Daily Earthquakes, Storms, Fires & Floods Report — October 20, 2026

Oct 20, 2026

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

At a glance

Deadly flooding from Storm Adam in eastern Spain and a super typhoon over the Philippine Sea led a busy 24 hours, from 7:21 a.m. EDT Monday, October 19, to 7:21 a.m. EDT Tuesday, October 20, 2026 (11:21 UTC to 11:21 UTC).

• Floods: Storm Adam has killed at least five people in Spain, after rainfall ranked among the most intense on record.
• Storms: Super Typhoon Champi is far from land but forecast to strengthen. A nor’easter is pushing coastal flooding onto North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
• Earthquakes: A magnitude 6.3 offshore Vanuatu was the largest of 23 quakes of magnitude 4.5 or more. No tsunami threat was issued.
• Fires: The US is at its lowest national preparedness level, with no new large fires reported.
• Volcanoes: The latest weekly report lists four volcanoes with new activity, led by Krakatau’s raised alert.

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

Earthquakes

A sea-floor swarm northwest of Vanuatu produced the day’s largest quake, a magnitude 6.3, with no damage or tsunami reported. The ten largest of the 23 magnitude 4.5+ events are below, newest first.

What stands out

• Seven of the 23 events, including the day’s three largest, sat in one cluster about 120 miles (200 km) northwest of Port-Olry. A magnitude 6.0 hit the same area at 07:49 UTC on October 19, just before this window, according to GDACS.
• The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was “no tsunami threat” from the 6.3, AFP reported. USGS gave it a green PAGER alert, meaning low expected losses.
• A magnitude 5.3 struck off southeast Iceland at a shallow depth.

USGS listed 207 earthquakes of all sizes worldwide in its past-day feed, generated at 11:22 UTC on October 20. The magnitude 4.5+ list comes from the USGS catalog, searched at about 11:30 UTC. A 10 km depth is often a default value USGS assigns to shallow quakes.

Storms

Super Typhoon Champi is the only active tropical cyclone of note, and it has no land warnings yet. Off the US East Coast, a non-tropical storm is the more immediate hazard.

The Atlantic and Central Pacific have no tropical cyclones, the National Hurricane Center said.

Super Typhoon Champi

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) forecasts Champi to peak near 167 mph (145 kt) by 00:00 UTC Wednesday, October 21. Its track then bends north, with forecast points east of Taiwan by Saturday, October 24, as it weakens. The Philippine weather agency PAGASA placed it 1,605 km (997 mi) east of Central Luzon early Tuesday, with 195 km/h (121 mph) winds, Philstar reported. PAGASA expects its trough to bring rain to Catanduanes, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, with “possible flash floods or landslides.” JTWC’s figures are 1-minute average winds, so they differ from PAGASA’s. These figures date from 00:00 UTC; the newest JTWC warning and PAGASA bulletin replace them.

Nor’easter on the Outer Banks

A coastal low off North Carolina is bringing a multi-day coastal flood threat. At 3:23 a.m. EDT Tuesday, NWS Newport/Morehead City kept a Coastal Flood Warning for Hatteras and Ocracoke islands until 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday. It forecasts “up to 2 to 4 feet” of inundation above ground and breaking waves of 9 to 13 feet on Hatteras. “Vulnerable portions of NC-12 may be inundated, especially around high tide,” the office said, warning visitors could be stranded for days. The Weather Prediction Center expects gusts “in excess of 45 mph” on the Outer Banks and Virginia Tidewater. NHC gives the low a 30% chance of becoming subtropical or tropical within 48 hours. These figures date from the 3:23 a.m. statement; newer NWS statements replace them.

Fires

US fire activity is light, but the season’s totals remain well above normal. Figures are from the National Interagency Fire Center report dated Monday, October 19, 7:30 a.m. MDT.

Fires to know

• Cooley Fire, California: 1,037 acres and 15% contained, 4 miles south of Yorkville (Cal Fire Mendocino Unit), with 790 personnel assigned.
• Henderson Fire, California: 3,226 acres and 85% contained on Camp Pendleton near Oceanside. Critical infrastructure was listed as threatened, with road closures.
• Ridge Fire, Michigan: 466 acres and 50% contained, 6 miles north of Negaunee, with structures threatened.

Elsewhere: GDACS logged a run of green-level (low-impact) wildfire alerts in Australia, Zambia and Botswana. The largest, in Australia, covered 14,485 hectares (about 35,800 acres).

Floods

Storm Adam brought some of the heaviest rain on record to Spain’s Valencia region, and the death toll has risen to at least five. Euronews and The Olive Press both reported five deaths on Tuesday morning. Earlier reports gave four (AFP and Reuters, via Al Jazeera) and at least three (The Weather Channel, Monday evening US time). The Olive Press lists two deaths in Oliva, a woman who drowned near Sagunto, a woman swept away by a stream in Barcelona province and a man killed by falling rock near Benaoján, Málaga. Authorities are checking whether a farmer found near Oliva died in the storm, which would make six. Oliva recorded 600 mm (23.6 in) in 24 hours; Pego had 632 mm (24.9 in) in 36 hours, Euronews reported. The Civil Guard has evacuated more than 2,100 people and rescued almost 500. AEMET, Spain’s weather agency, kept warnings in nine provinces on Tuesday.

The Olive Press counted 142 municipalities under stay-at-home orders; Euronews counted 145.

Also today

Volcanic activity is steady, with no major new eruption in the past day. The latest Smithsonian/USGS weekly report for October 8 to 14 lists 27 active volcanoes, four with new activity.

• Krakatau, Indonesia: the alert was raised to level 3 of 4 on October 9, with the public told to stay 5 km (3 mi) from the summit.
• Nevados de Chillán, Chile: ash rose up to 860 m (2,800 ft) above the summit on October 8, and a preventive early alert covers Pinto and Coihueco.
• Manam, Papua New Guinea: ash plumes reached 7,000 ft (2.1 km) on several days.
• Ongoing: Kanlaon in the Philippines sent ash 5 to 6 km (3 to 4 mi) above its summit on October 10. Popocatépetl’s ash reached 20,000 to 24,000 ft (6.1 to 7.3 km).

No tsunami was reported in the past day.

What to watch in the next 24 hours

• Champi’s peak: JTWC warnings at 15:00 and 21:00 UTC Tuesday will show whether it reaches the forecast 167 mph. PAGASA issues Philippine bulletins.
• Outer Banks tides: Wednesday’s high tides are the next test for NC-12. NWS Newport/Morehead City updates its coastal hazard message through the day.
• Spain recovery: Prime Minister Sánchez is due in Oliva at 12:30 p.m. local time Tuesday. AEMET updates warnings for Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.
• Eastern Pacific system 94E: NHC gives a 90% chance of a tropical depression forming within 48 hours, well offshore of southern Mexico.
• Near Seychelles: JTWC rates Invest 93S, about 47 nautical miles north of the Seychelles, a high chance of becoming a significant tropical cyclone within 24 hours.

About this report

This report draws on the USGS earthquake catalog, the National Hurricane Center, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the National Weather Service, the National Interagency Fire Center, GDACS, the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program and named news outlets. The 24 hours run from 11:21 UTC Monday to 11:21 UTC Tuesday. Agency reports lag events by hours to a week, and casualty counts often change as searches continue.

Glossary

• Magnitude: a measure of an earthquake’s size; each whole step marks a large jump in energy released.
• PAGER alert: a USGS estimate of likely deaths and losses, from green (low) to red (high).
• Inundation: water depth above normally dry ground, not total water level.
• Preparedness level: a 1-to-5 US scale of wildfire activity and demand on firefighting resources.
• Invest: a weather system forecasters are watching closely for possible tropical development.

Frequently asked questions

Why was the Spain flood so deadly? Rain fell faster than streams and streets could drain it. Pego recorded 430 mm (16.9 in) in just six hours, Euronews reported. Flash floods trapped people in homes, cars and campsites.

Will Super Typhoon Champi hit the Philippines? Current JTWC forecast points keep it over the sea, turning north east of Taiwan later this week. PAGASA expects only its outer rain bands to affect eastern islands. Forecasts can shift, so check the latest bulletins.

Did the Vanuatu earthquake cause a tsunami? No. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat, and no damage was reported. The quake struck far offshore, northwest of Vanuatu.

Is the nor’easter a hurricane? No. NHC describes it as a non-tropical low attached to a frontal boundary. It still brings coastal flooding, high surf and strong gusts to North Carolina.