A major landslide hit a campsite at a location known as Father’s Organic Farm in Genting Highlands, Malaysia — about 50 km (31 miles) N of Kuala Lumpur — on December 16, 2022. The cause of the landslide is not clear at the moment as there had been only light rain in the area.
Multiple M- and C-class solar flares were detected on December 14, 2022, with the strongest being M6.2 at 14:42 UTC. While several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were produced, none of them appears to be Earth-directed.
At least 141 people died in floods and landslides caused by heavy rains that hit several outlying districts of the capital Kinshasa (population 15 million), Democratic Republic of the Congo, on December 13, 2022.
A massive storm system will impact the Central and Southern U.S. over the next few days. Widespread heavy snow with blizzard conditions and a zone of wintry mix is possible from the north-central High Plains to the Upper Midwest. Meanwhile, in the warm sector of the storm, a severe weather event with all hazards is possible in the southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley to Florida.
A strong vulcanian explosion took place at Lascar volcano, Chile at 15:36 UTC on December 10, 2022.
A deep depression formed in the Bay of Bengal on December 7 and intensified into a Cyclonic Storm “Mandous” on December 8, 2022, becoming the third named storm of the 2022 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. The cyclone is expected to make landfall over northern Tamil Nadu on December 9, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall.
A high-level eruption occurred at Indonesia’s Semeru volcano on December 4, 2022, prompting authorities to raise the Alert Level from III to IV. The last major eruption at this volcano took place on December 4, 2021, leaving 51 people dead and several hundred others injured.
Seismic unrest continues at Taupō volcano, New Zealand, with a strong and shallow M5.6 earthquake registered on November 30, 2022. The Volcanic Alert Level for Taupō volcano was increased to Level 1 on September 20, 2022. This was based on ongoing earthquakes and deformation at levels above typical background since May.
A severe weather outbreak hit the Southern U.S. on November 29, 2022, bringing strong tornadoes, very large hail, and severe with gusts across parts of the lower to mid-Mississippi Valley, Mid-South, and parts of the Southeast. A few long-track strong tornadoes remain possible before the event is over.
A new eruption has begun at Mauna Loa — the largest active volcano on our planet — on November 28, 2022. As a result, the Aviation Color Code was raised to Red. The last eruption at this volcano took place in 1984 (VEI 0).
