Weekly wrap-up: Earthquake rattles US mid-Atlantic; Mount Agung eruptions wreak havoc in Bali
Residents across the mid-Atlantic region of the United States were taken aback by a 4.1 magnitude earthquake on Thursday afternoon.
The quake's epicenter was near Dover, Delaware. Shaking was felt from Washington, D.C., to New York City and as far north as Rhode Island. There were no reports of damage or injuries.
Earthquakes of this magnitude are uncommon for this part of the United States.
Volcanic ash spewing from Mount Agung briefly closed Bali's airport this week, impacting nearly 60,000 travelers.
A major eruption has not occurred, but the volcano has caused disruption in the area for several weeks. Volcanic ash rose 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) on Wednesday.
A villager takes his cows to a field with Mount Agung volcano erupting in the background in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
A major eruption could lead to dramatic climate effects. The volcano last erupted in 1963, causing a 0.1 to 0.2 of a degree Celsius drop in the global temperature.
A layer of snow covered parts of the United Kingdom this week, bringing a wintry end to November. Up to 3 inches (8 cm) fell in some parts of the U.K.
Accumulating snow was spotted in London, a rarity for this time of the year.
Snow also blanketed parts of eastern Europe for the first time this season, falling in Vienna, Austria, Budapest, Hungary, and Warsaw, Poland.
A snowplough clears a road during snowfall in Dobogoko, 33 kms north of Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017. The snowfall has caused some traffic disturbances in the north and central part of Hungary. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
While it looks like winter in parts of Europe, a lack of storms has left many Americans without recent wintry weather.
"The main reason for the lack of storms and arctic air this past week has been a fast flow of air from west to east across the nation," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
This flow prevents cold air from moving south from Canada and limits moisture coming up from the Gulf of Mexico, which makes it harder for storms to develop.
However, the pattern is forecast to change next week, Sosnowski said.
In Sri Lanka, intense rain and strong winds have killed at least seven and left damage across the Colombo area. Several fishermen are missing, Reuters reported.
A Sri Lankan man runs for cover as it rains next to a fallen tree in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Cyclonic Storm Ockhi developed west of Sri Lanka on Thursday and produced rounds of heavy rainfall across the country and neighboring parts of southern India.
Schools were closed on Thursday as the storm lashed the region.
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