Daily Earthquakes, Storms, Fires & Floods Report — November 12, 2026

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather · Nov 12, 2026

At a glance

Storm Charles was the day’s main hazard. It closed schools across Portugal and grounded hundreds of flights on Wednesday, but no deaths were reported. The rest of the world was fairly quiet. This report covers the 24 hours from 7:20 a.m. EST Wednesday, November 11, to 7:20 a.m. EST Thursday, November 12, 2026 (12:20 UTC to 12:20 UTC).

• Storms: Storm Charles brought red wind and rain warnings to Portugal and Spain. In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Pena stayed far from land, and Typhoon Cempaka faded out over open ocean.
• Earthquakes: 12 quakes of magnitude 4.5 or more. The largest was M5.4 near the South Sandwich Islands. None reached magnitude 6.
• Floods: Portugal and Spain had flooding from Charles. The Peace River at Arcadia, Florida, stayed above flood stage after the early-November floods.
• Fires: US activity was low, at National Preparedness Level 1. Large grass and bush fires burned in Australia and South Sudan.
• Volcanoes: Kīlauea, Hawaii, is in a pause between lava-fountain episodes.

Official warnings come from national weather services and local authorities. Follow their instructions first.

Earthquakes

It was a quiet day for earthquakes. The US Geological Survey (USGS) catalog lists 12 events of magnitude 4.5 or more, and none caused reported damage. The ten largest are below.

Two more M4.5 events, south of the Fiji Islands and north-northeast of Port-Olry, Vanuatu, complete the list.

What stands out

• The M5.4 South Sandwich Islands quake was the only event with a USGS PAGER alert. The alert was green, meaning little or no expected damage.
• The M5.0 quake off Ancud, Chile, and the M4.6 quake north of Gyalshing, India, drew a few “felt” reports. No damage was reported.
• The M4.5 off Oregon was the only event of this size near the United States. It was offshore, and the USGS lists no tsunami flag for it.

The catalog lists 193 earthquakes of all sizes in the window. No quake of magnitude 6 or more occurred in the 24 hours before the window either. The most recent was an M6.4 in the Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands, on November 9 (GDACS). Catalog searched at 12:21 UTC on November 12: USGS query.

Storms

Storm Charles, a strong Atlantic low, was the day’s most disruptive storm. Only one tropical storm was active, and it threatened no land.

Storm Charles: Portugal and Spain

Charles brought Portugal’s first nationwide school closure for a storm forecast “in living memory,” according to AP. About 8,000 schools cancelled classes on Wednesday, and non-essential public services closed (AP via CP24).

• Wind: Portugal’s weather agency IPMA recorded gusts over 75 mph (120 km/h) in some areas. Madeira had 81 mph (130 km/h) winds on Tuesday (Al Jazeera).
• Warnings: Red warnings first covered more than half of Portugal. By mid-afternoon Wednesday only the southern Algarve stayed red. IPMA’s update at 10:24 on Thursday showed yellow at most on the mainland (IPMA).
• Flights: AP reported more than 300 flights cancelled at four airports. Airport operator ANA’s later count, via Demócrata, was about 330, including 288 at Lisbon (Demócrata). The two counts likely use different cut-off times.
• Spain: The Spanish weather agency AEMET’s special warning ran until Thursday, covering heavy rain, very strong gusts and rough seas in the south and west. It expects conditions to ease from Thursday (AEMET). In the Canary Islands, 28 flights were cancelled from Wednesday into Thursday, per airport operator Aena (Deep Arrival).

No deaths or injuries were reported in any of these sources. AP said the storm passed “without causing major damage.”

Tropical cyclones

Pena has no watches or warnings, and the advisory lists no hazards to land (NHC advisory 20). Cempaka was forecast to dissipate as a tropical cyclone over water (JTWC). The Atlantic, Eastern Pacific and Indian Ocean had no tropical cyclones. The National Hurricane Center expects none to form in the Atlantic or Eastern Pacific in the next seven days. An area of disturbed weather, Invest 95P, sits northeast of Pago Pago; the Joint Typhoon Warning Center rates its 24-hour development chance as low (JTWC).

Fires

US fire activity is light, but 2026 remains well above average for acres burned. Figures are from the National Interagency Fire Center report of 7:30 a.m. Mountain Time Wednesday, November 11, the latest issued (NIFC).

Fires to know

• Campbell Glassman Way, Tennessee: 115 acres, 65% contained, 10 miles north of Caryville. NIFC lists structures as threatened.
• Bee Haven 2, Florida: 2,060 acres, 85% contained, 28 miles northwest of Lake City, with minimal fire behavior.
• Wild River, New Hampshire: 817 acres, 59% contained, in the White Mountain National Forest near Shelburne.

Elsewhere: The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) listed several large bush and grass fires, all at its lowest (green) level. The largest it reported in full was about 22,900 acres (9,255 ha) in Australia, with others of up to about 21,100 acres (8,528 ha) in South Sudan (GDACS).

Floods

Storm Charles caused the day’s most widespread flooding, in Portugal, but it was disruptive rather than deadly. Lisbon firefighters logged about 50 incidents between midnight and 10 a.m. Wednesday, mostly flooding, including one or two structural collapses. They reported no injuries (The Portugal News). Much of this came just before the window opened, but red rain warnings stayed in force into Wednesday evening.

Florida’s early-November floods are now a recovery story. Up to 24.69 in (627 mm) of rain fell at Malabar, and an access road in Palm Bay Estates washed away (WGCU/FPREN; Wikipedia).

Also today

No major eruption or tsunami was reported in the window.

• Kīlauea, Hawaii: The eruption is paused after episode 56 of lava fountaining on November 5. The USGS alert level is Advisory and the aviation code is Yellow. The forecast window for episode 57 is November 16 to 21 (Big Island Video News, citing USGS).
• Winter weather: The National Weather Service in Fairbanks has a blizzard warning for Alaska’s Beaufort Sea coast until 4 p.m. AKST Friday, with gusts to 45 mph (NWS Fairbanks).

What to watch in the next 24 hours

• Sierra Nevada snow, Friday afternoon to Saturday: The National Weather Service in Reno has a winter storm watch for Mono County, California. It calls for 1 to 2 feet of snow above 7,000 feet and ridge gusts of 60 to 80 mph (NWS Reno). The Las Vegas office has a winter storm warning for the eastern Sierra slopes of Inyo County (NWS Las Vegas).
• Pacific Northwest rain, through Saturday: AccuWeather forecasts 2 to 4 in (51 to 102 mm) for western Washington and British Columbia lowlands, and more in the mountains (El Cronista). Local NWS offices issue any flood watches.
• Peace River, Florida: NWS Tampa Bay’s next river statement is due at 1 p.m. EST Thursday.
• Honduras: The first cold front of the season is expected around Friday, per the forecast service Cenaos (The Rio Times).
• Tropical Storm Pena: The National Hurricane Center issues advisories every six hours, and each new one replaces the figures above. Gradual weakening is forecast.

About this report

This report draws on national agencies first: the USGS, the National Hurricane Center, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the National Interagency Fire Center, the National Weather Service, IPMA and AEMET. News outlets and GDACS fill gaps. The 24 hours run from 12:20 UTC November 11 to 12:20 UTC November 12. Some agency products are issued once a day, so a few figures predate the window; their issue times are given. Earthquake magnitudes can be revised after publication.

Glossary

• Magnitude (M): A measure of the energy an earthquake releases. Each whole step is about 32 times more energy.
• Preparedness Level: The US national wildfire readiness scale, from 1 (low) to 5 (resources stretched).
• Flood stage: The river level at which water starts to affect land, roads or buildings.
• Red warning: The highest level in Europe’s color-coded weather warnings, for dangerous conditions.
• Invest: A weather disturbance that forecasters are watching for possible development into a tropical cyclone.

Frequently asked questions

Did Storm Charles cause any deaths? None of the reports from AP, Al Jazeera, Lusa or The Portugal News recorded deaths or injuries. AP said the storm passed without major damage. Counts can still change as local authorities finish their reports.

Why did Portugal close all its schools? The government ordered the closures ahead of forecast red-level wind and rain across much of the country. Interior Minister Luis Neves rejected suggestions of overreaction, saying the response followed the forecast, according to AP.

Is Tropical Storm Pena a threat to Hawaii? No. It is more than 1,000 miles southwest of Honolulu and moving away to the west-southwest. No watches or warnings are in effect.

Is Florida still flooding? Mostly no. The rain ended on November 7, but the Peace River at Arcadia is still slightly above flood stage. NWS Tampa Bay expects it to drop below flood stage by late Friday morning.

Sources

Earthquakes

• USGS earthquake catalog query, M4.5+
• USGS earthquake count, all sizes
• USGS M6+ check, prior 24 hours

Storms

• National Hurricane Center home page and active cyclones
• NHC Atlantic outlook and Eastern Pacific outlook
• Central Pacific outlook
• Tropical Storm Pena advisory 20
• JTWC Western and South Pacific advisory, Indian Ocean advisory and Typhoon Cempaka final warning
• AP via CP24: Portugal closes schools
• Al Jazeera: Portugal cancels flights
• Demócrata: about 330 flights cancelled
• Deep Arrival: Canary Islands flights
• IPMA warnings
• AEMET special warning
• NWS Fairbanks blizzard warning, NWS Reno winter storm watch and NWS Las Vegas winter storm warning

Fires

• NIFC Incident Management Situation Report
• GDACS alert feed

Floods

• The Portugal News: flooding in Lisbon
• ALLATRA Media: Storm Charles impacts
• NWS Tampa Bay flood warning, Peace River
• WGCU/FPREN: Florida flooding recovery
• Wikipedia: November 2026 Florida floods
• El Cronista: Pacific Northwest rain
• The Rio Times: Honduras cold front

Volcanoes and other hazards

• Big Island Video News: Kīlauea update
• Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report
• The Watchers