The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report: January 4 – 10, 2023
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes from January 4 to 10, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 19 volcanoes.
Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits southern East Pacific Rise
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the southern East Pacific Rise at 16:17 UTC on January 11, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.9 at a depth of 10 km.
Growing sinkhole swallows 2 cars in Los Angeles, passengers rescued
Two people were rescued after a large sinkhole swallowed two cars in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Chatsworth as an unrelenting winter storm caused havoc in Southern California.
Very large landslide hits Colombia’s Cauca Department, destroying 64 homes
A very large landslide destroyed the communities of Parraga Viejo, Santa Clara, La Soledad and Chontaduro in Colombia’s Cauca Department on January 9, 2023. Luckily, growing cracks started appearing several days before the landslide, alerting communities about the risk.
The greatest concentration of lightning ever recorded
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption on January 15, 2022, has set a new record for the greatest concentration of lightning ever detected. According to data from Vaisala’s Global Lightning Dataset GLD360, nearly 400 000 lightning events were detected within just six hours of the eruption, making it a truly exceptional phenomenon.
Northern Australia braces for more thunderstorms, rain and floods, High to Extreme fire dangers forecast for southern regions
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is warning residents of continued showers and thunderstorms across northern Australia and heatwave conditions in western and southern regions. Major flooding continues along parts of the Fitzroy River in Western Australia and minor to moderate flood warnings are in place in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Major rainfall event for the Philippines, new cyclone threatening Madagascar
A tropical disturbance in the Western Pacific is about to lash the Philippine islands and will persist for several days over the area and potentially develop into a tropical cyclone.
Endless onslaught of atmospheric river events in California claim 14 lives, residents urged to be hyper-vigilant
California is once again under threat as an energetic low pressure system quickly gathers strength off the West Coast, bringing with it heavy precipitation, thunderstorms and several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada region. This, along with already saturated soils and high river levels, is expected to exacerbate ongoing flooding, prolong the risk of flash flooding, and mudslides, especially in recent burn scar regions. The National Weather Service has issued a warning for residents to be prepared, as the heavy rainfall, especially in southern California, is expected to be excessive today and tonight.
Very strong M7.6 earthquake hits Tanimbar Islands region, Indonesia
A very strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.6 hit Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia at 17:47 UTC on January 9, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 105.1 km (65.3 miles). EMSC is reporting M7.6 at a depth of 100 km (62 miles).
New Zealand bracing for severe weather as Cyclone Hale approaches the country
Tropical Cyclone “Hale” formed on January 7, 2023, as the first named storm of the 2022/23 South Pacific cyclone season. The system tracked into New Zealand’s area of responsibility on January 8 and was reclassified as a tropical low by New Zealand’s MetService.
