A large-scale sandstorm affected southern Xinjiang, China, on March 13, 2026, as strong winds associated with a regional cold wave mobilized desert dust across the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert.
Lava from an ongoing eruption at Piton de la Fournaise crossed the RN2 coastal road in the Grand Brûlé sector of Réunion Island early March 13, 2026, cutting a key transport link between the island’s southern and eastern regions.
Flooding and landslides in Ecuador have affected more than 46 000 people across the country since January 1, 2026, leaving 11 people dead and 24 injured, according to the latest update issued on March 13. Authorities report widespread impacts, including hundreds of flood and landslide events, overflowing rivers, and extensive damage to housing and infrastructure across multiple provinces.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 struck offshore Atacama, Chile, at 13:39 UTC (10:39 LT) on March 13, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Winter Storm Warnings remained in effect across parts of Montana, Idaho, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wyoming on Friday, March 13, 2026, as a broad winter storm brought heavy snow, blowing snow, and hazardous travel conditions from the northern Rockies into the Upper Midwest. Forecast totals ranged from several cm in some lower elevations to 150 cm (5 feet) in parts of Idaho’s higher terrain, while parts of Montana’s mountain ranges were forecast to receive up to 120 cm (4 feet).
A major winter storm is forecast to develop over Wyoming on Saturday, March 14, 2026, before expanding into the northern Plains and Upper Midwest by Sunday, March 15, and reaching the Great Lakes by Monday, March 16. WPC said embedded snow bands could produce snowfall rates of 2.5–7.6 cm (1–3 inches) per hour, with blizzard or near-blizzard conditions possible as wind gusts reach about 80 km/h (50 mph), and parts of the core snow band could receive more than 60 cm (24 inches) of snow.
An ice jam formed on the Ausable River in the hamlet of Ausable Forks, northern New York, on March 8, 2026, as warming temperatures and snowmelt accelerated the seasonal breakup of river ice across the Adirondack region. Water backed up behind the jam and flooded several low-lying areas in the community, prompting officials in the Town of Jay to declare a local state of emergency.
An EF-3 tornado struck Lake Village, Newton County, Indiana during the evening of March 10, 2026, killing two people and destroying homes as a long-track supercell moved from northern Illinois into northwestern Indiana. A National Weather Service damage survey determined the tornado produced winds of about 240 km/h (150 mph) and tracked approximately 58.9 km (36.6 miles) across the region.
Two tourists were found dead inside a submerged vehicle near Kilkivan in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of southeast Queensland, Australia, on March 12, 2026, after intense rainfall between March 9 and March 10 triggered flash flooding across parts of the region.
Rain-triggered landslides in Gamo Zone, southern Ethiopia, killed at least 52 people earlier this week, with officials saying on March 12, 2026 that dozens of others were still missing. Authorities said rescue teams were continuing the search for missing people as the risk of additional slope failures remained elevated.
