Earth Changes · Daily Report · October 26, 2026, 8:01 PM CDT
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 191 km ENE of Nagqu, China at 2:33 p.m. UTC on Oct. 22, about 18 km (≈11 miles) below the surface, the U.S. Geological Survey reports[1]. The USGS PAGER system rates the expected impact ORANGE. It is the strongest earthquake tracked by the USGS this week, with active aftershocks continuing across the region.
Meanwhile, GDACS, the UN-backed global disaster alert system, issued a Red alert: Red notification for tropical cyclone ARNAB-26. Population affected by Category 1 (120 km/h) wind speeds or higher is 6.028 million .[2]
Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Vance is churning in the eastern Pacific with top winds near 65 mph and a central pressure of 997 millibars, moving west at 6 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.[3]
Today at a Glance
- 20 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater, the largest M5.5
- 2 active tropical systems: Tropical Storm Vance, Tropical Depression Olana
- 35 severe or extreme U.S. weather alerts
- 4 U.S. volcanoes above normal, including Great Sitkin
- 3 sinkhole reports in the news
Could not be reached for this edition: Smithsonian weekly volcano report.
Where It’s Happening
Numbered pins match the list under the map. Storm and quake pins are the agencies' reported centers; sinkhole pins mark the town named in the report. Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors.
1. Extreme Weather
Tropical storms and hurricanes
- Tropical Storm Vance (eastern Pacific): top winds near 65 mph, moving west at 6 mph. Latest advisory.[3]
- Tropical Depression Olana (central Pacific): top winds near 35 mph, moving southeast at 3 mph. Latest advisory.[3]
Across the United States, the National Weather Service has 35 alerts rated severe or extreme in effect.[4]
| Alert | Number | States |
|---|---|---|
| Flood Warning | 10 | CO, FL, NM, TX, UT |
| Coastal Flood Warning | 8 | CA, FL, GA |
| Storm Warning | 7 | PK |
| Flash Flood Warning | 4 | NM, TX |
| Flood Watch | 2 | CO, HI |
| Winter Storm Warning | 2 | AK |
| High Wind Warning | 1 | AK |
| High Wind Watch | 1 | WY |
The Storm Prediction Center says no severe thunderstorm areas are forecast today.[5]
Around the world, GDACS, the global disaster alert system run by the United Nations and the European Commission, lists these Orange or Red alerts from the past two days:
- Red: Red notification for tropical cyclone ARNAB-26. Population affected by Category 1 (120 km/h) wind speeds or higher is 6.028 million .[2]
Official Telegram video: Russia's Emergencies Ministry (MChS), official Telegram channel, October 25, 2026 — “Водяной гигант Стихия обладает разрушительной силой. Предвидеть развитие опасной ситуации и своевременно предупредить население помогают специальные службы. В новой истории анимационного проекта «Вызов принят» стихия обр” Topic: flood. Caption in Russian. Picked by hazard keywords in the channel’s own caption. Telegram only plays this file in its app: use the button above.
2. Earthquakes
The USGS recorded 20 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater in the past 24 hours.[6] The strongest:
| Mag. | Where | When | Depth | PAGER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | 283 km E of Levuka, Fiji | Oct. 26, 10:13 a.m. UTC | 642 km | GREEN |
| 5.2 | 205 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu | Oct. 26, 12:13 p.m. UTC | 10 km | — |
| 5.0 | 218 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu | Oct. 26, 11:17 a.m. UTC | 10 km | — |
| 5.0 | 45 km NNW of Ende, Indonesia | Oct. 26, 4:53 a.m. UTC | 10 km | — |
| 4.9 | 100 km E of La Tirana, Chile | Oct. 26, 7:36 p.m. UTC | 120 km | — |
| 4.9 | 205 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu | Oct. 26, 1:22 a.m. UTC | 10 km | — |
| 4.8 | 54 km E of Tomioka, Japan | Oct. 27, 12:25 a.m. UTC | 49 km | — |
| 4.8 | South Sandwich Islands region | Oct. 26, 11:01 a.m. UTC | 173 km | — |
PAGER is the USGS estimate of likely deaths and damage: GREEN means little or none expected, RED means extensive. A dash means none was issued.
Earlier this week: The USGS is also continuing to monitor ongoing aftershocks and impacts from significant earthquakes recorded over the past seven days:[7]
| Mag. | Where | When | Depth | PAGER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0 | 191 km ENE of Nagqu, China | Oct. 22, 2:33 p.m. UTC | 18 km | ORANGE |
| 6.9 | 197 km WNW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu | Oct. 24, 2:31 a.m. UTC | 10 km | GREEN |
| 6.5 | Bonin Islands, Japan region | Oct. 25, 2:09 a.m. UTC | 492 km | GREEN |
3. Volcanoes
In the United States, 4 volcanoes are above normal background activity, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s observatories:
| Volcano | Alert / aviation code | Latest word from scientists |
|---|---|---|
| Great Sitkin | Watch / Orange | Slow eruption of lava within the summit crater continues.[8] |
| Ahyi Seamount | Advisory / Yellow | Plumes of discolored water seen in satellite imagery; no significant geophysical signals.[9] |
| Kilauea | Advisory / Yellow | The Halema'uma'u eruption of Kīlauea is currently paused after episode 55 fountaining ended on October 17. Summit reinflation has plateaued over the last 24 hours pushing the forecast for episode 56 fountaining to between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, 2026.[10] |
| Shishaldin | Advisory / Yellow | Low-level unrest continues.[8] |
Alert levels run Normal, Advisory, Watch, Warning. Aviation codes run Green, Yellow, Orange, Red.
4. Sinkholes
No government agency publishes a live national sinkhole feed, so these come from today’s local news:
- Bakersfield, California: 23ABC News Bakersfield reports, “BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Crews are now repairing a sinkhole at Airport Drive and Roberts Lane after it opened up over the weekend when a water line broke, causing traffic headaches in the area.”[11]
- Fort Myers Beach: WINK News reports, “A sinkhole has opened up near a busy intersection in Fort Myers Beach, forcing a temporary traffic change.”[12]
- Beach Metro Community News reports, “Sinkhole on Eastwood Avenue now being repaired An East Toronto sinkhole in which a dump truck was stuck in on Saturday, Oct. 24, is now being repaired.”[13]
Also in the News
Other natural-hazard video from the past day, from news organizations:
Video: NBC News, October 27, 2026 — “King tides flood communities along both U.S. coasts”. Also in the news. Picked because its title names a natural hazard; it may not be covered in the data above.
Video: DW News, October 26, 2026 — “What's next for Serbia after the student movement's landslide win? | DW News”. Also in the news.
5. What the Experts Say
These are the words of the scientists and forecasters who watch these hazards for a living, quoted exactly.
“The structure of Vance hasn't changed much since the previous advisory. Visible satellite imagery is consistent with recent microwave fixes that the center is near the western edge of the main convective area. The initial intensity will again be held at 55 kt, which is supported by the latest TAFB current intensity estimate and recent DMINT intensity estimates.”
— Forecaster Hagen, National Hurricane Center, on Tropical Storm Vance[14]
“It has been 6-9 hours since Olana has produced any organized convection close to its center. In fact, the remaining convection has become even more removed from the broad circulation, primarily oriented in a fragmented band stretching from Johnston Atoll southward, more than 200 n mi away from the estimated center. If organized convection does not return near Olana's center soon, the depression will likely be declared a remnant low later today. For now, the intensity is held at a possibly generous 30 kt.”
— Forecaster Papin, National Hurricane Center, on Tropical Depression Olana[15]
“An isolated strong thunderstorm across far west Texas may continue for another hour or two before waning by late evening.”
— Forecaster Bentley, NOAA Storm Prediction Center[5]
“Seismicity in the Himalaya dominantly results from the continental collision of the India and Eurasia plates, which are converging at a relative rate of 40-50 mm/yr. Northward underthrusting of India beneath Eurasia generates numerous earthquakes and consequently makes this area one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth. The surface expression of the plate boundary is marked by the foothills of the north-south trending Sulaiman Range in the west, the Indo-Burmese Arc in the east and the east-west trending Himalaya Front in the north of India.”
— U.S. Geological Survey, “Seismotectonics of the Himalaya and Vicinity,” on the region around the M5.5 quake[16]
“Lava continues to erupt slowly within the summit crater of Great Sitkin Volcano. A few small earthquakes were detected in the past day. Cloudy conditions obscured satellite and webcam views over the past day.”
— Alaska Volcano Observatory, on Great Sitkin[8]
“Small plumes of discolored water were seen in the ocean above Ahyi on October 16 and 21 this past week. Discolored greenish water was visible drifting several hundred meters from the summit of Ahyi. These plumes are likely associated with degassing and hydrothermal activity at the summit of the underwater volcano.”
— Northern Mariana Islands, on Ahyi Seamount[9]
“Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or other rocks that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. Sinkholes are dramatic because the land usually stays intact for a while until the underground spaces just get too big.”
— U.S. Geological Survey Water Science School, on why sinkholes form[17]
How to Prepare
- Keep a basic kit: water (one gallon per person per day for several days), food, a battery or hand-crank radio, a whistle, a dust mask and phone chargers.[18]
- Get alerts: Wireless Emergency Alerts need no sign-up; the FEMA app, NOAA Weather Radio, the USGS Earthquake Notification Service and the USGS Volcano Notification Service are free.
- Floods: Turn Around, Don’t Drown. Six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot can sweep a car away.[19]
- Earthquakes: Drop, Cover and Hold On.[20]
- Download the checklist: Be Ready: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Extreme Weather and Sinkholes (PDF), with today’s active hazards first.
How to Verify This Yourself
- Earthquakes: USGS Latest Earthquakes map
- U.S. volcanoes: USGS Volcano Hazards Program; world: Smithsonian weekly report
- Weather alerts: weather.gov/alerts; tropics: nhc.noaa.gov
- Worldwide disasters: gdacs.org
References
- USGS, M7.0 191 km ENE of Nagqu, China event page earthquake.usgs.gov. ↩
- GDACS event page gdacs.org. ↩
- National Hurricane Center, active storms data nhc.noaa.gov. ↩
- National Weather Service, active alerts API api.weather.gov. ↩
- NOAA Storm Prediction Center, Day 1 Convective Outlook spc.noaa.gov. ↩
- USGS, M4.5+ earthquakes, past day (real-time feed) earthquake.usgs.gov. ↩
- USGS, Significant earthquakes past week (real-time feed) earthquake.usgs.gov. ↩
- Alaska Volcano Observatory, Great Sitkin notice volcanoes.usgs.gov. ↩
- Northern Mariana Islands, Ahyi Seamount notice volcanoes.usgs.gov. ↩
- Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Kilauea notice volcanoes.usgs.gov. ↩
- 23ABC News Bakersfield, Crews repair sinkhole at Airport Drive and Roberts Lane after water line break turnto23.com. ↩
- WINK News, Broken pipe causes sinkhole near Estero Boulevard in Fort Myers Beach winknews.com. ↩
- Beach Metro Community News, Sinkhole on Eastwood Avenue now being repaired beachmetro.com. ↩
- National Hurricane Center, Vance forecast discussion nhc.noaa.gov. ↩
- National Hurricane Center, Olana forecast discussion nhc.noaa.gov. ↩
- USGS Geoserve, tectonic summary earthquake.usgs.gov. ↩
- USGS Water Science School, Sinkholes usgs.gov. ↩
- Ready.gov (FEMA), Build a Kit ready.gov. ↩
- Ready.gov (FEMA), Floods ready.gov. ↩
- Ready.gov (FEMA), Earthquakes ready.gov. ↩
Methodology: this report is assembled automatically each morning from the live data feeds of the USGS, the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center, the Storm Prediction Center and GDACS, plus same-day news reports for sinkholes. No AI writes it: the sentences are fixed templates filled with that data, and every quote is copied exactly from the source it is credited to. Data can change after publication; follow the links for the latest.
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