A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit Banda Sea, Indonesia at 15:49 UTC on May 24, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 166 km (103 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 171 km (106 miles).
The southern eyewall of Category 4 Typhoon “Mawar” grazed the northern tip of Guam at around 08:00 UTC on May 24, 2023, with maximum sustained winds of 220 km/h (140 mph). Mawar became the 15th typhoon of at least Category 4 intensity to pass within 110 km (70 miles) of Guam in records since WWII.
Mawar rapidly intensified into a super typhoon on May 23, 2023, as it continued moving toward Guam where a state of emergency has been declared. There is a possibility Mawar makes a direct hit to the island, resulting in significant damage. This will be the strongest storm to hit the island in 20 years.
Strong winds, heavy dust, and snowstorms hit Mongolia starting on May 19, 2023, causing numerous casualties and significant damage to infrastructure.
From May 16 to 20, 2023, severe floods and over 300 landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Northern Italy caused 13 fatalities and significant damage, with one person still missing and 36 000 people evacuated. This extreme rainfall event caused extensive damage to farms and rural infrastructure.
Increased underwater volcanic activity was detected at the Ahyi Seamount, Northern Mariana Islands on May 21, 2023, leading to the Aviation Color Code and Volcano Alert Level being raised to Yellow/Advisory.
A strong aftershock registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit southeast of Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia at 06:41 UTC on May 23, 2023, at a depth of 12.1 km (7.5 miles).
Intense eruptive activity continues at Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano, with large volcanic ash emissions reaching 9.7 km (32 000 feet) above sea level at 03:36 UTC on May 21, 2023.
Activity at Italy’s Etna volcano increased on May 6, 2023, after nearly 2 months of quiescence. The activity further increased on May 21, producing a new paroxysm and resulting in a temporary suspension of flight operations at Catania Airport.
Eruptive activity at Nyamulagira volcano, Democratic Republic of Congo increased on May 17, 2023, leading to lava flows in the Virunga National Park. While the lava flows pose no danger to the population, the volcano is emitting large quantities of gas and fine particles.
