Sunspot complex AR3638-47 has been in a almost-constant state of eruption for days. This animation from earlier today shows multiple jets of plasma shooting into space in only a few hours:

Since last week, dozens of these jets have flown away from the sunspot group. All of them have missed Earth. The magnetic structure of the sunspot complex is guiding debris to the south--just far enough to miss our planet when the resulting CMEs pass nearby.

An exception might be on the way. One of the jets emitted on April 22nd *might* have an Earth-directed component. ETA: April 26th. Stay tuned

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Severe thunderstorms swept through our area on Saturday evening, bringing an abrupt end to the summer-like weather.
MORE: Downed tree caused by storm damages woman’s roof, car in west Charlotte

In York County, the storms resulted in various sizes of hail, fallen trees blocking roads, and property damage.
RELATED COVERAGE: Man escapes to safety after wind knocks tree down onto home
Trent Faris, the Public Information Officer for the York County Sheriff’s Office, shared multiple photos of the large hail on X, formerly Twitter. Some hailstones were almost the same size as quarters.

An evacuation alert is in effect for some living near the Burgess Creek wildfire, one of 118 active wildfires in B.C. In Alberta, there are 66 active wildfires, with an evacuation alert issued for Saprae Creek Estates in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

When conditions are right, we can enjoy watching the Northern Lights, but forecasters at the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) are busy focusing on the impacts these solar storms have on our society.

Located in Boulder, Colorado, the SWPC monitors the sun for impactful space weather that could disrupt systems on our planet.

Coronal mass ejections are explosive plasma eruptions from the Sun’s outer atmosphere and if direct

"CO2 is not a bad gas," says Valentina Zharkova, a professor at the Northumbria University in Newcastle, UK. On the contrary, she points out, every garden centre uses it in its greenhouses to make plants lush and green. "We actually have a CO2 deficit in the world, and it's three to four times less than the plants would like," she notes, adding that the proportion of CO2 in the atmosphere has been at much higher levels throughout our planet's history than it is now.

In fact, over the last 140 million years, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has been steadily decreasing and only now slightly starting to rise. It is currently around 420 parts per million (ppm), or 0.042%. 140 million years ago, it was estimated at 2,500 ppm (0.25%), or about six times higher. And it also meant a greener and more biodiverse world. If CO2 were to fall below 150 ppm (0.015%), it would already mean the extinction of vegetation and all other life. We came close to that during the last glacial maximum when it was at 182 ppm (0.018%).

Zharkova says that the fact that CO2 levels in the atmosphere are now increasing is a good thing. "We don't need to remove CO2 because we would actually need more of it. It's food for plants to produce oxygen for us. The people who say CO2 is bad are obviously not very well educated at university or wherever they studied. Only uneducated people can come up with such absurd talk that CO2 should be removed from the air," says Zharkova.

Spring has officially sprung, but winter still seems to be present in a part of the north of the country. The heavy snowfalls have continued with high intensity even during today's day where, in addition to the problems they bring to traffic, they also offer stunning views.

The snow covered the city of Puka today, where it is reported that the rains that started in the early hours of the morning and continue even now, have brought the thickness of the snow up to 25 centimeters. So far there are no problems in this area.

Snow is also reported to be present on the Bogë-Theth axis, where snowplows have come out and are working on its full opening. Currently, vehicles are driven with winter tires.

Heavy rainfalls and flooding of local rivers have so far claimed the lives of at least eight people in Sistan-Baluchestan, dealing a heavy blow to the infrastructure of the southeastern Iranian province.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, the flooding resulted in the collapse of a loader and the deaths of three employees of Iran’s Railway company in Khash to Iranshahr road.

Meanwhile, Majid Mohebbi, the director general of Sistan-Baluchestan’s Crisis Management Department, said that heavy rains and flooding caused the closure of 45 rural roads, 12 sub-roads and one main road in the south of the province.

We have reports of the disconnection of telecommunications in 60 villages of Zarabad, Konarak and Chabahar towns due to a problem in their optical fiber, Mohebbi said, further adding that the amount of rainfall in the last two days in the province has “exceeded the forecast.”

Winter conditions in April: Snow, hail, black ice and heavy rain caused numerous accidents in traffic on Saturday. For this Sunday, the German Weather Service (DWD) announced heavy snowfall in the low mountain ranges - and also warned of black ice. In Bavaria in particular, there could be traffic disruptions and the risk of tree damage due to the high snow loads. In the Free State it could snow heavily in the morning, especially in the north and in the Alps, even down to lower altitudes.

In East Westphalia-Lippe, a number of trees snapped under the weight of snow on Sunday night. As the police reported, this created around 20 danger spots. Local fire brigade helpers removed the fallen trees and cleared the streets. In Extertal and Leopoldshöhe, drivers drove their vehicles off the road in snow and slippery conditions and ended up in a ditch. Nobody got hurt. In the early hours of the morning, several centimeters of snow had fallen in parts of Ostwestfalen-Lippe, and even ten centimeters in Horn-Bad Meinberg, a police spokesman said.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – At least two strong earthquakes struck Taiwan early Tuesday morning, just weeks after one of the strongest quakes in the country’s history killed several people.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurred at 2:26 a.m. local time (2:26 p.m. ET Monday) just off the eastern shore of the island nation, about 17 miles south of Hualien City, at a depth of about 6.7 miles. The second, a magnitude 6, happened about 6 minutes later along the eastern shore, about 8 miles south-southwest of Hualien City, at about the same depth.

Residents in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are on high alert for flooding, with authorities forecasting water flows in a major river to hit "once-in-100-year" levels on Monday morning.

The provincial flood and disaster prevention department said on Sunday afternoon that floodwaters in the Bei River, a southern tributary of the Pearl River, were expected to peak at 37.3 metres (122 feet) by 1am, or about 5.8 metres above the warning line.

Warning levels had already been exceeded at 20 monitoring stations along the waterway by Saturday evening.

Northern and western Guangdong have been battered by intense rainstorms since Friday, breaking rainfall records for April in many places.

The cities of Qingyuan, Shaoguan, Huizhou and capital Guangzhou have been particularly hard hit, prompting flood alerts and rainstorm warnings for three days in a row.

MILL CREEK, Ill. -- Seven earthquakes have hit the region in the past five days. This includes two in southern Illinois and four in southeast Missouri.

The latest quake the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported was on April 22 at 3:52 a.m. just west of Mill Creek, Illinois. This was a 2.1 magnitude quake at a depth of 12.7 km.

Here is the list of the previous quakes since April 18 in our area, according to the USGS.

April 21, 10:33 a.m. - 2.4 magnitude east of Matthews, Mo. - 4.7 km depth
April 20, 1:54 a.m. - 2.0 magnitude east of Marston, Mo. - 8.2 km depth
April 19, 8:32 a.m. - 1.4 magnitude west of Howardville, Mo. - 7.5 km depth
April 19, 7:55 a.m. - 1.2 magnitude west of Howardville, Mo. - 7.6 km depth
April 18, 8:05 p.m. - 2.3 magnitude northwest of Woodlawn, Ill. - 19.2 km depth
April 18, 6:03 p.m. - 1.6 magnitude east of Marston, Mo. - 8.4 km depth

Since January 1, 2024, the USGS has reported 70 earthquakes ranging around the New Madrid fault line.

April 22, 2024

The bright green comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as the “devil” and “mother of dragons,” will reach peak visibility soon. Here’s how to spot it.

The "Movement for the Establishment of the Temple" announced the establishment of an ultra-orthodox kollel on the Temple Mount, and promised each student 100 NIS for each day of study, but it turns out that the initiative is not taking off - mainly due to the police's harassment of the heads of the organization and the kollel. The movement does not say desperate, and promises to "prevent my actions The scoundrel and harassment of the police"

The police prevented the secretary of the "Movement for the Establishment of the Temple" Rabbi Yosef Elboim from entering the Temple Mount for two weeks, after in recent weeks the movement expanded its activities and tried to establish an ultra-orthodox "kollel" at the site.

Last week, while Rabbi Elboim was leading a group of about 40 travelers on the Temple Mount, it became clear to him that the police were preventing him from entering the compound.

The police explained this week that the reason for the ban is the intention of the members of the movement to establish a school for secondary education on the Temple Mount, and as a result, the violent riots on the Temple Mount may resume.

In the ad published by the organization a few weeks ago, it was stated that the students who will study in the kollel on the Temple Mount will be rewarded with 50 shekels per day.

Following the harassment, the Movement for the Establishment of the Temple announced that "following the acts of scum and harassment by the Temple Mount Police, the price for a day of study at the ultra-orthodox kollel has risen to 100 NIS per day, a boy as a blessing."

The movement promised that in the coming days the ascent to the mountain would resume, and among other things, the ultra-orthodox kollel would be established.

It should be noted that on many occasions the elders of Israel emphasized that the ascension to the Temple Mount is absolutely forbidden. Last year, before the inauguration of the restored "Hahorba" synagogue, a message was issued from the house of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef stressing that the ascent to the mountain is prohibited.

Last year, during a visit by the President of the country, Shimon Peres, to the Sukkah of Maran HaGrish Elyashiv, the HaGrish chose to raise the issue of the riots in the Temple Mount area. Peres emphasized to Maran Posak Hador that this is a real danger to lives and events that could lead to bloodshed.

Peres even asked Maran HaGrish to give renewed validity to the ban on going up to the Temple Mount. Maran pointed out to him and said, "The public knows the opinion of the Halacha and knows that going up to the Temple Mount is prohibited by default

The suspects, ages 13 to 21, were arrested by detectives, in possession of goats that were hidden and intended to be used as sacrifices on the Temple Mount. The police warned: "We will not allow extremists and criminals of any kind to violate the existing practice on the Temple Mount and the holy places."

13 suspects aged 13-21 were arrested today (Monday) on suspicion of planning to sacrifice goats on the Temple Mount as sacrifices for Passover. The arrests were made after YMR detectives operating in Jerusalem identified suspects who carried goats in bags and even hid them in a baby carriage.

After the arrest, the suspects were transferred for further investigation by the police and the captured animals were transferred for veterinary treatment. The attempts to sacrifice Passover victims were carried out against the background of publications distributed in recent days, with the aim of encouraging extremist elements to implement the ancient custom, which is against the law.
A goat found in the suspect's vehicle
A goat found in the suspect's vehicle Photo: Police spokeswoman
The police said: "The Israel Police is working in Jerusalem and in the other sectors with all the security agencies, on the overt and covert level, against any person who tries to break the order and act contrary to the law and the practice that exists in the holy places in the city of Jerusalem. We call on the public not to give a platform or expression to extreme fringes who try or call for a break the order and the law. The existing practice on the Temple Mount and in the other holy places in the city of Jerusalem will be preserved and will continue to be preserved at all times, and we will not allow extremists and criminals of any kind to violate it

An earthquake shook parts of Lake Township on Sunday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center.

The USGS says the quake happened at 8:12 p.m. and was centered just south of Toledo Executive Airport, formerly Metcalf Field.

According to Lake Township Fire, there were no reports of any damage to the area.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in town training Volusia County Emergency personnel with its Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC).

Firefighters, police officers, and emergency personnel are all meeting at the Emergency Operations Center in Daytona Beach to undergo this training.

The four-day training focuses on the county's ability to respond if a building were to collapse.

"It allows us to pull city officials, county officials, state and even federal officials together to work through some of the potential issues that we may have with such a scenario," said Clint Mecham, the Volusia County emergency management director. "So we can do it in a low-stress learning environment rather than having to do it for real for the first time."

During the first two days, emergency responders ran through some exercises. On Wednesday, they had a functional exercise truly testing the county's ability to respond to a condo collapse.

They all split into groups, and each group assumed the roles assigned to their real-life positions. They're each developing a game plan, whether for where to set up a media staging area or how to save those left.

FEMA's James Greenshields said they've been working with the city for over a year on this course to make sure it's tailored to the county's needs.

SALT LAKE CITY — Thursday morning, more than 900,000 Utahns practiced "drop, cover and hold on," protocols as they participated in an annual earthquake drill.

While most people participated in the drill at 10:15 on Thursday morning, officials encourage Utahns to practice earthquake safety any day of the year.

"The Great Utah ShakeOut" shows the importance of earthquake preparation as more than 85% of Utahns live in the Wasatch Fault Zone.

The danger zone is 240 miles long and is considered one of the longest and most active faults in the world.

At Columbia Elementary in West Jordan, Principal Keith Klein says teachers and students are ready for an emergency thanks to the drill.

"What we’ll do is play over the intercom some noise that’s consistent with what a student might hear during an earthquake," Klein explained.

Then, a teacher will command students to drop, cover and hold on. Three steps that could potentially save lives if an earthquake hits.

"It’s important that they know how to conduct a drill in the absence of an adult because we never know where, when and how those things are going to happen," Klein reflected.

Knowledge and practice are the main goals of "The Great Utah Shakeout," which the state adopted in 2012.

"If we look at the probabilities of a major earthquake, here along the Wasatch, we have about a 50%," explained Geologic Hazards Program Manager Steve Bowman. "One in two coin toss of a magnitude 6.5 or greater earthquake in...less than 50 years."

While Bowman said earthquakes can't be predicted, there is technology that can detect them minutes before they happen.

Africa is warming faster than the rest of the planet. Learn more about the action needed to combat climate change from our report, ‘The State of Climate Action: Major Course Correction Needed from +1.5% to −7% Annual Emissions.

Africa is extremely vulnerable to climate shocks, altering the lives of millions across the continent, particularly in cities and other urban areas.
Building resilience against the impact of climate change requires cities that can adapt, bounce back and thrive in the face of unforeseen shocks.
By coming together, embracing Indigenous knowledge and empowering citizens, cities can become a beacon of resilience and prosperity.

The climate is changing at an astronomical rate and the impact of this can be seen everywhere. Imagine stepping outside your apartment for an early morning jog, only to be greeted by a thick brown dust that makes breathing unpleasant.

The seasonal harmattan wind brings another round of degraded air quality that causes respiratory issues for many. Each year, it’s a stark reminder about how climate shocks are altering the everyday lives of millions of Africans, especially those living in cities.

A number of military aircraft landed at McClellan Airport on Monday.

While the Denver metro may have enjoyed spring-like temperatures and a few rain showers to start off the work week, other parts of the state were in a whole other boat.

The high country was forecasted to see heavy snow on Monday and Tuesday, and that's exactly what happened.

Some areas, including Cameron Pass in Larimer County, were hit with nearly 3 feet of snow on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the National Weather Service, the aptly named Never Summer mountain range, as well as the Medicine Bow mountains, saw some of the heaviest snow.

At least 41 people have died in storm-related incidents across Pakistan since Friday, including 28 killed by lightning, officials said on Monday.

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned of landslides and flash floods because more rain is expected in coming days.

Punjab, Pakistan's largest and most populous province, witnessed the highest death toll, with 21 people killed by lightning between Friday and Sunday.

"I have asked the NDMA to coordinate with the provinces... and for the NDMA to provide relief goods to areas where damages occurred," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday.

People living in open, rural areas are more at risk of being struck by lightning during thunderstorms.

At least eight people were killed in Balochistan province, including seven struck by lightning, where 25 districts were battered by rain and some areas were flooded.

The coastal region was hit hardest, with 126,831 people affected, according to the government

With all the conflict going on in the world, there have been reports of doomsday planes being spotted. What is this aircraft and when is it deployed?

Tensions are currently high in various parts of the world, and the internet is even quicker than usual to spread rumors of movements that could indicate any form of escalation.

For example, the internet has been rife with unconfirmed reports of so-called “doomsday planes” being spotted in different parts of the world.

The deployment is part of a long-planned, routine training mission conducted under Bomber Task Force 24-2 and is not related to the Iranian attack on Israel.

Flying as HOWLER 11-12, two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned to the 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and deployed to Morón Air Base, Spain, since the end of last month for Bomber Task Force 24-2, forward deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, on Apr. 15, 2024.

Despite the tension in the Middle East, following the Iranian attack on Israel on Apr. 14 and the retaliation by Tel Aviv expected in the next days, the deployment of the U.S. bombers has, according to the U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa Public Affairs, nothing to do with the tensions in the region, but part of a long-planned, routine training mission conducted under Bomber Task Force 24-2.

Amid rising tensions with Russia and China, the US Air Force conducted the Prairie Vigilance exercise earlier this week. Crews practiced loading the AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) on its B-52H bombers at the Minot Air Force Base (AFB) in North Dakota.
The Cold War-era missile was designed to saturate and overwhelm Soviet air defenses, either acting as a decoy or presenting targeting dilemmas. It could then strike missile and radar sites with blast fragmentation warheads.

Later upgrades enhanced the range enough for the B-52s to fire the missile while staying well outside its airspace and the reach of its surface-to-air missiles (SAM).

The US Air Force (USAF) describes the AGM-86B and its variants, like the AGM-86C/D, as dual conventional and nuclear-capable ALCMs “developed to increase the effectiveness of B-52H bombers. “In combination, they dilute an enemy’s forces and complicate defense of its territory.”

The AGM-86B carries a “nuclear payload” and can “fly complicated routes to a target through the use of a terrain contour-matching guidance system.” “The AGM-86C carries a conventional blast/fragmentation payload, and the AGM-86D carries a conventional penetrating warhead. Both conventional variants employ a GPS-aided inertial navigation system.”

Over the last few years, the US military has been developing the AGM-181 Long-Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO) as a replacement for the AGM-86. This will be fired from the B-52H and the upcoming B-21 Raider as a tactical nuclear weapon (TNW).
Airmen assigned to the 5th Maintenance Group load AGM-86 air-launched cruise missiles onto a B-52H Stratofortress during Prairie Vigilance 24-3 at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, April 7, 2024. Photo Credit: Airman 1st Class Kyle Wilson/US Air Force.
Videos Show AGM-86s Being Loaded

A publicity video showed eight pylons carrying six missiles each (a total of 48) rolling out from the weapons storage area to the B-52 parked on the tarmac. The missiles are placed in two groups of three, one behind the other, on a pylon located in the inner wing section near the wing root (where the wing meets the fuselage).

A statement from the Minot Air Force Base (Minot AFB) described the annual exercise aimed at validating the “safety, security and reliability of the nuclear triad,” with this one being the “bomber leg.”

The other two are the ground-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) that fire the Minuteman III missile and the US Navy’s nuclear-powered SSBNs that carry the Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) with atomic warheads.

Another four-and-a-half-minute video showed the daunting process of tractors carrying the missiles reaching the parked B-52Hs, and the AGM-86 being lifted, attached, and screwed into the pylons. This ‘munitioning’ process can be assumed to be followed by extensive electrical and fire control system tests to check the missile’s integration with the B-52’s avionics and targeting.