An explosive eruption occurred at Semeru volcano in East Java, Indonesia, at 08:49 LT (01:49 UTC) on March 29, 2026, producing an ash plume rising 800 m (2 625 feet) above the summit and a pyroclastic density current traveling 3.5 km (2.2 miles) toward the Besuk Kobokan drainage.
A wind-driven wildfire ignited near Hitchcock in Blaine County, Oklahoma, at approximately 14:30-15:30 LT on March 26, 2026, burning 251 ha (620 acres) and reaching 70% containment by March 29. The fire, caused by a rekindled permitted burn, injured multiple firefighters and prompted localized evacuations that were later lifted.
Wildfire activity intensified across the United States in March 2026, with 44 large fires burning approximately 399 800 ha (987 989 acres) as of March 27. Since January 1, more than 611 000 ha (1.51 million acres) have burned from 15 436 fires, well above the 10-year average, while evacuations, burn bans, and localized impacts were reported as containment improved in several key incidents by March 29.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall just south of Coral Bay, Western Australia, on March 27, 2026, bringing destructive winds, heavy rain, and coastal impacts across the northwest coast. The storm caused significant damage in Exmouth, disrupted essential services, and forced the shutdown of major LNG facilities.
Red Flag Warnings are in effect across the Central Plains and Southeast United States on March 28, 2026, as the National Weather Service (NWS) warns of critical fire weather conditions driven by strong winds, low relative humidity, and dry fuels. Wind gusts up to 80 km/h (50 mph) and humidity levels as low as 10–20% are expected to promote rapid fire ignition and spread. Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged across all warned regions.
Airborne snow surveys in the Upper Black River Basin of eastern Arizona showed snow water equivalent falling from about 11.7 million m3 (9.5 thousand acre-feet) on February 23 to about 987 000 m3 (0.8 thousand acre-feet) by March 12, 2026, a decline of more than 90% in less than three weeks. The basin feeds the Salt River system upstream of Roosevelt Dam, part of the reservoir network supplying water to more than 2.5 million people in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
New activity/unrest was reported for 4 volcanoes from March 19 to 25, 2026. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 22 volcanoes.
One of the strongest wind episodes on record in Zagreb, and the most intense in the modern Zagreb-Maksimir measurement record, struck the Croatian capital on March 27, 2026, with gusts exceeding 120 km/h (75 mph), causing widespread damage, major transport disruption, and multiple injuries, including two serious cases reported by authorities.
At least 20 people were killed in Mbeya Region, southwestern Tanzania, after a rainfall-induced landslide struck Rungwe District, local authorities announced on March 26, 2026.
A multi-hazard weather system began affecting south-eastern Australia on March 26, 2026, bringing severe thunderstorms to parts of New South Wales, followed by damaging winds, hazardous surf along the NSW coast, a sharp temperature drop, and snow in alpine areas. Forecasts through March 28 called for gusts up to 120 km/h (75 mph) in exposed coastal areas, offshore wave heights of several meters, and wintry conditions over higher terrain, while NSW SES reported hundreds of storm-related incidents during the initial phase of the event.
