Daily Earthquakes, Storms, Fires & Floods Report November 15, 2026

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather · Nov 15, 2026

At a glance

A developing storm in the Bay of Bengal and deadly floods in Ecuador led an otherwise quiet 24 hours, from 7:20 a.m. EST Saturday, Nov 14, to 7:20 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov 15, 2026 (12:20 UTC to 12:20 UTC).

• Storms: A depression in the Bay of Bengal is forecast to become a cyclone, with a Pre-Cyclone Watch for India’s Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts. No named tropical cyclone is active.
• Floods: Overnight storms in Guayaquil, Ecuador, left people dead and missing, and a landslide in Indonesia’s Aceh province killed a toddler.
• Earthquakes: Quiet. Nothing reached magnitude 6; the largest was a deep magnitude 5.5 near Fiji.
• Fires: US activity is light, at the lowest national preparedness level, though the year’s totals are well above average.
• Volcanoes: No major eruption reported; Kīlauea’s next lava-fountain episode is forecast for later this week.

National weather services and local authorities issue the official warnings for their areas; follow them for decisions about safety.

Earthquakes

It was a quiet day for earthquakes. The US Geological Survey (USGS) catalog lists 11 events of magnitude 4.5 or greater in the window, and none reached magnitude 6. The largest was a deep magnitude 5.5 in the Fiji region.

What stands out

• The Fiji magnitude 5.5 struck about 292 miles (470 km) down. Quakes that deep are rarely felt strongly at the surface. USGS gave it a green PAGER alert, the lowest level, and no event carried a tsunami flag.
• The southern Philippines had two quakes within an hour, both at intermediate depth.
• One further event is not in the table: a magnitude 4.5 about 137 km (85 mi) SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, at 12:28 UTC on Nov 14.

USGS recorded 196 earthquakes of all sizes worldwide in the window. Just before it, a magnitude 5.5 struck the Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 09:26 UTC on Nov 14, far from land, according to GDACS. The USGS catalog query was searched at 12:21 UTC on Nov 15.

Storms

No named tropical cyclone is active anywhere, but a depression in the Bay of Bengal is forecast to become a cyclone and head toward India’s east coast. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects no tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic, Eastern Pacific or Central Pacific during the next 7 days.

Bay of Bengal depression: Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha

Figures are from IMD National Bulletin No. 3 (position at 06:00 UTC Nov 15). The newest IMD bulletin replaces them; the next was due at 15:00 UTC Nov 15.

• Warning: A Pre-Cyclone Watch, the first of IMD’s four warning stages, is in force for the Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts.
• Strength: IMD forecasts a Severe Cyclonic Storm on Nov 17 and a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm late on Nov 18 India time. Its forecast table peaks at 75–81 mph (120–130 km/h), gusting to 90 mph (145 km/h), on Nov 19.
• Track and timing: IMD says the system will move northwest “towards Andhra Pradesh coast” after Nov 17. It has not yet given a landfall point or time.
• Rain: Heavy to very heavy rain is forecast for coastal Andhra Pradesh from Nov 18 to 20, with isolated extremely heavy falls of 8.3 inches (21 cm) or more in north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Nov 19–20. Odisha and Tamil Nadu also face heavy rain from Nov 17.
• Sea: IMD told boats at sea to return to the coast by Nov 15. It does not mention storm surge yet.
• Name: Once it becomes a Cyclonic Storm it is expected to be named Akvan, the next name on the regional list, according to Sambad English and The Week.

Outside the tropics

• US West: The NWS Weather Prediction Center (WPC) expects mountain snow Nov 15–16. It gives a 40–60% chance of more than 6 inches (15 cm) along I-80 near Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada.
• Texas coast: WPC has a Slight Risk (level 2 of 4) of excessive rain from Houston toward Corpus Christi, with a 20–60% chance of more than 5 inches (127 mm) in 24 hours.
• Italy: Storm Charles, which closed schools across Portugal from Nov 11, brought 154 mm (6.1 inches) of rain to Borgo Pace in Marche overnight on Nov 13–14, according to etvmarche.it.

WPC puts the odds of significant ice under 10% across the lower 48 states.

Fires

US fire activity is low, though the year’s totals remain well above average. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) situation report dated Saturday, Nov 14, 2026, puts the country at the lowest preparedness level.

Fires to know

• Range 47, Mississippi: 2,378 acres, 60% contained, 16 miles southeast of Hattiesburg. NIFC lists structures as threatened.
• Mud, Idaho: 2,096 acres, 50% contained, 26 miles southwest of Grand View. Rain fell over the area the day before the report.
• Bee Haven 2, Florida: 2,060 acres, 85% contained, 28 miles northwest of Lake City.

Elsewhere: The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) lists many large vegetation fires in Australia, South Sudan, Sudan, Botswana and Bolivia, all at green alert, its lowest level. The largest new Australian entries on Nov 15 cover about 12,900 acres (5,240 ha) each or less.

Floods

The deadliest new flood was in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where overnight storms left two people dead and two missing. Heavy rain fell from 17:00 on Nov 13 to 06:00 on Nov 14 local time. Ecuador’s risk agency (SNGR) counted 10 floods and one sinkhole across Guayas, Bolívar and Los Ríos, according to El Universo. National emergency committee president Roberto Luque confirmed two deaths. El Universo, citing SNGR, named them as a taxi driver in Pascuales and a teenager swept into the Estero Salado. Diario Extra reported that Luque did not identify the dead, and that a heart attack in the taxi driver’s case was not officially confirmed. Firefighters ended the search for an adult and a child swept into a canal in Florida Norte at 15:47 on Nov 14 without finding them, El Universo reported. The national weather service, Inamhi, kept a rain warning in force through Nov 15.

Also today

No major eruption was reported in the window, and volcano activity in US territory is steady.

• Kīlauea, Hawaii (Advisory/Yellow): The eruption is paused after episode 56 ended on Nov 5. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said on Nov 14 that the summit is reinflating and forecast the next lava-fountain episode for Nov 17–22.
• Great Sitkin, Alaska (Watch/Orange): Slow eruption of lava within the summit crater continues, with low-level earthquakes.
• Ahyi Seamount, Northern Mariana Islands (Advisory/Yellow): An underwater plume was seen in satellite data on Nov 13.
• Katmai, Alaska (Green/Normal): Wind lifted old ash from the 1912 eruption. This is not a new eruption.

What to watch in the next 24 hours

• Bay of Bengal: Whether the depression strengthens and IMD names a landfall area. IMD issues national bulletins several times a day; the next was due at 15:00 UTC (8:30 p.m. India time) Nov 15.
• South Pacific, Invest 95P: Whether it becomes a tropical cyclone. JTWC’s next routine outlook is due by 06:00 UTC Nov 16.
• Texas coast: Heavy rain Sunday night from Houston toward Corpus Christi. WPC and the NWS offices in Houston and Corpus Christi issue the flood watches and warnings.
• Western US mountains: Snow through Nov 16 in the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and northern Rockies. Local NWS offices issue winter weather alerts.
• Ecuador’s coast: More rain under the Inamhi warning through Nov 15. SNGR posts updated damage and casualty counts.

About this report

This report draws on official agency data (USGS, NHC, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the India Meteorological Department, NIFC, GDACS, the NWS Weather Prediction Center and the USGS Volcano Hazards Program) and on news reports that name their sources. The 24-hour window runs from 7:20 a.m. EST on Nov 14 to 7:20 a.m. EST on Nov 15 (12:20 to 12:20 UTC). Agency products are updated often, so figures may change after publication. US fire figures come from the most recent NIFC report, which is dated Nov 14.

Glossary

• Magnitude: A measure of the energy an earthquake releases, on a scale where each whole step is a large jump in energy.
• Depth: How far below the surface an earthquake starts. Deeper quakes usually cause less shaking at the surface.
• Depression: A tropical low-pressure system below storm strength. In the north Indian Ocean, IMD upgrades it to a Cyclonic Storm when winds strengthen.
• Invest: A weather system that forecasters are watching closely for possible development, tagged with a number and a basin letter.
• Preparedness level: NIFC’s 1-to-5 scale of how stretched US firefighting resources are. Level 1 is the lowest.

Frequently asked questions

Will a cyclone hit India this week? IMD forecasts the Bay of Bengal depression to become a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm and move toward the Andhra Pradesh coast after Nov 17. It has not named a landfall point or time. People on the Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts should follow IMD and state disaster authorities.

Is the Atlantic hurricane season over? Not yet. NHC is still issuing Atlantic outlooks, and its 1 a.m. EST outlook on Nov 15 said formation is not expected during the next 7 days.

Was the Fiji earthquake dangerous? It struck very deep, far below the surface, which limits shaking. USGS gave it a green alert, meaning little expected impact, and listed no tsunami.

Why are US fire totals so high when activity is low now? The year’s totals add up every fire since January, including the busy summer and autumn. Day-to-day activity in mid-November is light, with 92 new fires reported in NIFC’s latest daily figures.

Sources

Earthquakes

• USGS catalog query, magnitude 4.5+
• USGS earthquake count, all magnitudes
• USGS query, magnitude 6+ before the window

Storms

• NHC home page
• NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook
• NHC Eastern Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook
• Central Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook
• JTWC Western and South Pacific outlook
• JTWC Indian Ocean outlook
• IMD National Bulletin No. 3, Nov 15
• IMD Tropical Weather Outlook, 06:00 UTC Nov 15
• ANI: IMD predicts new cyclonic storm
• Sambad English: pre-cyclone watch
• Sambad English: Cyclone Akvan forecast
• The Week: depression to turn into cyclonic storm
• NWS Weather Prediction Center
• Euronews: Portugal closes schools over Storm Charles

Fires

• NIFC Incident Management Situation Report, Nov 14
• GDACS alert feed

Floods

• El Universo: two dead, two missing in Guayaquil
• El Universo: search in Florida Norte ends
• Diario Extra: Luque confirms two deaths
• Diario Extra: Guayaquil firefighters’ calls
• Rio Times: Ecuador floods hit three provinces
• Prensa Latina: Ecuador rains
• ANTARA: toddler dies in Central Aceh landslide
• Suara: Central Aceh landslide
• etvmarche.it: Metauro floods
• VietnamPlus: Lào Cai landslide
• CP24: Squamish boat tragedy
• AHA Centre weekly update, Nov 2–8
• UN OCHA Gaza situation report, Nov 13

Volcanoes and other hazards

• USGS volcano updates
• Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report