A new eruption started at Piton de la Fournaise volcano on September 19, 2022, following a seismic crisis that started at 02:23 local time (06:23 UTC). The alert level was raised to 2-1. Trails in the upper part of the summit were closed to the public.
Category 1 Hurricane “Fiona” made landfall along the extreme southwestern coast of Puerto Rico near Punta Tocon at 19:20 UTC on September 18, 2022, with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) and minimum central pressure of 986 hPa. This is the first hurricane to make landfall in Puerto Rico since Hurricane “Maria” in 2017.
A very strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.9 hit southeastern Taiwan at 06:44 UTC on September 18, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M7.0 at a depth of 17 km (10 miles).
Heavy rains produced by Tropical Storm “Fiona” continue over portions of the Leeward Islands and are spreading across the Virgin Islands. The storm is moving toward Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before reaching them.
Remnants of Typhoon “Merbok” will bring potentially historical coastal flooding, high surf, coastal erosion, high winds, high seas and heavy rain to western Alaska and the Bering Sea through the weekend, the National Weather Service (NWS) warns.
A strong and shallow earthquake, registered by the USGS as M6.6, hit southeastern Taiwan at 13:41 UTC on September 17, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.6 at a depth of 2 km (1.2 miles).
The remnants of Typhoon “Merbok” are working through the Bering Sea, bringing the potential for historic coastal flooding and storm surges as the system works through the region this weekend.
Heavy rains and landslides in the Achham district of Nepal killed at least 17 people and left 5 more missing on September 16, 2022.
Violent storms hit central Italy’s Marche region late September 15, 2022, causing major floods in which at least 9 people lost their lives and 4, including two minors, went missing. Around 50 people were being treated for hypothermia and other injuries.
Nanmadol formed on September 13, 2022, as the 14th named storm of the 2022 Pacific typhoon season, strengthened to a typhoon on September 15, and reached super typhoon status on September 16. The system is still strengthening and is expected to reach Kyushu, Japan by September 18.
