Storm Babet is forecasted to bring heavy rains and severe winds over parts of Ireland on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, and the United Kingdom on Thursday and Friday, October 19 and 20, triggering the UK’s first Red warning for rain since February 2020.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 at 03:36 UTC (08:06 local time) on October 15, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 8 km (5 miles). This region of Afghanistan was hit by a total 4 of M6.3 earthquakes (USGS) since October 7 when twin M6.3s killed more than 2 400 people.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit western Afghanistan at 00:41 UTC on October 11, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 9 km (5.6 miles). This is the third M6.3 earthquake to hit this area of Afghanistan since twin M6.3s on October 7 in which more than 2 400 people lost their lives.
Wildfires exacerbated by an intense heat wave led to the evacuation of dozens of residents in Cordoba Province, Argentina, on October 10, 2023. The fires neared the resort city of Villa Carlos Paz and involved the deployment of 960 firefighters.
Category 4 Hurricane “Lidia” made landfall along the coast of west-central Mexico near Las Penitas in the state of Jalisco around 23:50 UTC on October 10, 2023, with maximum winds estimated to be near 220 km/h (140 mph).
Heavy rains and a subsequent dam burst led to a devastating landslide in Yaounde, Cameroon, on October 8, 2023. At least 30 people were killed in the disaster that occurred in the impoverished Mbankolo district.
Japan’s Izu Islands and parts of the Pacific Coast near Tokyo experienced tsunami waves up to 60 cm (2 feet) in height triggered by a shallow M5.0 earthquake that occurred at 20:26 UTC on October 8, 2023 (05:26 local time, October 9). The quake’s epicenter was situated near the uninhabited Torishima Island at the southern end of the Izu chain and is part of an ongoing earthquake swarm in the region.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit western Afghanistan at 06:41 UTC (10:11 local time) on October 7, 2023. The quake was followed by M5.5 at 06:49 UTC, M4.7 at 07:10 UTC, M6.3 at 07:12 UTC, and M5.9 at 07:40 UTC — all at shallow depths between 7.7 and 14 km (4.8 – 8.7 miles).
The Italian government is exploring the potential evacuation of tens of thousands of residents living near the Campi Flegrei supervolcano, 20 km (12.5 miles) from Naples, following over 1 100 earthquakes in the area within a month. The announcement was made on Thursday, October 5, 2023, and further measures are set to be discussed in a cabinet meeting.
Typhoon “Koinu” made landfall in Cape Eluanbi, southern Taiwan, on October 4, 2023, breaking wind speed records and injuring 190 people. Despite the high winds and significant rainfall, no deaths have been reported.
