The temperature of the Crater Lake (Te Wai ā-moe) at Ruapehu volcano has decreased from 43 to 41 °C (109 – 106 °F) during the past week. The level of volcanic tremor continues to be moderate to strong and a small number of shallow volcanic earthquakes have…
The Volcanic Alert Level for Mount Ruapehu has been raised to 2 and the Aviation Color Code to Yellow on December 21, 2020, following an increase in Crater Lake temperature and the largest measured gas output in the past two decades. The Volcanic Alert Level…
Two small earthquakes were registered near New Zealand's Mount Taranaki this week– weak and shallow M3.2 on December 8, 2020, and M1.6 on December 11. According to GeoNet, earthquakes near the volcano are considered rare. The last eruption of this volcano took…
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit south of the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand at 20:42 UTC on December 6, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 82.7 km (51 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 80 km (49 miles). The epicenter was…
A mass stranding on the Chatham Islands in New Zealand has resulted in the deaths of over 120 whales– 26 of which had to be euthanized, according to the Department of Conservation (DoC), which said it was notified of the event on Sunday, November 22, 2020. On…
Observations made on November 16, 2020, confirm that White Island volcano continues to emit volcanic ash with the steam and gas plume. Although the amounts of CO2 and SO2 gas have decreased, the Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 2 since November 13. The Aviation…
Small amounts of volcanic ash are being carried in the stream and gas plume at White Island/Whakaari volcano in New Zealand and deposited on the island's webcams, GeoNet reported November 13, 2020. As a result, the Volcanic Alert Level has been raised to Level 2…
A state of emergency was declared in Napier, New Zealand, after up to 242.4 mm (9.5 inches) of rain triggered damaging floods, landslides, and power outages that affected more than 3 300 homes on Monday, November 9, 2020. The amount of rain that fell in a 12-hour…
A rapidly intensifying severe weather system brought thick snow and wind gusts of over 100 km/h (62 mph) to parts of New Zealand on Sunday, September 27, 2020, resulting in closed roads and dozens of flight cancelations. Met Service described the storm as "the…
Tropical cyclones in the Pacific can now be forecast up to four months ahead of the season with a new model developed by scientists from New Zealand and Australia. According to Dr. Andrew Magee from the center for water, climate, and land at the University of…
