Daily Earthquakes, Storms, Fires & Floods Report — October 27, 2026

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

At a glance

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab, heading for India’s Andhra Pradesh coast, was the main hazard in the 24 hours from 7:25 a.m. EDT on October 26 to 7:25 a.m. EDT on October 27, 2026 (11:25 UTC to 11:25 UTC).

• Storms: Arnab is forecast to cross the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast by the forenoon of October 28 local time. Typhoon In-Fa is strengthening in the western Pacific. Tropical Storm Vance is off southwest Mexico.
• Earthquakes: A quiet day. The largest was a magnitude 5.8 northwest of Vanuatu, with no tsunami.
• Fires: US activity is low, at national preparedness level 1.
• Floods: Flash floods hit Phuket, Thailand, while wider flooding in central Thailand is receding.
• Volcanoes: The latest weekly report lists new eruptive activity at Krakatau, Nevados de Chillán and Whakaari/White Island.

National weather services and local authorities issue the official warnings. Follow them first.

Earthquakes

The day was quiet for earthquakes: 18 events of magnitude 4.5 or greater, none above 5.8 and none with a tsunami flag. The ten largest are below.

What stands out

• Six of the 18 events, including the three largest, clustered 154 to 206 km (96 to 128 mi) northwest of Port-Olry, Vanuatu. The M5.8 carried a green USGS PAGER alert, meaning little expected damage.
• The M4.7 off South Australia drew 32 “felt” reports to USGS.

USGS counted 181 earthquakes of all sizes worldwide in the window. Just outside it, a deep M5.5 struck near Fiji at 10:13 UTC on October 26, 642 km (399 mi) down, with a green GDACS alert. Source: USGS catalog search, M4.5+, searched at about 11:26 UTC on October 27.

Storms

Cyclone Arnab is the only storm with landfall expected in the next day; Typhoon In-Fa is the strongest system on the map. The Atlantic has no tropical cyclones.

In the Central Pacific, Tropical Depression Olana was forecast to become a remnant low; NHC listed no Central Pacific cyclones at 10:50 UTC on October 27.

Cyclone Arnab: India’s east coast

The figures below come from India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletins as reported by Indian media; the newest IMD bulletin replaces them.

• Strength: IMD classes Arnab as a very severe cyclonic storm. The 5:30 a.m. IST bulletin gave 115–125 km/h (71–78 mph), gusting 140 km/h (87 mph), per The Week. The Pioneer reported at 7:24 a.m. IST that IMD raised this to 125–135 km/h, gusting 150 km/h.
• Landfall: Expected between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by the forenoon of October 28 local time. That is late on October 27 in US Eastern time.
• Warnings: IMD issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy rain in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Kakinada port hoisted danger signal GD-10, the highest; Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram hoisted GD-9.
• Storm surge: IMD scientists warned of “a potentially severe storm surge” up to 100 km (62 mi) either side of the landfall zone (The Pioneer).
• Rain: Six southern Odisha districts, including Puri and Ganjam, are on orange alert for 12–20 cm (4.7–7.9 in) (The Week).
• Preparations: Odisha expects to evacuate at least 48,000 people, said Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Patil. Andhra Pradesh moved 30,043 fishing boats off the sea and readied 2,131 cyclone shelters. South Coast Railway cancelled over 70 trains (all The Pioneer). No deaths had been reported.

Tropical Storm Vance: rain for western Mexico

NHC has no coastal watches or warnings in effect (advisory 24, 2 a.m. MST October 27). Vance “is expected to produce 2 to 4 inches of rain across central and southern Sinaloa, western Durango, and coastal sections of Nayarit and Jalisco,” with isolated 7 inches over Sinaloa through Thursday. Swells are “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”

Fires

US wildfire activity is low, though the season’s totals remain well above average. Figures are from the National Interagency Fire Center situation report dated Monday, October 26, 2026, 7:30 a.m. MDT.

Fires to know

• Sisi Fire, Washington: 4,743 acres, 34% contained, 10 miles northwest of Stehekin. Residences are threatened.
• Range 47B Fire, Mississippi: 636 acres, 50% contained, near Brooklyn. Structures are threatened.
• Ridge Fire, Michigan: 466 acres, 50% contained, north of Negaunee. Structures are threatened.

Elsewhere: GDACS logged green-alert (low-impact) wildfires in Australia, the largest at 9,552 ha (23,600 acres), and in China at 9,640 ha (23,800 acres), plus Mali at 5,104 ha (12,600 acres).

Floods

Flash floods struck Phuket, Thailand, early on Monday, October 26, after up to 142.8 mm (5.6 in) of rain in 24 hours. Runoff reached the Nanai area of Patong around 3:05 a.m. local time, and all three of the island’s districts flooded. Deputy provincial governor Romdon Hayiawae told AP about 100 households were affected; no casualties were reported (FTN News). Thai forecasters expect heavy rain in the south through Wednesday, October 28.

The Thai death total is the sum of the provincial figures The Nation listed.

Also today

The main volcano news is in last week’s global report; the next one is due Thursday. The latest Smithsonian/USGS weekly report, covering October 15–21, lists new eruptive activity at Krakatau (Indonesia), Nevados de Chillán (Chile) and Whakaari/White Island (New Zealand). Whakaari’s alert level rose to 3 of 5, with aviation code orange, on October 21. Kilauea in Hawaii fountained on October 16–17, sending a plume to 25,000 ft (7.6 km). No tsunami was flagged for any earthquake in the window.

What to watch in the next 24 hours

• Arnab’s landfall in Andhra Pradesh, due by the forenoon of October 28 India time. IMD issues bulletins every few hours; state disaster agencies in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha issue evacuation orders.
• Rain in southern Odisha and coastal Andhra Pradesh through October 29–30, from IMD district alerts.
• Typhoon In-Fa’s track toward the Mariana Islands. JTWC warnings follow at 15:00 and 21:00 UTC today; NWS Guam issues local watches and warnings.
• Vance’s rain over Sinaloa and nearby states. NHC’s next full advisory is at 8 a.m. MST (15:00 UTC).
• Southern Thailand’s heavy rain through October 28, from the Thai Meteorological Department and DDPM.

About this report

This report draws on official agencies (USGS, NHC, JTWC, NIFC, GDACS, the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program) and named news outlets, linked below. The 24 hours run from 11:25 UTC on October 26 to 11:25 UTC on October 27. Agency products issued on their own schedules, such as the weekly volcano report and the daily fire report, are dated where used. Earthquake magnitudes and storm figures are preliminary and often revised.

Glossary

• Very severe cyclonic storm: the India Meteorological Department’s term for a strong tropical cyclone, of hurricane strength.
• Storm surge: a rise in sea level pushed ashore by a storm’s winds.
• Preparedness level: the US national wildfire readiness scale, from 1 (low) to 5 (highest).
• PAGER alert: USGS’s rapid estimate of an earthquake’s likely losses, from green (low) to red.
• Aviation color code: a volcano’s hazard level for aircraft, from green to red.

Frequently asked questions

Where will Cyclone Arnab hit? IMD expects it to cross the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam. Landfall is due by the forenoon of October 28, India time. Southern Odisha is also under rain alerts.

Was there a tsunami risk from today’s earthquakes? No event in the window carried a USGS tsunami flag. The largest, a magnitude 5.8 northwest of Vanuatu, carried a green PAGER alert. People near any coast should still follow their national tsunami warning center.

Will Typhoon In-Fa reach land? JTWC forecasts it to strengthen and move toward the northern Mariana Islands over the next three days. The track is days out and can shift. Residents should follow NWS Guam and local authorities.

Is the US wildfire season over? Activity is low, at preparedness level 1, but eight large fires remain uncontained. Three are threatening homes or structures in Washington, Mississippi and Michigan.

Sources

Earthquakes

• USGS catalog, M4.5+ since 11:25 UTC Oct 26
• USGS count, all magnitudes
• USGS catalog, M6+ in the previous 24 hours

Storms

• National Hurricane Center
• NHC, Tropical Storm Vance advisory 24
• NHC/CPHC, Tropical Depression Olana advisory 5
• JTWC, Typhoon 30W (In-Fa) warning 16
• JTWC, Western and South Pacific advisory
• The Week, Cyclone Arnab: six Odisha districts on alert
• The Pioneer, Cyclone Arnab live updates

Fires

• NIFC Incident Management Situation Report, Oct 26
• GDACS alerts feed

Floods

• FTN News, Phuket flash floods
• The Nation, DDPM flood update
• The Watchers, San Juan River flooding
• The Watchers, California coastal flood alerts

Volcanoes

• Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, Oct 15–21