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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Unmasked: the scale of Arctic junk polluting the pristine environment
One region alone - Yakutia - has 5 million tons scrap metal dumped in polar regions, an ugly Soviet legacy.
Kotelny island, Yakutia Region, Russia
The Siberian Times

Powerful Quake and Tsunami Devastate Northern Japan
Japan was filled with scenes of desperation a day after an 8.9-magnitude quake, as survivors called for help and rescuers looked for people buried in rubble.
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
The New York Times

State of emergency in Russian Far East as ice rain causes collapse of key systems
Overnight ice rain and north winds turned Vladivostok, Russia's Pacific capital, and most of the Primorye region into a frozen land with hundreds of power lines cut by wet snow. The storm left 120,000 people without electricity and many without heating and water.
Vladivostok, Primorskiy, Russia
Siberian Times

Permafrost is ablaze with hundreds of wildfires in world’s coldest region
Wildfires on permafrost are ravaging Yakutia - or the Sakha Republic - the largest and coldest entity of the Russian Federation. The scale is mesmerizing. There are some 300 separate fires, now covering 12,140 square kilometers - but only around half of these are being tackled, because they pose a threat to people. The rest are burning unchecked.
Sakha, Russia
Siberian Times

Nuclear town on fire, with residents 'choking' from smoke
Facilities for producing weapons grade plutonium believed safe despite fierce flames caused by wildfires.
Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia
Siberian Times

First seismic sensor installed to give early warning on new 'exploding pingos'
The aim is to give warnings over seismic activity that could lead to the sudden formation of new craters, which could potentially damage key industrial infrastructure.
Sabetta, Yamalo-Nenets
Siberia Times

Avalanche hits ski resort near Norilsk
Father missing under snow; more than 200 people continue search and rescue at -23C, snowstorm and bleak light of polar night.
Norilsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia

Flood apocalypse in Eastern Siberia kills five and maroons 9,919 whose homes destroyed or damaged
State of emergency in Irkutsk region as President Vladimir Putin flies in amid carnage from heavy rain - with ‘worse to come’.
Tulun, Irkutsk, Russia
Siberia Times

State of emergency after dozens of houses destroyed in fearsome wildfires in TransBaikal region
At least 90 left homeless in one village after raging infernos, say reports.
Chita, Transbaikal Territory, Russia
Siberia Times

Russia’s largest and coldest region is on fire - again, and this year wildfires strike early
Even school children are in firefighting brigades in some areas of Yakutia.
Srednekolymsk, Sakha, Russia

Wildfire infernos in Western Siberia as drivers in Novosibirsk region report zero visibility
Omsk region reported ‘record high’ number of wildfires and cases of dry grass burning, that turn into wildfires this spring, with one day last week counting nearly a thousand new events a day. Omsk region emergency services said the number of wildfires is seven to ten times above the norm.
Omsk, Omsk, Russia

2019 to be ‘worst-ever year’ for wildfires in Siberia and ‘only rain can now extinguish flames’
Some 5.4 million hectares of land are ablaze across Russia, mostly in Siberia and the country's far east. Water sprayed by planes to fight the fires is ‘now as expensive as Champagne’.

Roofs ripped off dozens of buildings, including maternity hospital, by stormy wind in Chita
The stormy wind at 30 metres per second rose in Chita in the afternoon on Wednesday 13 May.
Chita, Transbaikal Territory, Russia

Black skies over Siberia as wildfires rage around the world’s oldest lake
Cries to urgently call state of emergency in Irkutsk region as it chokes in smoke.
Irkutsk, Irkutsk, Russia

Call for extra hands to clear Russian bridge, still shut after last week’s disastrous ice rain
Video shows hero climbers manually breaking ice off its cable stays at height of 324m (1,063ft) in Vladivostok.
Vladivostok, Primorskiy, Russia

Next ‘stop’ Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean?
Toxic fuel from 21,000 ton leak reaches pristine lake, bypassing floating booms, as rivers of diesel pollution cover-up is exposed.
Norilsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia

Wildfires add to coronavirus misery across nine Siberian regions and republics
With Russia on Covid-19 lockdown, 77 houses were burned down in Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions.
Краснинское, Ленинск-Кузнецкий район, Кемеровская область, Russia

Massive landslide damages houses, shuts highway at Ramban
A massive landslide damaged 28 houses in a village along Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, rendering hundreds of people homeless, officials said on Sunday.
Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Hindustan Times

Building breaks in middle and collapses 10 meters as thawing permafrost no longer supports stilts
Arctic permafrost is degrading much faster than expected, warn scientists from the extreme north of Yakutia. It took two years for a building in the port town of Chersky on the Kolyma River, to snap in the middle after the once solid permafrost could no longer hold its supporting foundation.
Черский, Нижнеколымский район, Sakha, Russia

Hilary leaves massive flooding, mudslides, upheaval across Southern California
The first tropical storm to hit Los Angeles in 84 years dumped record rainfall and turned streets into muddy, debris-swollen rivers.
Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

Warning of 'Collapse' in Siberia's Permafrost Cities
A new study has warned of the risk to buildings in urban areas across Russia's permafrost zone caused by climate change. The Russian-US analysis says a worst-case scenario could lead to a 75-95% 'reduction in bearing capacity throughout the permafrost region by 2050'.
Anadyr, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Alarming wildfires rage near giant ‘Mouth of Hell’ gash in the tundra, a wonder of Siberia
The fires are now raging some 10 to 15 kilometers from the megaslump crater - a large hole in the frozen Arctic soil which highlights the dramatic speed of thawing permafrost.
Батагай, Верхоянский район, Республика Саха, Russia

Wildfires rage across Siberia and the Russian Far East
Dry conditions fuel dozens of fires and result in a state of emergency across the Siberian Federal District.
Bubnovka, Irkutsk, Russia

Record-breaking heatwave in Siberia
A prolonged heatwave in Siberia is “undoubtedly alarming”, climate scientists have said. The freak temperatures have been linked to wildfires, a huge oil spill and a plague of tree-eating moths.
Siberia, Russian Federation
the Guardian

Another Landslide Hits The Philippines
At least 15 people are dead and dozens more are missing.
Naga City, Naga, Philippines
New York Times

Left to Louisiana’s Tides, a Village Fights for Time
For the community of Jean Lafitte, the question is less whether it will succumb to the sea than when — and how much the public should invest in artificially extending its life.
Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, United States
New York Times

Norway: Mobile home washes away after severe flooding from Storm Hans
A mobile home washed away in severe flooding after Storm Hans hit Hemsedal, Norway, on Tuesday, 8 August. The extreme weather has battered parts of Scandinavia and the Baltics for several days. Rivers have overflown, roads have been damaged and people have been injured by falling branches.
Hemsedal, Buskerud, Norway
The Independent

Landslide rumbles through houses, gardens, roads
Heavy rain and flooding in Mt Hagen on Friday caused a landslide which destroyed several homes and food gardens, besides roads and bridges.
Port Moresby, National Capital, Papua New Guinea
The National

Canada’s Outdoor Rinks Are Melting. So Is a Way of Life.
Canada loves its ice, and outdoor hockey is part of the nation's cultural identity. So what happens when winters get too warm for backyard rinks?
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
New York Times

Huge landslide misses Swiss mountain village of Brienz ‘by a hair’
Rockfall buries access road but stops just in front of hamlet, which had been evacuated in anticipation.
Brienz, Bern, Switzerland
the Guardian

‘Pure hell’: Cyprus hit by worst forest fire in decades
Deadly blaze that killed four people and forced evacuation of 10 villages is now close to being under control
Arakapás, Limassol, Cyprus
the Guardian

Easter Island Is Eroding
Rising ocean levels are causing waves to break on the statues and platforms built a thousand years ago. The island risks losing its cultural heritage. Again.
Easter Island, Chile

Johannesburg: fire in township leaves thousands homeless
Local charities call for donations after blaze wrecks 500 homes in Alexandra
Modderfontein, Gauteng, South Africa

String of collapses at Del Mar bluffs
Officials press forward with emergency plan following string of collapses at Del Mar bluffs.
Del Mar, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

Ten injured and 21 missing after landslide destroys houses near Oslo
The tide of mud and clay destroyed as many as 14 houses in Ask in the municipality of Gjerdrum, some 30km north of Oslo. Hundreds were evacuated and police said 21 people living in the affected area were still unaccounted for. The landslide area is known for its "quick clay", a form of clay that can behave more like a liquid than a solid when disturbed. It is thought heavy rain in recent days may have caused the soil to shift.
Gjerdrum, Viken, Norway
The Independent

Thousands of blue jellyfish clog cooling system in Israeli power plant
Thousands of jellyfish clogged up a cooling system and threatened to suspend production at a power plant in Israel. Video filmed at the Electric Company power plant on Thursday shows the light blue sea creatures being swept down a chute and into a bin. The power plant, based in the coastal city of Ashkelon, about 15 miles north of the Gaza strip, uses seawater to cool its
Ashqelon, Southern District, Israel
The Independent

Storms kill three in Poland as strong winds pummel central Europe
Video footage shows a 30m crane tower being toppled by the severe weather in Krakow.
Kraków, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland

As water scarcity deepens across Latin America, political instability grows
"In Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador disputes over water shortages are part of a wider fight for equal access and shared responsibility"
Cochabamba, Cochabamba, Bolivia

Flooding and landslides kill at least 65 in northern Rwanda
An estimated 11,000 people have been affected by heavy rain this year and 1,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed
Rwanda
The Telegraph

How Climate Change Is Shaping the Floods of Harvey - The Atlantic
“Local rainfall amounts of 50 inches would exceed any previous Texas rainfall record. The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before,” said a statement from the National Weather Service. “Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for several days.”
Texas Coast, Gulf of Mexico, United States
The Atlantic

Point Lay declares climate emergency
With homes dilapidating, shores eroding and staircases falling off the houses, Point Lay residents are living through some of the most severe consequences of the warming climate in Alaska.
Point Lay, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

'No ordinary snow event': Saskatoon digging out from blizzard
People are advised to stay off the roads as city crews try to clear priority streets. Biggest snow event since the blizzard of 2007.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
The Star Phoenix

Graves continue to erode at historic St. Michael cemetery
Graves at the historic St. Michael cemetery in Alaska are eroding due to increased storms and erosion, prompting an archaeologist to recover exposed remains and coordinate efforts to re-bury them. Tom Wolforth’s prime mission was to appropriately handle the remains and make sure they could be reburied. He has been working closely with the tribe and the municipality to address their concerns. One concern, Martin said, was that these exposed remains could pose a risk of disease, especially if the dead had been buried during the time of the 1918 flu pandemic. But Wolforth assured them that if properly handled this shouldn’t be a problem.
St. Michael, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Winter storms bring deep snow, high winds and delays to Nome
A series of winter storms hit Nome with deep snow and high winds, causing school closures, flight cancellations, and significant snow removal challenges.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Bushfires then floods: Wisemans Ferry residents say both are ‘just as bad’
The rain finally stopped and the sun came out, but the floodwaters in Sydney’s north-west are still causing havoc.
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald

Back-to-back storms bring screaming winds to Nome and region
Back-to-back winter storms hit Nome and the region with very strong, screaming winds and accompanying blowing snow. While the first storm on Friday seemed just like a warm up, the second storm hit the region with very strong winds that knocked out power in Wales, ripped buildings apart in Golovin and brought water levels up 6.73 feet over normal. The high winds also pushed away ice cover.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

How floor repair of 'igloo church' in Arctic Canada could offer deeper look into North's permafrost
The church is no outlier — several buildings in the community are affected by freeze-thaw cycle of permafrost.
Even an iconic church is not immune from changing permafrost.
Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada
Eye on the Arctic

‘It’s time for us to go’: the Mexican fishing village swallowed by the sea
El Bosque, a Mexican fishing village with a population of 400 people, is being swallowed by rising sea levels, and experts predict that the entire village could be underwater within a year, leaving residents displaced and without adequate housing alternatives.
El Bosque, Tabasco, Mexico

Australia bushfires trap thousands on east coast beaches
Residents fled toward the waterside as winds pushed an emergency-level wildfire towards their homes. The town was shrouded in darkness from the smoke before turning an unnerving shade of bright red.
Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia
The Globe and Mail

Weird weather brings flooding to Kotzebue
The flooding was caused by a weather system that moved up to the Bering Sea from the tropics, and raised water levels and dumped rain across much of western Alaska.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder

Seawall to protect Utqiagvik from extreme storms
A seawall planned for Utqiagvik is aimed at protecting residents from extreme storms while preserving their connection to the ocean.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

California Sea Level Could Rise 10 Feet By End Of This Century
San Bruno, California, United States
The Huffington Post

Floods hit Kuching and Sebuyau, landslide reported in Song district
Heavy rain and floods are reported in Kuching and Sebuyau districts while a landslide caused by torrential rain happened in the Song district on Saturday (Jan 11).
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
The Star Online

Magnitude of Storm Callum captured as Scots hit by landslides and 70mph winds
The stunning image from the University of Dundee shows the scale of the extreme weather engulfing the country. And it comes as heavy rain has caused further landslips delaying the reopening of the key roadways.
Scotland, United Kingdom
The Scottish Sun

Storms hit region with high winds, snow and then rain
Strong south winds hit 71 miles per hour in St. Michael, Shishmaref had its sea ice blown away and the Nome Airport saw 0.64 inches of precipitation – mostly in the form of rain - last weekend. The storm that hit on Saturday, Dec. 18 and continued all day Sunday brought the total precipitation for December thus far to 2.04 inches.
Nome, Alaska, United States

Weathering 'Storm of the Century'
Conception Bay South was dealt a hard hand by what some have dubbed the ‘storm of the century.’ At least two local churches, Topsail United and All Saints in Foxtrap saw siding ripped off their steeples by the 120 kph winds.The most extensive damage was along the coastline, with both CBS mayor Terry French and Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club Commodore Larry LeDrew estimating millions of dollars worth of damage.
Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
The Shoreline News

Northern Canada: mild temperatures cause winter road closure in Northwest Territories
Deteriorating conditions on the Mackenzie Valley Winter Road have prompted the Northwest Territories government to close the winter highway for the season.
Mackenzie Valley Winter Road
Eye on the Arctic

153 people injured in quake, most in Fukushima and Miyagi
Most of the major damage from the magnitude-7.3 quake that occurred at 11:07 p.m. on Feb. 13 off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture was concentrated in Fukushima and neighboring Miyagi prefectures. The number of people injured by a powerful earthquake in northeastern Japan two days earlier rose to 153, but no deaths were reported as of Feb. 15.
Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan
The Asahi Shimbun

‘Not ordinary rain’: Worst rainfall in over decade causes massive floods in Jakarta
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency recorded rainfall intensity on New Years Eve at 377 millimeters per day, according to an observation conducted at the Air Force air base in East Jakarta.
Jakarta, Indonesia
The Jakarta Post

Residents warned to ‘get out or die’ as Harvey unleashes new waves of punishing rains and flooding
The devastating storm once known as Hurricane Harvey, already the biggest rainstorm in the history of the continental United States, delivered another punishing wave of rain Wednesday to Texas and Louisiana.
Houston, Texas, United States
The Washington Post

Blizzards kill 10 people, including 5-year-old child
Severe snow and dust storms hit Mongolia over the weekend and earlier this week. Wind speeds reached 34 meters per second. The storms and blizzard resulted in the death of nine people and a five-year old child in Dundgovi Province. Hundreds of others have gone missing.
Dundgovi, Mongolia
The UB Post

Climate change hits back, Svalbard coal mine flooded by melting glacier
After days with record heat at Svalbard, the penetration of water from the above melting glacier is now flooding Norway’s only operating coal mine that supplies the country’s only coal-power plant.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
The Independent Barents Observer

Botulism cases reported in Nome
Public health officials confirmed that four Nome residents had been hospitalized in early January with preliminary results pointing to poising from foodborne type E botulism from an aged beluga flipper.

Roads, cars submerged: Storm rages with snow, floods - The Boston Globe
The powerful winter weather storm was slamming into Massachusetts by mid-morning Thursday, bringing blizzard-like conditions in some areas, torrential rain in others, power outages and hurricane-strength winds on Cape Cod and the Islands.
Quincy, Massachusetts, United States
The Boston Globe

Report out on Kivalina evacuation route and school site
The school site is about six miles northeast of town. If constructed, it would serve as the terminus of the evacuation route and as a modern shelter capable of housing the entire community.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States

Landslide, floods in parts of Sarawak add to residents’ woes
MIRI: Storms are bringing floods and causing landslides in parts of northern and central Sarawak.
Sarawak, Malaysia
The Star Online

BC wildfires caused in part by and contributing to climate change
In some recent years, GHG emissions from BC wildfires have been more than from all other sectors put together
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
The Climate Examiner

After deadly wildfires, floods hit Greek capital
Firefi­ghters say around 160 reside­nts have been briefl­y trappe­d in their homes due to the floodi­ng
Ekali, Αττικη, Greece
The Express Tribune

Avalanche destroys home in southwestern Colorado, injuring sheriff and his 2 daughters
A sheriff and his two daughters were injured near Lake City in southwestern Colorado after an avalanche destroyed their home Tuesday morning.
Gunnison, Colorado, United States
The Denver Post

Experts warn gas pipes are in real danger from exploding tundra
Gas pipes supplying Europe run right over swelling Yamal tundra which is deeply unstable to the release of underground methane.
Yamal Region, Russia
The Independent Barents Observer

Storm re-engineers mouth of Nome River
“My boys told me my cabin went into the river,” said Rita Hulkill, who is 82. “My cabin had been there since the 70s. The water has never been that high ever.”

Death toll in Japan floods nears 200 as intense heat brings threat of disease
Intense heat and water shortages raised fears of disease outbreaks in flood-hit western Japan on Thursday as the death toll from the worst weather disaster in 36 years neared 200. More than 200,000 households had no water a week after torrential rains caused floods and set off landslides across western Japan, bringing death and destruction to decades-old communities built on mountain slopes and flood plains. The death toll rose to 195, with several dozen people still missing, the government said on Thursday.
Saka, Hiroshima, Japan

'Historic Devastation' ahead from Hurricane Harvey
The remnants of Harvey re-intensified into a hurricane on Thursday, and it may become a major hurricane by Friday.
Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
The Weather Network

‘Doomsday’ seed vault meant to survive global disasters breached by climate change
The seed bank designed to preserve the world’s crops and plants in the event of global disaster isn’t prepared to withstand the greatest global disaster facing our planet: global warming. Melting...
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
The Verge

Jellyfish attack nuclear power plant
Scotland’s only working nuclear power plant at Torness shut down in an emergency procedure this week when jellyfish clogged the sea water-cooling intake pipes at the plant. To protect marine life and avert nuclear disasters, scientists are investigating the use of drones to provide estimates of jellyfish locations, amounts, and density.
Torness Power Station, Scotland
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Climate change hinders residential constructions in Sweden
Skåne county has denied planning permission for the building of two new beachfront homes, saying they are at risk from rising sea levels caused by climate change.
The planning permission concerns two houses to be built between 100 and 200 metres away from the sea.
According to the county adminis
Åhus, Skåne län, Sweden
Eye on the Arctic

Harvey's Impacts Outside of Houston: Flood Emergency Ongoing in Port Arthur, Texas
Harvey has been devastating beyond Houston. Here's the latest.
Port Arthur, Texas, United States
The Weather Channel

Little Diomede city building slides off its foundation, leaving community vulnerable for more damage
A city building in Little Diomede, Alaska, slid off its foundation, threatening the structural integrity of adjacent buildings and critical services, with the community seeking immediate assistance.
Diomede, Alaska, United States

Death toll breaches 1,030 mark as floods wreak havoc
Over the past 24 hours, nearly 0.95 million houses and 0.72 million livestock were flooded while 0.27 million houses were destroyed and 3,116 kilometres of highways and 149 bridges were washed away.
Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan
The Express Tribune

Fall storm wreaks havoc
Starting on the night of Wednesday, November 4, and continuing through Friday, a major storm ripped through the Norton Sound region, causing widespread closures and some damaging flooding.
Teller, Alaska, United States

After infection of more than 2,000 workers, situation comes under control at Belokamenka construction site
Meanwhile, the spreading of the virus appears to have moved to other towns in the region. Among the new local hotspots for the virus is the city of Monchegorsk where 26 new cases were registered on the 16th June.
Murmansk, Murmansk, Russia
The Independent Barents Observer

Elsa Spreading Heavy Rain From the Southeast Into the Mid-Atlantic; Tropical Storm Warnings Extend Into the Northeast
The system became Tropical Storm Elsa on July 1, the earliest forming fifth named Atlantic storm on record in the satellite era (since 1966). The old record was, which developed a year ago on the evening of July 5.
Brigantine, New Jersey, United States
The Weather Channel

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