Everton resident fights to save monarch butterflies as populations plummet in 2024

Everton resident fights to save monarch butterflies as populations plummet in 2024

During the summertime, it’s routine for Everton resident Susan Johnson to go to her backyard and check on her milkweed plants in the garden.  Milkweed plants are the only host plant for monarch caterpillars. It provides the nourishment the monarch needs to transform into an adult butterfly. Without it, the monarch cannot complete its life … Read more

Is urban flooding becoming a more pressing threat as Canada’s infrastructure ages?

Is urban flooding becoming a more pressing threat as Canada’s infrastructure ages?

After multiple water main breaks and floods across the country this summer, municipalities and experts are warning that urban flooding could become more common as Canada’s infrastructure ages. “We have good infrastructure in Canada. The challenge is it’s aging and we’re not keeping up,” John Gamble, president of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of … Read more

Ottawa deploys mosquito-killing drones to prevent spread of West Nile virus

Ottawa deploys mosquito-killing drones to prevent spread of West Nile virus

For once, that buzzing sound in your ear this summer might not be a mosquito, but part of Ottawa Public Health’s (OPH) multi-faceted strategy to keep the insects — and the potentially dangerous viruses they can carry — in check. The public health agency is deploying drones capable of carrying and dispersing larvicides to kill mosquitos. The technology … Read more

Rare fossil specimen offers evidence of social behaviour among ancient snakes

Rare fossil specimen offers evidence of social behaviour among ancient snakes

A perfectly preserved burrow of fossilized snakes shows that the reptiles have been social creatures for almost 40 million years, says a new research paper co-authored by a University of Alberta paleontologist.  It’s well known that snakes today gather in burrows for all kinds of reasons, including breeding and surviving cold temperatures by piling together … Read more

Tornado database from Environment Canada archives offers new twist on storm chasing

Tornado database from Environment Canada archives offers new twist on storm chasing

A trove of documents detailing more than two centuries of tornado events in Canada is now available to anyone with an internet connection. The files were housed in Environment Canada’s archives, and have been digitized and posted online as part of a multi-year project spearheaded by the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) at Western University in … Read more

How a meteorologist helped make Twisters’ storm-chasing science as real as possible

How a meteorologist helped make Twisters’ storm-chasing science as real as possible

The Current21:31Why tornados continue to fascinate The summer blockbuster Twisters has taken the box office by storm and has boosted an already-established interest in storm chasing.  And while meteorologist and storm chaser Sean Waugh says even though parts of the film are exaggerated, the science, gear, and lingo accurately represent what it’s like to research and … Read more

Mainland China braces for Super Typhoon Gaemi after storm slams Taiwan, soaks Philippines

Mainland China braces for Super Typhoon Gaemi after storm slams Taiwan, soaks Philippines

The eastern coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang have prepared for the approaching typhoon by suspending air travel, ships and trains and closing outdoor scenic spots. The Fujian Meteorological Bureau activated a Level 1 emergency response – the most serious category – for typhoons and rainstorms on Thursday. It is expected to be the second-strongest … Read more

Storm uproots 17 trees in Melaka

Storm uproots 17 trees in Melaka

MELAKA: Seventeen trees have been uprooted after heavy rain and strong wind lashed the state since early Sunday (July 14). A Melaka Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said they attended to dozens of distress calls on fallen trees since 3am on Sunday. The spokesman described the situation as “outrageous” as firemen had to rush from … Read more

Texas coast braces for potential hit by hurricane-strength Beryl

Texas coast braces for potential hit by hurricane-strength Beryl

Texas officials Saturday were urging coastal residents to brace for a potential hit by Beryl as the storm is expected to regain hurricane strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. “We’re expecting the storm to make landfall somewhere on the Texas coast sometime Monday, if the current forecast is correct,” said Jack … Read more

Hurricane Beryl grows to Category 5 strength as it razes southeast Caribbean islands

Hurricane Beryl grows to Category 5 strength as it razes southeast Caribbean islands

Hurricane Beryl strengthened to Category 5 status late Monday after it ripped doors, windows and roofs off homes across the southeastern Caribbean with devastating winds and storm surge fuelled by the Atlantic’s record warmth. Beryl made landfall on the island of Carriacou in Grenada as the earliest Category 4 storm in the Atlantic, then late … Read more