WASHINGTON — A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as Rhode Island and New York City.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was 3.7 miles deep. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated. The quake was in Mineral, Va., in Louisa County.

Update (2:10pm):
The quake has been updated to a 5.9.
Let us know what effects you felt in Toronto in the comments section.
Update (2:15):

• CNN reports that the earthquake was felt in Washington DC, New York, Ohio, North Carolina, Martha’s Vineyard, and Toronto.
• A number of reports from Torontonians on Twitter have the duration of the tremors lasting beyond 30 seconds.
• The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the earthquake was 3.7 miles deep, which relatively speaking isn’t that deep.
• Toronto Police have confirmed that there are no reports of injuries or damage at this time (which makes sense because the tremors were fairly minor up here).

BOSTON — A heat wave that spread from the Midwest to the Northeast tormented millions of people with blasts of 100-degree temperatures and bog-like humidity as blackouts struck neighborhoods and deaths were blamed on the hot weather. Boston’s thermometers had not seen 103 degrees on a July 22 since 1926.

Yesterday’s weather

I just wanted to remind  that if you have a pet, never leave your pet alone inside the vehicle, even with windows partially open. It only takes minutes for an animal to develop heatstroke in this kind of extreme hot weather.

(Reuters)

Heavt wave on the East Coast as well as in the Midwest flocked to waterfronts and urban cooling centers on Thursday to leave a huge heat wave that has killed at least 22 people this week.

The National Weather Service said 141 million people in more than two dozen states were under a heat advisory or warning because of the soaring temperatures. The country’s midsection has been scorched off and on since late May.

The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings for wide swaths of the country’s mid-section and East Coast, saying the combined heat and humidity could spike the heat index or “real feel” of the warmth to 115 degrees through Saturday.

The hot, stagnant air that has Canadians sweltering across the country from Prince Edward Island to Alberta isn’t going anywhere for a while.

In fact, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. The temperature in Toronto is expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius Thursday. The record for Canada’s largest city is 40.6 C, set in 1936. Heat wave breaks daily records in Ontario, Quebec.

The heat sent residents of several Ontario cities to emergency cooling centres, slowed commuter trains and prompted the Blue Jays to close the retractable roof of Toronto’s Rogers Centre for their afternoon game against the Mariners (the first time it has been closed because of the heat).

temperature conversion

An Oklahoma tornado and severe weather has caused Governor Brad Henry to declare a state of emergency in the state Monday, killing six and injuring more than 57. The tornadoes struck central and northeastern Oklahoma Monday in a 49-square mile area of damage leaving dozens of homes and businesses damaged or destroyed. Governor Henry took an aerial tour Tuesday of the hardest hit areas in central Oklahoma and visited with emergency workers on the ground.

Totally, officials reported that at least 58 others suffered injuries throughout Oklahoma in the daylong onslaught. Two of the injuries were critical.

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Wednesday morning, shaking buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets only eight days after the country’s capital was devastated by an apocalyptic quake.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the new quake hit at 6:03 a.m. (1103 GMT) about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince. It struck at a depth of 13.7 miles (22 kilometers) but was too far inland to generate any tidal waves in the Caribbean.

Wails of terror rose Wednesday as frightened survivors of last week’s quake poured out of unstable buildings. It was not immediately possible to ascertain what additional damage the new quake may have caused.

Last week’s magnitude-7 quake killed an estimated 200,000 people in Haiti, left 250,000 injured and made 1.5 million homeless. A massive international aid effort has been launched, but it is struggling with logistical problems, and many Haitians are still desperate for food and water.

LOS ANGELES — A storm moving through Central and Southern California has brought high winds, waves and lightning, prompting a tornado warning and pier closures.

Los Angeles County firefighters report minor street and building flooding in some areas of Los Angeles County on Tuesday but there are no reports of major damage or injuries.

Officials shut down piers in Ventura, Seal Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach because of 15-foot waves.

Shortly after 12:30 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for south-central Los Angeles County because of a fast-moving thunderstorm. That warning expired at 1:15, but one issued slightly after 1 was continued until 2 p.m.in Orange County, including the cities of Anaheim, Fullerton, Irvine, Santa Ana, Seal Beach and Huntington Beach.

A 5.8 earthquake shook the Cayman Islands, south of Cuba on Tuesday morning, reports said.

On Monday morning, a strong earthquake rocked Guatemala and parts of El Salvador, but no there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in either country. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0.

The USGS says it hit Monday morning about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Guatemala City, where it was felt by many residents. There were reports of shaking in the Guatemalan countryside and in El Salvador as well.

Civil protection officials in the two countries says so far there are no reports of injuries or damage, but authorities are still checking.

There have been some reports that telephone lines appear to have been affected throughout the region’s islands, but there have been no injuries. Nonetheless, this is rattling the nerves of the people in the Caribbean. It is also interesting to note that the fault line that the earthquake ran along in the Cayman Islands isn’t the same one as the earthquake that struck Haiti.

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook central Oklahoma on Friday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey says that the epicenter of the quake was recorded about 3 miles northeast of Jones, OK. Jones is located about 17 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. The earthquake struck at 9:18 a.m. at a depth of about 3 miles. No damage or injuries have been reported.

National Weather Service office employees in Tulsa say they felt the quake. Ashley Copelin at 61st and Garnett in Tulsa, said,

“I felt it this morning while I was lying in bed, twice! It felt like my whole apartment shifted.”

This is now the third earthquake in Oklahoma this week. A 2.8 earthquake was recorded in Logan County on Thursday morning and a 3.3 earthquake struck near Jones on Monday.

The death toll from a devastating earthquake off the coast of Haiti may reach the thousands, aid workers said Wednesday after viewing extensive damage in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

The situation in Haiti is “truly heart wrenching” in a nation that is “no stranger to hardship and suffering,” President Obama said at a press conference Wednesday. He promised a “swift and aggressive” effort including rescue workers and humanitarian aid as part of a coordinated international response.

In Geneva, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimated that as many as 3 million people in the impoverished country may have been affected by the quake, according to the Associated Press. The ICRC predicted that it would take 24 to 48 hours for a clear picture to emerge of the scale of the destruction.

According to the UN, the island is the scene of widespread devestation. Collapsed buildings include the national penitentiary, where prisoners have escaped, the National Palace (President Rene Garcia Preval is said to be safe), the Parliament Building, the National Cathedral and at least four other ministry buildings including the finance ministry.

The main airport’s control tower is said to have collapsed, hindering rescue efforts. But the airport is said to be operational, and planes carrying aid from the UN are expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince this morning. A UN spokesperson in Geneva says the road from the airport is badly damaged.

For some people, just a few inches of snow throws them into panic mode. So imagine what it’s like for 55 inches of snow! But according to reports at gather.com, the people of Fulton, New York, don’t have to imagine at all as they really do have 55 inches of the stuff.

The snow began falling in Fulton on December 28th, and it’s been snowing there ever since. Green America Homes, recently reported 55 inches of snow in the Fulton, New York area. And according to reports, there is still more snow to come unfortunately.

With over four feet of snow in the area now, trucks and cars are just being buried. Salt trucks are working around the clock in Fulton. Do you live near the Fulton, New York area at all? If you do then what exactly is it like to have so much snow? Feel free to let us know.