A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit Vanuatu at 18:04 UTC on March 2, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.4 at a depth of 10 km.
A damaging tornado hit three villages in the South Tambun District of Bekasi Regency, West Java, Indonesia at around 08:00 UTC (13:00 LT) on March 1, 2023, damaging 339 homes and destroying 1. The worst affected was Sumberjaya Village.
Tropical Cyclone “Kevin” formed on March 1, 2023, between Vanuatu and Caledonia, as the 5th named storm of the 2022/23 South Pacific cyclone season. A Red Alert is in effect for Vanuatu’s provinces of Sanma, Malampa, and Penama. The cyclone comes just a couple of days after Tropical Cyclone “Judy” damaged a number of buildings in Vanuatu, caused power outages, and closed schools.
Heavy rain and severe flooding in Malaysia have forced over 26 000 people to evacuate their homes, as rivers continue to rise above their danger marks. The southern state of Johor has been the worst hit, with more than 25 000 people moved to relief centers in schools and community halls. The country is experiencing its sixth episode of continuous heavy rain from the annual monsoon season that started in November, and the Meteorological Department has warned that the situation may continue until April.
The Colombian Geological Service (SGC) found changes in vegetation and increased soil temperature during their inspection of the Cerro Machín volcano. The last eruption at this volcano took place in 1180 CE ± 150 years.
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes from February 22 to 28, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 18 volcanoes.
A large storm system brought a rare snowfall to California and thunderstorms to the Southern Plains in late February 2023. The system also generated strong winds that caused a massive amount of dust to be lofted into the air, darkening skies across northwestern Texas, northern Mexico, and eastern New Mexico.
Snowfall and strong winds brought chaos to Spain’s holiday island of Mallorca on February 28, 2023, as Storm Juliette ravaged large parts of the country.
A strong and deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit under the Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea at 05:36 UTC on March 1, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 598.9 km (372.5 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.5 at a depth of 610 km (380 miles).
Category 3 – Severe Tropical Cyclone “Judy” is expected to bring destructive winds and heavy rainfalls to Vanuatu’s central and southern islands.
