A powerful and deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.1 struck off the coast of Kota Belud, Malaysia, at 16:57 UTC on February 22, 2026. The agency reported a depth of 620 km (385 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth. Due to the great depth, no tsunami was generated, and damage is unlikely. This is the largest earthquake recorded near Malaysia since the M6.6 quake in Lahad Datu in 1923.
WorkSafe New Zealand confirmed on February 20, 2026, that it has launched a formal investigation into the January 22 landslide on Mauao (Mount Maunganui) in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, that killed six people at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park. The investigation will examine work-related health and safety matters under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, following the completion of Police recovery operations on February 1.
France’s national flood monitoring service reports that soil moisture in the country has reached its highest level since records began in 1959. The prolonged rainfall of the past two months, intensified by Storm Nils, left soils fully saturated and reduced infiltration capacity, sustaining elevated flood risk nationwide. Evacuations, infrastructure closures, and power outages were reported in several regions.
A section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line failed on January 19, 2026, in Montgomery County, Maryland, releasing more than 920 million liters (243 million gallons) of untreated wastewater into the Potomac River. By volume, the incident ranks among the largest documented municipal wastewater spills in U.S. history. Elevated bacterial concentrations prompted recreational advisories and shellfish closures while emergency bypass operations continued into mid-February.
Multiple eruptions at Mount Semeru in East Java, Indonesia, on February 13 and 14, 2026, produced pyroclastic flows up to 6 km (3.7 miles) down the volcano’s southeastern flank and ash plumes up to 2 000 m (6 500 feet) above the crater. PVMBG maintains a 13 km (8 miles) exclusion zone in the southeastern sector.
Hydrothermal unrest at El Chichón volcano in northern Chiapas, Mexico, has persisted since mid-2025, characterized by elevated seismicity, chemical-physical changes in the crater lake, and increased gas emissions. National and academic monitoring institutions report no evidence of magma ascent, and current conditions do not indicate an imminent eruption. The volcano remains at Yellow Alert.
At least 12 people were killed and more than 77 000 affected after Tropical Cyclone Fytia struck northwestern Madagascar at 01:40 UTC on January 31, 2026. Winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) and intense rainfall caused severe damage across 35 districts, with Soalala and Mitsinjo among the hardest hit. Fytia is the 7th named storm of the 2025/26 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season.
Over 1 500 people have been evacuated from the town of Niscemi after the impact of Storm Harry triggered a major coastal landslide on January 25, 2026 that has left hundreds of homes on the verge of collapse.
Official data from the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center (WPC) confirms widespread snow, sleet, and freezing rain accumulations across large portions of the United States during the January 23–26, 2026, winter storm. Preliminary data show snowfall exceeded 50 cm (20 inches) in parts of New England and the interior Northeast, while ice accretions reached 25 mm (1 inch) across portions of the Carolinas and northern Georgia. The system’s departure early on January 26 ended four days of significant winter weather affecting more than a dozen states.
Moscow sent two military cargo planes to deliver heavy snow-clearing equipment to Kamchatka on January 22, 2026, after historic snowfall claimed two lives last week. More than 2 m (7 feet) of snow fell in the first half of January, followed by another 3.7 m (12.1 feet) in December, burying entire homes and paralyzing the region.
