A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 struck 84 km (52 miles) SSW of Nikolski, Alaska, at 11:17 UTC (03:17 AKDT) on September 3, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth. A tsunami is not expected from this earthquake, according to the NWS National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC).
El Niño is forecast to strengthen to very strong intensity during late 2026, with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicating an exceptionally high likelihood of nearly 100% that El Niño conditions will persist through February 2027. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) separately gives a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event during Northern Hemisphere fall and winter 2026–27. A very strong El Niño increases the likelihood of major shifts in rainfall and temperature patterns across many regions, although the severity of impacts varies by location and season.
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit the South Sandwich Islands region at 23:46 UTC on September 2, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 126 km (78 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
A long-duration heat wave affecting the central and eastern United States is forecast to shift its most intense conditions into the south-central states this weekend and early next week, according to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC). High humidity and very warm nights are expected to contribute to widespread Major to Extreme HeatRisk, with heat indices potentially exceeding 43.3°C (110°F) in South Texas.
Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, at 14:20 CDT (19:20 UTC) on September 1 with winds of 95 km/h (60 mph), then weakened to a tropical depression over southeastern Texas. The Weather Prediction Center forecast storm-total rainfall of 102–203 mm (4–8 inches), with localized totals near 305 mm (12 inches), while Flood Watches remained in effect and approximately 70 000 Entergy Texas customers were without power late September 1.
Indonesia’s Geological Agency raised Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra to Level III (Siaga) after an eruption on August 31, 2026, sent ash about 3 500 m (11 500 feet) above the summit. By September 1, preliminary disaster-agency data placed 615 residents of Kuta Tengah in an evacuation shelter, while airport data showed 21 flights to and from Kualanamu International Airport had been canceled.
The Robert Koch Institute estimated 15 800 heat-related deaths in Germany between April 6 and August 16, while the German Weather Service provisionally ranked the June–August period as the country’s second-warmest summer since records began in 1881. Germany’s seasonal mean reached 19.6°C (67.3°F), only 0.1°C (0.2°F) below the 2003 record.
Heat Advisories covered a broad corridor from the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley through the Midwest, Ohio Valley and parts of the Mid-Atlantic on September 1, 2026. National Weather Service (NWS) offices forecast heat indices from around 37.2°C (99°F) to 43°C (110°F), with several multi-day products citing limited overnight relief as a factor in maintaining the advisories.
Two people died and one remained unaccounted for after flash flooding struck Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, on August 29, 2026. About 80 people were rescued, while the National Park Service said approximately 40% of the Transcanyon Waterline was damaged or destroyed, leaving it non-operational and prompting Stage 4 water restrictions on the South Rim.
Tropical Storm Edouard was strengthening over the northern Gulf early on September 1, 2026, after Tropical Depression Five became a named storm at 00:00 UTC. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a Hurricane Watch and Storm Surge Warning for portions of the Upper Texas and southwestern Louisiana coasts at 03:00 UTC, warning that Edouard could approach hurricane strength before reaching the northwestern Gulf Coast later on September 1.
