Volcanic ash has been increasingly detected in the steam and gas plume at White Island volcano, New Zealand, over the past few months, prompting authorities to raise the Volcanic Alert Level to 3 on April 17, 2025. Intermittent explosive activity observed during aerial monitoring supports the assessment of elevated volcanic unrest.
Tropical Cyclone Tam, named by the Fiji Meteorological Service on April 15, 2025, is moving southeast and will bring severe weather to New Zealand’s Upper North Island beginning April 16. The center of the storm is expected to remain west of Cape Reinga, but heavy rain, strong winds, and dangerous coastal conditions are forecast to impact North Island in the days ahead.
A very bright fireball lasting 8 seconds crossed the sky over New Zealand’s central North Island on April 10, 2025.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.7 hit near the coast of South Island, New Zealand at 01:43 UTC (14:43 local time) on March 25, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 21 km (13 miles). New Zealand’s GeoNet is reporting M6.8 at a depth of 12 km (7.5 miles), and EMSC M7.0 at a depth of 9 km (5.6 miles).
A very bright fireball was observed over the skies of New Zealand at around 22:49 local time (09:49 UTC) on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, with reports indicating a sonic boom and fragmentation.
Small ash emissions along with large white steam plumes have been observed over the past week at White Island volcano in New Zealand, according to a bulletin released by the GNS at 14:30 LT (01:30 UTC) on Monday, February 24, 2025. The Alert Level remains at 2 while the Aviation Color Code has been raised to Orange.
A large fireball entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Otago area, South Island, New Zealand around 10:00 UTC (23:00 LT) on January 31, 2025, producing loud, house-shaking sonic booms. There is a possibility pieces of the object survived and ended up somewhere in the Eyre Mountains.
A swarm of over 50 earthquakes has been recorded in the geothermal area, north of Taupo volcano, since 18:00 LT (05:00 UTC) on Thursday, January 30, 2025. The strongest earthquake was M2.9, with many earthquakes being reported as ‘unnoticeable’ or ‘weak’ by GeoNet.
A powerful tornado swept through the Mangawhai village in New Zealand on Sunday, January 26, 2025, damaging more than 50 properties and leaving 2 people seriously injured.
Weak to moderate steam and gas plumes with traces of volcanic ash continue at White Island volcano, New Zealand, on January 13, 2025. The Alert Level remains at 2 while the Aviation Color Code has been raised to Orange.
