A powerful explosive eruption took place at Kanlaon volcano, Philippines at 15:03 LT (07:03 UTC) on December 9, 2024, producing a massive ash plume and pyroclastic flows. As a result, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised the Alert Level to 3 and ordered urgent evacuation of 87 000 people living near the volcano.
An earthquake swarm has been occurring southwest of Adak Islands, Alaska, since December 8, 2024, beginning with M6.3 at a depth of 18 km (11 miles). The swarm includes multiple significant earthquakes, including two M6.3 events, an M6.1, and numerous aftershocks up to M5.8.
A major solar flare measuring X2.2 erupted from Active Region 3912 at 09:06 UTC on December 8, 2024. The event started at 08:50 and ended at 09:10 UTC.
Taiwan has recorded 42 earthquakes exceeding magnitude 5.5 on the Richter scale in 2024, marking the highest count since precision seismic monitoring began in 1991 with the implementation of the Taiwan Strong Motion Instrumentation Program. The surge in seismic activity has been largely attributed to the April 3 Hualien earthquake, a powerful magnitude 7.4 event that struck 15 km (9.3 miles) south of Hualien City, causing extensive damage, 18 fatalities, and over 1 100 injuries.
A very strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.0 hit near the coast of Northern California at 18:44 UTC (10:44 LT) on December 5, 2024. The agency is reporting a shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). A Tsunami Warning was issued for parts of California and Oregon along the U.S. West Coast.
A powerful weather system, Storm Darragh, was officially named by the UK Met Office in collaboration with Met Éireann, and the Netherlands’ KNMI on Thursday, December 5, 2024. The storm is set to impact Ireland and the UK from December 6.
A daylight fireball was observed over Kansas and Oklahoma at around 13:15 CST (19:15 UTC) on December 2, 2024. The meteor fragmented into multiple pieces, with hues of orange, green, and blue reported. Witnesses noted its vivid visibility despite the broad daylight.
A newly-discovered asteroid currently designated COWEPC5 is expected to impact Earth’s atmosphere over Siberia, Russia at around 16:15 UTC (08:15 PST) on December 3, 2024. This is the 11th predicted Earth impactor on record – and the 4th so far this year.
A powerful storm system is set to intensify by Wednesday, December 4, 2024, bringing strong winds to the northern Plains and Midwest before spreading across the Great Lakes and Northeast by the end of the week.
A powerful lake-effect snowstorm fueled by record-warm water temperatures in the Great Lakes unleashed its full force over 2024 Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, burying parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan under more than 90 cm (3 feet) of snow. The city of Erie, Pennsylvania, experienced its snowiest day on record on Friday, November 29, receiving 57.4 cm (22.6 inches) of snow in 24 hours. The Arctic air colliding with the warm lake waters triggered intense snowfall rates of up to 100 mm (4 inches) per hour, creating hazardous conditions that are expected to persist until midweek.
