|
By
Steve Newman - April
30, 1999
- Click any icon
High
Temperature Extreme
 Kassala,
Sudan: 115 degrees Fahrenheit
(top)
Low
Temperature Extreme
 Vostok
(Russia), Antarctica: -107 degrees Fahrenheit
(top)
New Volcano
 Researchers
from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have discovered an active
underwater volcano in the waters of the easternmost Samoan Islands.
The 14,100-foot
volcano is 2,000 feet beneath the Pacific, and its crater is one mile
across. The volcano was named Fa’afafine, a Samoan word that loosely
translated means “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” It seemed an appropriate
name to Woods Hole scientists since the size of the volcano was a surprise
and wasn’t at all what it appeared to be.
(top)
Back
From Extinction
 A
species of fish thought extinct for 85 years has reappeared in the southern
waters of the Great Australian Bight, according to the Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
Studies
on six of the pale-pink fish found in the ocean have determined that
they are the giant roughie, or giant sawbelly, not seen by scientists
since 1914. The fish, determined to be 50 years old, live in darkness
about 1,000 feet beneath the surface.
(top)
Tornadoes
 At
least three people were killed, 197 others injured and more than 5,000
homes destroyed when a tornado pummeled the southern Chinese
province of Hunan.
Thousands
of residents in Anxiang county were left homeless after the twister
and accompanying downpours destroyed 5,100 homes and unleashed extensive
flooding.
(top)
Tropical
Storms
 Japan’s
southernmost islands were skirted by tropical storm Kate.
Tropical
storm Leo formed off the coast of Vietnam and was predicted to
pass near China’s Hainan Island late in the week.
(top)
Rabid
Dog Attacks
 At
least 17 people were hospitalized in northern Egypt after being
attacked by a pack of rabid dogs.
The sneak
attack occurred when the feral canines raced out of a cemetery in the
town of Arab al-Ayayda and stormed the group of visitors. Local residents
attempted to scare the animals away with stones and knives but could
not prevent the onslaught. Police managed to kill two of the animals
but the rest of the pack eluded capture.
(top)
Earthquakes
 At
least two miners became trapped after a mine shaft in the South African
town of Welcom caved in following a magnitude 4.2 earthquake.
Earth
movements were also felt in eastern Romania and Moldova,
two points in eastern Japan, Taiwan, southwestern Mexico
and central Oregon.
(top)
Asian
Wildfires Return
 A
widening forest fire in Indonesian Borneo’s West Kalimantan province
has caused a sharp rise in air pollution and prompted fresh health concerns
about the intensifying haze.
The blaze,
outside the provincial capital city of Palankaraya, was started during
a land-clearing operation. The resulting smoke cloud has spread to surrounding
countries and caused health and transportation problems similar to those
that resulted from last year’s devastating firestorms in the same area.
(top)
Killing
Heat
 A
severe heat wave lingering across parts of India, Bangladesh
and Pakistan has claimed at least 68 lives and triggered widespread
forest fires in the northern Himalayas.
Indian
meteorologists warned that temperatures soaring well above 110 degrees
Fahrenheit could continue until the southwest monsoon rains set in across
the subcontinent in late May or early June.
(top)
Liberty
 An
English cow dodged death in Devon, England, by charging slaughterhouse
workers and fleeing across town.
The young
cow, now named Liberty, was chased through the streets by police and
a helicopter crew who were unable to capture her. The chase continued
until Liberty was found trying to trick her pursuers by hiding in a
herd of other cows. Her plight attracted the attention of an animal
rights group which paid the slaughterhouse 1,000 pounds to free the
animal. Liberty will spend the rest of her life in an animal sanctuary
where more than 500 other animals live in peace.
(top)
Additional
Sources: Japan Meteorological Agency, U.S. Climate Analysis Center,
U.S. Earthquake Information Center and the World Meteorological Organization.
|
