Ethiopia’s southern Afar and northern Oromia regions are experiencing an ongoing seismo-volcanic crisis that has injured two people, displaced over 60 000 residents, and caused extensive infrastructure damage since December 22, 2024.
A strong eruption at Ibu volcano produced lava fountains reaching hundreds of meters and ash plumes rising to 5.5 km (18 000 feet) a.s.l., on January 11, 2025, accompanied by volcanic lightning and active lava dome growth. The Aviation Color Code remains at Orange following an upgrade to Red on January 11 for a brief time.
The Palisades Fire broke out on Tuesday morning, January 7, 2025, and has burnt through 6 975 ha (17 234 acres) in Los Angeles County by Thursday, destroying and damaging over 1 000 structures by some reports. The blaze forced tens of thousands to evacuate, terrifying the residents who were forced to flee with just essentials.
A large piece of space debris measuring 2.5 m (8.2 feet) and weighing 500 kg (1 102 pounds) fell in Mukuku Village, Makueni County, Kenya, on December 30, 2024. Such incidents are rare, with only a few large debris objects surviving reentry each year and an even smaller number impacting populated areas.
Two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) produced on December 29, 2024, impacted Earth on December 31, causing G4 – Severe geomagnetic storm on January 1, 2025. A slow return to nominal levels is expected by late on January 2. Late on January 3 to early on January 4, a potential glancing blow from the January 1 CME is likely to cause another enhancement.
A series of shallow earthquakes were recorded in recent days near the Fentale volcano in Ethiopia’s Main Ethiopian Rift region, raising concerns about a potential volcanic eruption. The last eruption at this volcano took place in 1820.
A major X1.1 solar flare erupted from Active Region 3936 at 07:18 UTC on December 29, 2024. The event started at 07:08 and ended at 07:34 UTC. Two CMEs were noted in LASCO imagery following multiple solar flares today. Initial analysis indicates at least one has a likely Earth-directed component, with a possible arrival early on December 31.
Kilauea volcano in Hawai’i has resumed its eruptive activity after a second pause on December 26, 2024, with lava flows confined to the Halema’uma’u region. Park officials urged caution after a toddler narrowly avoided a fatal fall from a 120 m (400 feet) cliff while visiting the site on December 23.
An eruption at Kanlaon volcano emitted a dark ash plume reaching 1.2 km (0.75 miles) on Monday, December 23, 2024. Communities within a 6 km (3.7 miles) radius of the summit crater must remain evacuated due to the danger of pyroclastic density currents, ballistic projectiles and ashfall, lava flows, rockfalls, and other related hazards. Local government units were advised to prepare for potential escalation to Alert Level 4.
A slow-slip earthquake (SSE) event has been occurring near New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay, along the Hikurangi Subduction Zone since early December.
