperatures into record territory! - Source

IU scientists detect seismic signals produced by tornado activity

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- An Indiana University geophysical experiment detected unusual seismic signals associated with tornadoes that struck regions across the Midwest last week -- information that may have value for meteorologists studying the atmospheric activity that precedes tornado disasters.

The experiment by IU researchers involves deployment of more than 100 state-of-the-art digital seismographs in a broad swath of the U.S. midcontinent. One of the twisters that struck southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois on Feb. 29 passed through the seismic detection array.

"In examining the seismograms, we recorded unusual seismic signals on three of our stations in southern Illinois," said Michael Hamburger, professor in the department of geological sciences at IU Bloomington and one of the researchers conducting the experiment.

"The seismograms show a strong, low-frequency pulse beginning around 4:45 a.m. on Feb. 29. Our preliminary interpretation, based on other seismic records of tornadoes, suggests that we were recording not the tornado itself, but a large atmospheric pressure transient related to the large thunderstorms that spawned the tornadoes." Read More

Tornado Watch for Eastern Lower Michigan, Northwest Ohio, Lake Erie and Lake Huran

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

EASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN
NORTHWEST OHIO
LAKE ERIE
LAKE HURON

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM 735 PM UNTIL 300 AM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 45 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
BAD AXE MICHIGAN TO 25 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF TOLEDO OHIO. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. More

Perth sweltering in four-day heatwave

Perth is sweltering through a record-breaking eighth heatwave.

The Bureau of Meteorology defines a heatwave as three consecutive days at or above 35C.

The record was reached during the weekend and on Monday the temperature remained high, peaking at 40.6C.

Maximum temperatures for the previous three days were 38.9C on Friday, 39.5C on Saturday and 41.4C on Sunday.

It is the third time that Perth has recorded four consecutive days above 38C in March, the bureau says.

The other occasions were between March 12-15, 1922 and March 7-10, 2003.

Only once before has Perth previously recorded two heatwaves in March and that was in 1988. Read More

Scientists survey seabed fractured by Japan quake

Scientists on Thursday launched a mission to the seabed off Japan where a massive quake triggered last year's devastating tsunami, to get their first proper look at the buckled ocean floor.

Researchers from Germany and Japan are sending high-tech vehicles to probe the seabed up to 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) below the surface where the massive seismic shock hit last March.

"We want to deploy instruments on the sea floor and also map the area to see the large changes caused by the earthquake," said Gerold Wefer, who is leading the project.

His team said the data gathered from the month-long mission covering a rupture zone stretching hundreds of kilometres (miles) would help them understand the mechanism of huge quakes and the tsunamis they can spawn. Read More