A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit Jujuy, Argentina at 10:01 UTC on October 10, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 246 km (152 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 255 km (158 miles).
Tropical Storm “Max” formed at 03:00 UTC on October 9, 2023, and made landfall 15 hours later just west of Puerto Vicente Guerrero, Mexico, with winds of 105 km/h (65 mph). Originating south of Central America, the storm intensified rapidly, bringing with it a threat of heavy rainfall and potential mudslides. Max is closely followed by Lidia, currently an intensifying tropical storm, which is expected to make landfall over west-central Mexico as a hurricane.
Heavy rains and a subsequent dam burst led to a devastating landslide in Yaounde, Cameroon, on October 8, 2023. At least 30 people were killed in the disaster that occurred in the impoverished Mbankolo district.
On September 16, 2023, a significantly large ozone hole stretched over Antarctica, covering an area of 26 million km3 (10.04 million mi3), prompting a deeper look into the possible causes. The fluctuating size of the ozone hole is a yearly phenomenon, with a notable increase from August to October, and a decrease as temperatures in the southern hemisphere’s stratosphere rise towards the year’s end.
Japan’s Izu Islands and parts of the Pacific Coast near Tokyo experienced tsunami waves up to 60 cm (2 feet) in height triggered by a shallow M5.0 earthquake that occurred at 20:26 UTC on October 8, 2023 (05:26 local time, October 9). The quake’s epicenter was situated near the uninhabited Torishima Island at the southern end of the Izu chain and is part of an ongoing earthquake swarm in the region.
Two strong earthquakes registered by the USGS as M6.7 hit the eastern New Guinea region of Papua New Guinea on October 7, 2023. The first quake struck at 08:34 UTC at a depth of 54 km (33 miles) and the second at 08:40 UTC at a depth of 74 km (46 miles). EMSC is reporting two M6.7 earthquakes at depths of 67 km (42 miles) and 57 km (35 miles).
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit western Afghanistan at 06:41 UTC (10:11 local time) on October 7, 2023. The quake was followed by M5.5 at 06:49 UTC, M4.7 at 07:10 UTC, M6.3 at 07:12 UTC, and M5.9 at 07:40 UTC — all at shallow depths between 7.7 and 14 km (4.8 – 8.7 miles).
A tornado struck Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj, Bihar, India around 15:30 local time on October 5, 2023, damaging approximately 25 business establishments, temples, trees, and electric poles. There were no reported casualties.
Areas of severe rainfall deficiency are expanding in Australia, following the country’s driest September on record, affecting the nation’s farm production and contributing to a 41% predicted fall in average farm incomes in the 2023–24 financial year.
A severe marine heat wave was recorded off Canada’s East Coast this summer, according to data compiled by Fisheries and Oceans climate scientist Peter Galbraith. The event, lasting from the last three weeks of July to the first week of August, saw a weeklong temperature spike off Newfoundland averaging 6.7 °C (12.1 °F) above normal.
