The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued an Enhanced Risk of severe thunderstorms from northern Illinois into the Ohio Valley for August 11, 2026, with damaging winds the primary threat. A potentially organized mesoscale convective system moving southeast from Iowa could produce a swath of damaging gusts, including some above 120 km/h (75 mph), if it remains well organized.
A major earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.4 hit Chocó, Colombia at 12:34 UTC on August 10, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 107 km (66 miles). EMSC is reporting M7.2 at a depth of 95 km (59 miles). According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), there is no tsunami threat because the earthquake occurred too deep inside the Earth.
Five stations break station-history daily rainfall records in in Zhejiang and Shanghai, following Typhoon Dolphin’s double landfall on August 9, 2026. Localized rainfall totals in parts of Taizhou exceeded 700 mm (28 inches) between August 8 and early August 10.Meanwhile, The Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level IV national emergency response for geological disasters in Hebei, Henan and Hubei on August 10.
Mount Etna continued intense explosive and effusive activity on August 10, 2026, with abundant ash from Voragine and multiple active lava flows. Catania Airport suspended arrivals until 17:00 LT (15:00 UTC) as volcanic ash affected operations, while Toulouse VAAC maintained Etna’s Aviation Color Code at Red.
British Columbia declared a State of Provincial Emergency on August 8, 2026, after the rapidly expanding Bald Range wildfire pushed into the Summerland area and forced large-scale evacuations across the South Okanagan. By August 9, BC Wildfire Service classified the 10 341 ha (25 552 acres) fire as a Wildfire of Note and Out of Control, with five Evacuation Orders and four Evacuation Alerts associated with the incident. By 21:30 PDT on August 8 (04:30 UTC on August 9), all 5 688 properties in the District of Summerland were under Evacuation Order, while the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen reported another 416 properties under order and 1 100 under alert.
Typhoon Dolphin is forecast to make landfall south of Taizhou along the southeastern Chinese coast on August 9, 2026. Zhejiang was put under a Level 1 typhoon emergency response, Fujian had raised its response to Level 2, and China’s National Meteorological Center maintained a red typhoon warning as the cyclone approached the coast. Fujian also reported 98 900 people relocated from risk areas, while ferry, rail and aviation restrictions are in effect in affected areas.
Severe storms crossed Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, on August 6, 2026, producing wind gusts of approximately 120 km/h (75 mph), widespread roof and tree damage and a confirmed tornado. One person was killed, five were injured and 2 306 were displaced.
A pilot and one crewmember were killed when a helicopter under contract to the U.S. Forest Service crashed during operations on Utah’s Widemouth 2 Fire on August 7, 2026. By August 8, the fire had burned approximately 43 079 ha (106 450 acres), was 24% contained and continued to show extreme fire behavior, with evacuations and closures still in effect.
A dangerous heat wave is peaking across the Western U.S. this weekend, with Extreme Heat Warnings covering parts of Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. Mojave Desert temperatures are forecast to reach 43.3–48.9°C (110–120°F), while Reno and Salt Lake City have already set daily high-temperature records on August 7.
New activity/unrest was reported for 4 volcanoes from July 30-August 5, 2026. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 18 volcanoes.
