Fourteen people were killed when a landslide struck Tasadkane Debre Mitmak Saint Mary Monastery in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region at approximately 07:00 LT on August 3, 2026. The slope failure hit while hundreds of worshippers were gathered at the monastery for a holy-water ritual.
Activity at Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego intensified on August 3, 2026, producing pyroclastic density currents that traveled 5 to 7 km (3 to 4 miles) through the Seca ravine. The eruption entered a paroxysmal phase late that evening, with lava fountains reaching 200 to 300 m (650 to 1 000 feet) above the crater, before currents expanded into five ravines early on August 4. SE-CONRED declared an Institutional Orange Alert, and authorities ordered preventive evacuations in El Porvenir, Las Lajitas and nearby communities.
A frontal system that affected central and southern Chile between August 1 and 2, 2026, left two people dead, 1 399 affected, 156 in shelters and 536 isolated as of August 3. Ten red alerts and 10 yellow alerts remained active because of rising rivers and overflow risks, while authorities reported 5 550 homes damaged or destroyed and 23 104 customers without electricity.
The Widemouth 2 Fire more than tripled between mapped observations in central Utah, increasing from 4 168 ha (10 300 acres) late on August 1, 2026, to 14 746 ha (36 438 acres) on August 2 as strong southerly winds pushed it north toward Fillmore. Mandatory evacuation orders expanded into southern Fillmore, while the fire was reported at 0% containment in the latest available update.
Flash flooding struck McCaysville, Georgia, and northeastern Surry County, North Carolina, from late August 1 into August 2, 2026, prompting water rescues and emergency declarations in both states. The NWS issued a Flash Flood Emergency for the Mount Airy area, while flooding in McCaysville impaired the municipal drinking-water system and inundated homes, businesses and public buildings.
A Greek firefighting coordinator and a Danish pilot were killed when two firefighting helicopters collided near Psatha, west of Athens, on August 2, 2026. A British pilot and a second Greek coordinator aboard the other aircraft survived and were transported for hospital treatment. At least 38 agricultural and forest fires had been reported across Greece between August 1 and 2. Meanwhile, the Greek police have arrested and imposed fines on more than 10 arsonists in association with different fires across the country since July 31.
Three wildfires burning in the Spokane area of eastern Washington remained 0% contained on August 2,2026, after burning a combined 2 178 ha (5 381 acres). Around 5 000 homes had been evacuated, and approximately 600 homes, businesses, and other buildings had been destroyed.
Eight people were confirmed dead, eight remained missing and 13 were injured after heavy rainfall caused floods and landslides across Kerala, Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan said on August 2, 2026. A total of 5 792 people were relocated to 209 relief camps, while 27 houses were destroyed and 196 sustained partial damage.
Yangsan reached 42.5°C (108.5°F) on August 2, 2026, establishing South Korea’s highest temperature since meteorological observations began, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The reading superseded a 41.4°C (106.5°F) record measured at the same location at 14:20 LT on July 31.
An estimated 2 877 heat-associated deaths occurred in England during two periods of hot weather in May and June 2026, according to an interim assessment published by the UK Health Security Agency on July 30. The figure is only 108 below the annual record of 2 985 reported for 2022, while a prolonged July heat episode is not included in the assessment.
