The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reports that for the first time in 1 000 years, volcanic eruptions spewing magma are believed to have taken place just off the southern coast of Japan’s Ioto island, also known as Iwojima and Iojima.
Record-breaking rainfall hit parts of South Korea’s capital Seoul and surrounding regions on August 8, 2022, leaving at least 8 people dead and 7 others missing. At least 14 people have been injured and more than 80 rescued from flooded streams. 391 people in the capital area were left homeless.
Heavy rains caused widespread flooding and destruction in eastern Kentucky on Thursday, July 28, 2022, leaving at least 8 people dead and many unaccounted for. Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear, declared a state of emergency, calling this is one of the most significant, deadly floods in the commonwealth’s history.
Heavy rains continued falling over Australia’s east coast on July 5, 2022, forcing more than 50 000 people to evacuate their homes, up from 30 000 on July 4. While some parts of the region saw a year’s worth of rain within just 3 days, this heavy rainfall event is still not over.
Hundreds of thousands of people were affected and more than 200 000 forced to evacuate their homes after the heaviest rains since 1961 hit parts of southern China.
Destructive flooding and landslides hit Yellowstone National Park and nearby communities on June 13, 2022, washing out numerous roads and bridges in the area, cutting off electricity and forcing people to evacuate. The floods hit during one of Yellowstone’s busiest months.
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2022 KP6 flew past Earth at a distance of just 0.045 LD / 0.00012 AU (17 426 km / 10 828 miles) at 15:05 UTC on May 25, 2022.
This is the 60th known asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the 2nd closest after 2022 FD1 on March 25 at 0.00010 AU. It is also the 17th closest asteroid flyby on record (since 1900).
Hurricane “Agatha” made landfall just west of Puerto Angel, Mexico at 21:00 UTC on May 30, 2022, with maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph), making it the strongest hurricane to make landfall in May along the Pacific coast of Mexico. Agatha is the first named storm and the first hurricane of the 2022 Pacific hurricane season (May 15 – November 30).
A line of fast-moving severe thunderstorms (derecho) swept over southern Ontario and Quebec – the most populated part of Canada – on May 21, 2022, leaving roughy 1 000 km (620 miles) of damage in its wake and at least 9 people dead. It developed near Sarnia, Ontario late Saturday morning and tracked northeast over southern Ontario toward Ottawa in the afternoon.
Wheat prices in Europe and Australia hit record highs this week after India – the world’s second-largest wheat producer – announced an immediate export ban due to a severe heatwave affecting the country since March. Global wheat prices have soared 40% since February 2022, increasing famine and sparking social unrest.
