Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.1 Earthquake hits Tonga.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge.
5.0 Earthquake hits southern Iran.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms
In the Eastern Pacific:
Low pressure system Invest 93E is located a couple of hundred miles south-southeast of Salina cruz, Mexico. Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.
NewsBytes:
Iran – A powerful sandstorm has hit Iran’s capital, Tehran, killing at least four people and injuring about 30. At its peak, the storm brought winds of up to 110km/hour (70mph), knocking over trees and damaging windows. The sky turned orange from thick dust brought on by the storm. Such strong storms are unusual in Tehran. The storm caused power cuts and traffic accidents from poor visibility as dust and sand engulfed parts of the capital. Some domestic flights to central Iran have been diverted.
Namibia – Floods in the east of the Zambezi Region near Katima Mulilo that have affected schools still persist, defying the norm that would have seen water levels subsiding and flood victims returning to their homes during this time of the year.
Environment
Obama Administration Announces Cuts in Carbon Emissions for Power Plants
The Obama administration on Monday will announce one of the strongest actions ever taken by the U.S. government to fight climate change, a proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulation to cut carbon pollution from the nation’s power plants 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, according to people briefed on the plan.
The regulation takes aim at the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S., the nation’s more than 600 coal-fired power plants. If it withstands an expected onslaught of legal and legislative attacks, experts say, it could shutter hundreds of the plants and also lead, over the course of decades, to systemic changes in the American electricity industry, including transformations in how power is generated and used.
It is also likely to stand as President Barack Obama’s last chance to substantially shape domestic policy and as a defining element of his legacy. The president, who failed to push a sweeping climate change bill through Congress in his first term, is now acting on his own by using his executive authority under the 1970 Clean Air Act to issue the regulation.
Under the rule, states will be given a wide menu of policy options to achieve the pollution cuts. Rather than immediately shutting down coal plants, states would be allowed to reduce emissions by making changes across their electricity systems — by installing new wind and solar generation or energy-efficiency technology, and by starting or joining state and regional cap-and-trade programs, in which states agree to cap carbon pollution and buy and sell permits to pollute.
Disease
Cholera outbreak, South Sudan
Health officials in South Sudan were scrambling Monday to contain a cholera outbreak as the death toll from the diarrheal disease rose and infections were reported beyond the capital, Juba, and in other parts of Central Equatoria state and in distant Upper Nile state.
Twenty-seven people have died of cholera in the two-and-a-half weeks since the South Sudan Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of the disease in Juba on May 15.
Wildfires
Wildfires – USA
Alaska
An unusually large and violent cold front swept through a vast swath of Alaska this weekend, bringing with it heavy winds that downed power lines and stoked dozens of fires in the Interior and delivered rain and snow that blanketed hillsides as far south as Homer.
The Arctic blast produced “prolonged southerly winds nearly statewide” that combined with low humidity and dry forest fuel to start dozens of wildfires from the Mat-Su Valley to Tok on Saturday, wrote Sam Harrel of the Alaska Division of Forestry in an e-mail. Most of the fires were sparked by trees blowing on power lines. Of the 23 new fires reported, 15 were in the Fairbanks area.
Volcanos
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Pavlov (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The low-level eruption of the volcano has escalated, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reports: “Seismic tremor increased starting about 2300 UTC yesterday and pilots have recently reported ash clouds to 22,000 ft. ASL. Recent satellite images show a plume extending over 80 km east of the volcano.” (AVO) A large thermal hot spot indicates the presence of fresh lava flows on the flanks of the volcano.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): The number of emissions of steam, gas and occasionally fine ash increased during 1-2 June. CENAPRED also recorded several episodes of weak harmonic tremor, consistent with continuing slow arrival of magma at the summit crater. At 08:08 and 08:28 local time yesterday, two medium sized exhalations occurred, which were accompanied by emissions of fine ash. This started a train of small to medium sized emissions that produced a continuous plume of gases and fine ash headed towards the WSW.
Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Ongoing heavy rainfalls continue to trigger strong lahars, particularly through the Nimá I and San Isidro rivers.