On November 1, 2023, a new island was born approximately 1 km (0.62 miles) off the southern coast of Iwoto Island, Japan, following intense volcanic activity. This latest addition to the Ogasawara island chain, now nearly merging with Iwoto, was first identified by military personnel stationed there.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is grappling with a humanitarian crisis following extensive flooding caused by ongoing torrential rains since November 13, 2023. The most severe impacts have been recorded in the eastern and north-eastern regions, including Baraka City and Dungu Town, where thousands have been displaced, and homes have been destroyed.
The Guaíba River in Porto Alegre, Brazil, reached a historic water level of 3.01 meters on the morning of November 20, 2023. This marked the third-highest flood level since 1941, following heavy rainfall across its contributing basins. The rising waters led to the river overflowing its banks at the Central Wharf, a rare occurrence in the city’s recent history.
At least three people died and more than 1 300 sought medical help as dust storms swept across Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province from September 20 to 22, 2023. Reduced visibility caused by the storms led to fatalities, according to state reports.
Extreme rainfall from Storm Daniel led to catastrophic flooding in Central Greece earlier this month, described as a 1-in-200+ year event. The storm then moved on to cause massive flooding in Libya, resulting in over 11 000 fatalities.
An eruption at submarine Ruby volcano, near the southern end of the Mariana arc, was detected on Thursday, September 14, 2023. This was based on seismoacoustic signals from a monitoring station in Saipan and satellite imagery that captured a submarine plume. The last known eruption at this volcano took place in 1995.
Derna, a northeastern Libyan town, grappled with catastrophic flooding after Medicane “Marquesa” made landfall on September 10, 2023. The subsequent deluge, equivalent to several months of rain in just a day, resulted in extensive damage and a rising death toll, with thousands still missing.
On September 10, 2023, the European Sentinel-2 satellite captured high-quality images of massive flooding in central Greece after extremely heavy rains dropped by Storm Daniel over the past week.
The wildfire crisis deepens in Greece with significant outbreaks across several regions including Alexandroupolis, Dadia, Rodopi Municipalities in East Macedonia, Parintha in the Attica Region, and Viotia in Central Greece.
Over the last 24 hours, 62 forest fires have erupted across Greece, resulting in further evacuations in several regions. The Greek Civil Protection has reported that the main fire outbreaks are located in West Attica, Laconia in the southern Peloponnese, and on the island of Rhodes.
