Daily Earthquakes, Storms, Fires & Floods Report — October 22, 2026

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather · Oct 22, 2026

At a glance

Typhoon Champi closing on Taiwan was the main hazard in the 24 hours from 7:20 a.m. EDT Wednesday, October 21, to 7:20 a.m. EDT Thursday, October 22 (11:20 UTC to 11:20 UTC); elsewhere the day was mostly quiet.

• Storms: Taiwan put four eastern and southern counties under a typhoon land warning, with Champi expected to pass close on Friday. Josephine and Vance are at sea with no coastal warnings.
• Earthquakes: quiet. The largest was a magnitude 5.3 on the remote Reykjanes Ridge, and none caused reported damage.
• Floods: flash flooding hit the Santa Barbara area overnight without reported injuries. Ecuador’s rain-driven floods continue.
• Fires: US activity is light, at the lowest national preparedness level.
• Volcanoes: no major new eruption; Krakatau remains at an elevated alert level.

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

Earthquakes

It was a quiet day for earthquakes: 20 events of magnitude 4.5 or greater, none above 5.3 and none with a USGS impact alert. The ten largest are below (depths in miles, kilometers in brackets).

Two more magnitude 4.8 events (south of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea, and the Reykjanes Ridge) tie the last row.

What stands out

• Reykjanes Ridge swarm. Four events of magnitude 4.8 to 5.3 struck the ridge southwest of Iceland, far offshore.
• Vanuatu aftershocks. Six events of magnitude 4.7 to 5.0 hit the same offshore area west-northwest of Port-Olry. They follow a magnitude 6.3 quake there at 04:20 UTC on October 20, just before this window, which USGS rated green (low impact).
• Namibia. A magnitude 4.9 near Khorixas is notable for a region with little seismicity; USGS shows two felt reports and no damage.

USGS counts 209 earthquakes of all sizes worldwide in the window. Source: USGS catalog, M4.5+ query, searched at 11:21 UTC on October 22.

Storms

Typhoon Champi is the storm that matters most today: Taiwan has issued land and sea warnings, and the storm is forecast to pass close to the island on Friday. Four tropical cyclones are active worldwide.

Josephine has no coastal watches or warnings. NHC expects it to become “a powerful extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds by early Friday” well offshore. NHC says gale-force gusts are possible along parts of the northeastern US coast today, and “minor to locally moderate coastal flooding is ongoing” along parts of the Mid-Atlantic coast.

Vance has no watches or warnings either. NHC forecasts rapid intensification and says it should become a major hurricane by Saturday. Swells are expected to reach southern and southwestern Mexico this weekend.

The Central Pacific is quiet; a low expected near the Date Line has a 20 to 30 percent chance of forming within seven days.

Typhoon Champi: Taiwan and the southern Ryukyu Islands

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued sea and land warnings at 11:30 a.m. local time Thursday (03:30 UTC). The land warning covers Yilan, Hualien, Taitung and Pingtung counties, according to the Taipei Times. The newest advisory replaces the figures below.

• Position and strength (CWA, 11 a.m. Thursday Taiwan time, 03:00 UTC): about 323 mi (520 km) east-southeast of Eluanbi, Taiwan’s southern tip. Moving northwest at 9 to 12 mph (15 to 20 km/h). Sustained winds 114 mph (184 km/h), gusts 141 mph (227 km/h), radius 199 mi (320 km). CWA uses a 10-minute average, so its winds read lower than JTWC’s.
• Timing: CWA says Champi will pass close to Taiwan on Friday and could “slow down or stall” near the island’s terrain. It is forecast to move away on Saturday afternoon (Focus Taiwan).
• Rain: CWA estimates 24 to 35 in (600 to 900 mm) in the mountains of northern and northeastern Taiwan from Thursday through Saturday (Focus Taiwan).
• Wind: CWA forecasts gusts up to Beaufort level 12 along the east and northeast coasts, the Hengchun Peninsula, Lanyu and Green Island.
• Landslide dam: the National Fire Agency asked Hualien County to evacuate residents downstream of the Wanli Creek landslide dam, which holds 5 million metric tons of water.
• Travel: Japan Airlines and ANA cancelled many flights at Okinawa-area island airports, including Naha, Miyako and Ishigaki, from October 22 to 24. Taiwanese carriers cancelled several Okinawa and outlying-island flights (AeroCorner).

JTWC forecasts steady weakening, to 75 mph (65 kt) by early Saturday UTC, and expects Champi to become extratropical by Sunday. No casualties had been reported in the pages reviewed.

Fires

US wildfire activity is light, at the lowest national preparedness level, though the season’s totals remain well above average. Figures are from the National Interagency Fire Center report dated Wednesday, October 21, 0730 MDT.

Fires to know

• Sisi Fire, Washington (Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest): 4,743 acres (1,919 ha), 34% contained. NIFC lists residences as threatened.
• Grasshopper Fire, Oregon (Mt. Hood National Forest): 93,972 acres (38,029 ha), 98% contained, with minimal fire behavior and closures in effect.
• Timber Fire, California (Los Padres National Forest, near Big Sur): 25,350 acres (10,259 ha), 97% contained.

Elsewhere: GDACS posted green-level (low impact) wildfire notices in Australia, Botswana and South Sudan. The largest, in Australia, covered about 53,180 acres (21,523 ha). One in Botswana covered about 21,520 acres (8,708 ha) with 13 people affected.

Floods

No major new flood disaster was reported in the window; the newest flooding hit Santa Barbara County, California, on Wednesday night. The National Weather Service issued a series of flash flood warnings for Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpinteria and Summerland. Law enforcement reported flash flooding, and NWS warned of rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches (25 to 51 mm) per hour, with rock slides and mudslides (KEYT). No evacuation orders had been issued as of Wednesday night, and no injuries were reported (Noozhawk).

Also today

No major eruption or tsunami was reported in the window. The latest Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report covers October 8 to 14 and lists four volcanoes with new activity and 23 with continuing eruptions.

• Krakatau, Indonesia: the alert level was raised to 3 (of 4) on October 9. The public is advised to stay 3 mi (5 km) from the summit.
• Nevados de Chillán, Chile: ash plumes rose up to about 2,820 ft (860 m) above the summit; the alert level stays at Yellow.
• Manam, Papua New Guinea: ash plumes reached about 7,000 ft (2.1 km) above sea level.
• Marapi, Indonesia: one eruptive event was recorded on October 13; the alert level stays at 2 (of 4).

Continuing eruptions include Etna, Kīlauea, Popocatépetl, Semeru, Sheveluch and Stromboli.

What to watch in the next 24 hours

• Typhoon Champi near Taiwan: CWA expects the closest pass on Friday, with rainbands reaching land early Friday. CWA updates its warnings through the day; JTWC issues warnings every six hours.
• Hualien landslide dam: residents below the Wanli Creek dam are being evacuated. Updates come from Taiwan’s National Fire Agency and Hualien County.
• Tropical Storm Vance: NHC forecasts rapid strengthening. The next NHC advisory is at 9 a.m. CST (15:00 UTC) Thursday.
• Josephine’s transition offshore: the next NHC advisory is at 11 a.m. AST (15:00 UTC) Thursday. Coastal flood alerts come from local NWS offices.
• Ecuador rains: the national weather service, Inamhi, expects rain through Thursday. Ecuador’s risk agency, the SNGR, publishes updated tolls.

About this report

This report draws on official catalogs and advisories (USGS, NHC, JTWC, Taiwan’s CWA, NIFC, GDACS, the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program) and on news reports, each linked below. The 24-hour window runs from 7:20 a.m. EDT Wednesday to 7:20 a.m. EDT Thursday (11:20 UTC to 11:20 UTC). Some sources update on their own schedules: the NIFC figures are from Wednesday morning, and the volcano report covers the week to October 14. Early tolls often change.

Glossary

• Magnitude: a measure of the energy an earthquake releases. Each whole step means about 32 times more energy.
• Extratropical cyclone: a storm powered by temperature contrasts rather than warm ocean water. It can still bring hurricane-force winds.
• 1-minute and 10-minute winds: US agencies average winds over one minute; most others, including Taiwan and Japan, use ten minutes, which gives lower numbers for the same storm.
• Preparedness level: the US national wildfire readiness scale, from 1 (low) to 5 (highest).
• DANA: the Spanish term for a cut-off low, a slow-moving upper-level low that can cause extreme rain.

Frequently asked questions

Will Typhoon Champi make landfall in Taiwan? CWA forecasts the storm to pass close to Taiwan on Friday and says it could slow or stall near the island. Its director said the storm would “envelop the entire Taiwan” after landfall. Exact landfall depends on the track, so the latest CWA warning is the guide.

Is Josephine a danger to the US East Coast? No coastal watches or warnings are in effect, and the storm is moving out to sea. The main US effects are gusty winds, large surf and coastal flooding from the earlier nor’easter and Josephine’s swells.

Why were there so many earthquakes near Vanuatu? They are aftershocks of the magnitude 6.3 earthquake on October 20. Aftershocks commonly continue for days or weeks after a large quake, usually becoming smaller and less frequent.

Is the US wildfire season over? Not entirely. Activity is light, but several large fires are still burning in the West, and this year’s fire count and acreage are well above the 10-year average.