Free Republic

Mexico City’s water is quite literally disappearing. I have no doubt that in 2022 there will be a crisis, the reservoirs are completely depleted. What is happening in Mexico City? The ancient Aztecs originally engineered the origins of Mexico City on top of Lake Texcoco and left the surrounding natural freshwater lakes intact for use. However, as the city grew the lakes were drained to make way for infrastructure, homes, and a growing population. With expansion came an increasingly dire water security dilemma. Much of the city’s water supply comes from an underground aquifer that is being drained at an...

A loud explosion-like sound was heard across many neighbourhoods of Helsinki late on Saturday night, but the source of the bang remained a mystery on Monday. The boom prompted discussion on social media, from people in the neighbourhoods of Oulunkylä, Kumpula, Käpylä, Arabia, Kulosaari, Metsälä, Meilahti and Kulosaari claiming to have heard the noise at around 11:45pm on Saturday. Speculation as to the source of the sound has also been broad. Some have suggested that it could have been a meteor crashing into the atmosphere, an earthquake or even a supersonic bang caused by an Air Force fighter jet. However,...

A part of a mountain in Tlalnepantla, located on the outskirts of Mexico City, gave way on Friday, September 10, 2021, sending huge boulders -- some of them the size of small homes -- into a densely populated area, and leaving at least 1 person dead and 10 missing. The landslide followed days of heavy rain in central Mexico and M7.0 earthquake on September 7 in Acapulco1. Mexico state Gov. Alfredo del Mazo said Friday night that both factors likely contributed to the slide. Residents immediately started search and rescue operations and continued until the night when authorities pulled them...

Tens of millions of Americans woke up on the US East Coast Thursday to the aftermath of destruction left behind by remnants of Hurricane Ida. Now meteorologists are turning their attention to a hurricane in the Atlantic Basin that could be upgraded to a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) by this weekend. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), hurricane larry is packing 80 mph winds and strengthening as it travels west at 17 mph. The eye of the storm is about 660 miles west of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands. NHC’s cone of uncertainty is tracking near Bermuda...

On the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, some forecasters said Hurricane Ida would be as intense as last year’s Laura and the Last Island Hurricane of 1856. Both were among the strongest storms on record to make landfall in Louisana. According to CNN, about half a million people were without power in the region. On Saturday, state and federal officials worked to get evacuation orders signed and emergency declarations in order. Sporting events and casinos were closed or postponed for the weekend. Mississippi schools were announced closed for Monday. The situation is already serious and there is no need for...

Residents of New England and the Northeastern coast should closely monitor what is forecast to become Hurricane Henri for potential impacts on Sunday. As of 0500 ET, Tropical Storm Henri was located about 500 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and approximately 800 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The storm has maximum sustained winds of around 70 mph and is moving west at nine mph. It’s likely the storm could be upgraded to a hurricane Friday afternoon. The latest National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) cone of uncertainty model of Henri forecasts the storm to take a sharp turn north Thursday...

At the beginning of the week, we told readers the dog days of summer have finally arrived with above-average temperatures for most of the country. By late Thursday, watch/warning/advisory alerts for dangerous heat extended to nearly 200 million Americans as multiple heat domes scorch the Pacific Northwest, Central states, and East Coast. “Dangerous heat and humidity in the Northwest, Northeast, and central portions of the CONUS have prompted Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories. Severe thunderstorms will impact the areas from the Midwest into the Great Lakes through Thursday,” the National Weather Service (NWS) wrote on its website.“Around 195 million...

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring Potential Tropical Cyclone 6, which is set to become Tropical Storm Fred as early as Tuesday. As of 0500 ET, Potential Tropical Cyclone 6 is 65 miles southwest of Guadeloupe, an island group in the southern Caribbean Sea. NHC states the storm has a 90% chance of developing into a tropical storm over the next 48 hours. WFTV Orlando’s Meteorologist Brian Shields expects Potential Tropical Cyclone 6 to be upgraded to Tropical Storm Fred “soon.” He expects the storm will soon “impact Puerto Rico as a tropical storm, and then move into the Dominican...

A trio of tropical disturbances are developing in the Atlantic basin and should be closely watched next week. Two of the disturbances have the chance of forming into tropical depressions in the next five days. July was a quiet period after an active start (June 1) to the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, but statistically, the busiest part of the hurricane season begins on Aug. 20. It seems a significant uptick in storms is ahead. The first disturbance is a low-pressure system over the west-central Atlantic. The second disturbance is more east and is moving westward in the central tropical Atlantic....

The Oroville Reservoir reached a record low level of 195.66 m (641.93 feet) above mean sea level on August 5, 2021, forcing authorities in California to shut down their second-largest hydroelectric plant. This is now the lowest level since the nation's tallest dam was completed in 1967 and the first time the hydroelectric plant was shut down due to lack of water. The old record was 196.59 m (645 feet) set in 1977. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) State Water Project operations managers have taken the Hyatt Powerplant at Lake Oroville offline due to falling lake levels, California...

Three remote Alaska volcanoes are in various states of eruption, one producing lava and the other two blowing steam and ash. This is happening about 1 week after a M8.2 earthquake shook wide parts of Alaska on July 28, 2021. So far, none of the small communities near the volcanoes have been affected, Chris Waythomas, a geologist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory, said Thursday. Webcams on Thursday clearly showed episodic low-level ash emissions from Pavlof Volcano, prompting the observatory to raise the volcano’s threat level from yellow, or exhibiting signs of unrest, to orange, indicating an eruption is underway with...

Firefighters working the massive Dixie Fire burning in several Northern California counties are having to deal with another challenge: residents who refuse to evacuate and are brandishing guns at fire crews. Flames from the Dixie Fire advanced into the town of Greenville, burning an estimated 75% of homes and businesses in the historic Gold Rush-era town of about 1,000 residents. Meanwhile, the fire has aready destroyed another town: Canyondam, Ca. Fire crews have encountered property owners who were refusing to leave their homes as the flames approached and threatening firefighters with weapons. California Incident Management operations section chief Jake Cagle...

The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular destinations for hikers in the Lower 48. However, meteorologists are warning tourists to avoid the canyon Thursday and Friday. Temperatures near the base of the canyon could approach 115 degrees both days, spurring the issuance of a localized excessive heat warning for only the canyon itself. The National Weather Service in Flagstaff, Ariz., states that level of warning “is reserved for only the hottest days of the year and is issued when temperatures are expected to rise to dangerous levels.” Officials are discouraging any physical activity within the canyon between 10...

Why should people in the eastern United States be concerned about earthquakes? 1) Severe earthquakes have occurred in the eastern U.S. In November of 1755, an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.0 and a maximum intensity of 7.0 occurred about 50 miles northeast of Boston, Massachusetts. Boston was heavily damaged. Other strong earthquakes recorded in the continental US were centered in southeastern Missouri near the border with Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. In the winter of 1811-1812, a series of three powerful earthquakes of magnitudes about 7.0 to 7.8 and hundreds of aftershocks occurred near New Madrid, Missouri.

An agriculture nightmare plays out in Brazil as drought and frost cause second corn yields in the country’s center-south to hit their lowest level in 10 years. Crop losses due to unfavorable weather may result in shortages and persistent food inflation due to Brazil is a top player in global corn production. Reuters, citing a new report via agribusiness consultancy AgRural, said drought then frosts destroyed much of the crop this year. Brazilian farmers expect to harvest around 51.6 million tons of corn, down 19 million from last season’s 70.5 million. Brazil’s heavily exported second corn crop, planted after soybeans...

What is the real reason for... People of California you need to clean house

On Tuesday evening, massive walls of dust rolled through the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, promoting the Arizona Department of Transportation to warn drivers to stay off roads as visibility was heavily impacted. Just before 7:30 pm local time, the National Weather Service in Phoenix said the dust cloud was blowing into the Phoenix area and would impair visibility. Local news Fox 10 captured the massive dust storm rolling through the metro area. WATCH: A dust storm made its way over #Phoenix tonight. Did you see it!? pic.twitter.com/RmJooCfzfG — FOX 10 Phoenix (@FOX10Phoenix) July 28, 2021 A time-lapse of the Phoenix dust...

Brazil’s top growing regions for coffee, sugar, and oranges are expected to see another round of frost later this week. A cold snap last week sent coffee futures to a seven-year high. Now orange juice futures are skyrocketing. Brazil is the world’s leading orange juice producer. There are concerns about widespread frost Friday and Saturday in the southernmost regions of south Minas Gerais state could damage citrus trees. Drew Lerner, president of World Weather Inc, told Bloomberg that frost later this week “would damage some trees” in the Minas Gerais state. Below are Friday morning forecast temperatures hovering around freezing....

On Tuesday, a wicked cold snap, with temperatures dropping below zero, delivered a massive blow to farmers across Brazil’s coffee belt, damaging trees and destroying next year’s crop, according to Reuters. Temperatures in Brazil’s coffee-growing regions recorded -1.2 Celsius (29 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday in southern Minas Gerais, which was the coldest since 1994. “I’ve never seen something like that. We knew it would be cold, we were monitoring, but temperatures suddenly went several degrees down when it was already early morning,” said Mario Alvarenga, a coffee producer with two farms in Minas Gerais, Brazil’s largest producing state. A #coffee farm...

In an interview with The Big Issue, William Shatner spoke about mankind’s future, his love of danger, and his own mortality. Many fans of Star Trek drew comfort from the fact that humans made it to the future without destroying themselves, but Shatner doesn’t think this will happen. “Fifty years ago, I read Rachel Carson‘s Silent Spring,” he explained. “I remember vividly. What she said was going to happen has happened.