A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.4 hit eastern Taiwan at 23:58 UTC on April 2, 2024 (07:58 LT, April 3). The agency is reporting a depth of 34.8 km (21.6 miles). EMSC is reporting M7.4 at a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles). This is the strongest quake to hit Taiwan since 1999 Jiji earthquake.
Intense rainfall and hailstorms struck western Cuba on March 22, 2024, causing widespread damage, including downed trees, power outages, and flash floods. The National Electricity Union reported over 260 000 users without electricity in provinces such as Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Matanzas, and Havana.
Coronal mass ejection (CME) produced by the X1.1 solar flare at 01:33 UTC on March 23, 2024, is expected to impact Earth late March 24 or early March 25, producing G2 – Moderate to G3 – Strong geomagnetic storming.
Heavy rains in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state on March 22, 2024, resulted in at least nine fatalities, with Petropolis being the hardest hit. A staggering 270 mm (11 inches) of rain fell within 24 hours, significantly impacting the region and leading to numerous incidents, including landslides and house collapses. The storm then moved to the neighboring state of Espírito Santo, dropping more than 200 mm (7.8 inches) of rainfall within 24 hours.
A major, long-duration solar flare measuring X1.1 erupted from Active Region 3614 at 01:33 UTC on March 23, 2024. The event started at 00:58 and ended at 02:21 UTC. A halo CME was produced, with impacts to Earth likely late March 25 or early March 26.
Tropical Cyclone “Megan” formed on March 16, 2024, in the Gulf of Carpentaria as the 5th named storm of the 2023/24 Australian region cyclone season. Megan has reached Category 3 intensity today and is forecast to cross the southwest coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, most likely on Monday, March 18, with wind gusts up to 220 km/h (137 mph).
A severe storm system spawned eight tornadoes across Indiana, Ohio, and Texas on March 14, 2024, resulting in numerous injuries and widespread property damage. The most critical impact occurred in Winchester, Indiana, where significant injuries were reported by the Indiana State Police, and in Ohio, where multiple structures were destroyed and two people lost their lives.
A significant winter storm has brought heavy snowfall to Colorado, particularly affecting areas from Denver to the state’s ski resorts, resulting in widespread flight cancellations and major highway closures. The National Weather Service in Boulder reports more than 60 cm (2 feet) of snow in the Front Range foothills and predicts totals could exceed 120 cm (4 feet) in some mountainous areas by Friday morning, March 15, 2024.
Extremely heavy rains have struck Western Australia over the past couple of days, causing significant flooding that has severed the main route connecting Western Australia with the rest of the country. The flooding has also left seven people missing since Sunday, March 10, 2024.
A wave of exceptionally hot weather has led to the shattering of thousands of temperature records across Africa. Nations from Cameroon to Mauritius have experienced unprecedented heat, marking historic highs for the month of March.
