The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report: December 7 – 13, 2022
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes from December 7 to 13, 2022. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 15 volcanoes.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Powerful storm continues across Northern U.S., Ice Storm Warnings issued
The powerful and massive multi-day storm continues across the Northern U.S. and in Florida on Thursday, December 15, 2022. Heavy snow, gusty winds and blizzard conditions continue across the Upper Midwest, while frozen precipitation of ice and snow begins in the central Appalachians and interior portions of the Northeast.
Severe floods hit Namibia after 3 months’ worth of rain in just 24 hours
Unusually heavy rainfall hit Namibia’s capital Windhoek on December 14, 2022, damaging buildings, including a police station, and sweeping away vehicles.
Strong and shallow M6.2 earthquake hits near the coast of Taiwan
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau as M6.2 hit near the coast of eastern Taiwan at 04:03 UTC on December 15, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 5.7 km (3.5 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 8 km (5 miles); USGS M5.9 at a depth of 15.3 km (9.5 miles).
Strong M6.3 earthquake hits Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska at 18:40 UTC on December 14, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 83.7 km (52 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 80 km (49.7 miles).
Multiple M-class solar flares erupt from AR 3165
Multiple M- and C-class solar flares were detected on December 14, 2022, with the strongest being M6.2 at 14:42 UTC. While several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were produced, none of them appears to be Earth-directed.
Ground shaking, landslides, volcanic activity and tsunami associated with M5.7 earthquake at Lake Taupō, New Zealand
GeoNet experts have been busy collecting and analyzing data to help them understand exactly what happened during and following the M5.7 earthquake at Lake Taupō on November 30, 2022, including ground shaking, landslides, volcanic activity, and a tsunami.
5 people killed, 15 injured after large structure collapses during severe hailstorm, Bolivia
At least 5 people have been killed and 15 others injured after an intense hailstorm hit Bolivia’s Achacacha Municipality, Omasuyos Province on December 10, 2022.
Severe thunderstorms spawn destructive tornadoes in southern U.S.
Severe thunderstorms spawned destructive tornadoes in the southern United States on December 13, 2022, leaving at least one person dead and several people missing. Severe storms with all hazards, including intense tornadoes, and heavy to excessive rain that could cause flash flooding are forecast to continue across the Deep and Middle South on December 14.
Severe floods and landslides hit Kinshasa, leaving more than 160 people dead, DR Congo
At least 141 people died in floods and landslides caused by heavy rains that hit several outlying districts of the capital Kinshasa (population 15 million), Democratic Republic of the Congo, on December 13, 2022.
