Daily Earthquakes, Storms, Fires & Floods Report — October 30, 2026

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather · Oct 30, 2026

At a glance

A Category 4 typhoon bearing down on the remote northern Mariana Islands and cyclone floods in eastern India led a busy day. This report covers the 24 hours from 7:25 a.m. EDT Thursday, October 29, to 7:25 a.m. EDT Friday, October 30, 2026 (11:25 UTC to 11:25 UTC).

• Storms: Typhoon In-fa was forecast to pass over or near Agrihan in the Northern Mariana Islands on Friday night local time, with a Typhoon Warning for Agrihan, Pagan and Alamagan. Eastern Pacific storm Vance dissipated off Mexico.
• Floods: Rain from former Cyclone Arnab flooded more than 1,000 villages in Odisha, India. Flash floods killed at least five people in northern Syria.
• Earthquakes: An average day. The largest quake was a magnitude 6.2, deep under northern Vanuatu, with no damage reported.
• Fires: US activity is light, at national Preparedness Level 1. Large grass and bush fires burned in Botswana, Nigeria and China.
• Also today: Mayon volcano in the Philippines erupted, and Etna in Italy produced an ash cloud.

National weather services and local authorities issue the official warnings. Follow them in any emergency.

Earthquakes

The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded 15 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater in the window, none of them damaging. The eight largest are below.

Seven smaller events of magnitude 4.5 to 4.6 struck around the western Pacific, from Japan and the Kuril Islands to Vanuatu.

What stands out

• Vanuatu M6.2: At 89 miles (143 km) deep, it produced only light shaking. USGS gave a green PAGER alert and no tsunami flag. It adds to a busy month in northern Vanuatu, which had a magnitude 6.0 on October 28.
• Poland M4.7: This was a mine tremor at KGHM’s Polkowice-Sieroszowice copper mine, felt in Glogow, Polkowice and Lubin. KGHM said all miners in the danger zone reached the surface safely, and no injuries were reported (WP).
• Just outside the window: A magnitude 6.4 struck southeast of Easter Island at 07:49 UTC on October 29, far from land.

USGS counted 197 earthquakes of all sizes worldwide in the window. Source: USGS catalog query, searched at 11:25 UTC on October 30.

Storms

Typhoon In-fa is the one tropical cyclone threatening land, aimed at three sparsely populated islands north of Saipan. The Atlantic is quiet, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects no formation there in the next seven days.

In the Indian Ocean, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) gives Invest 91B in the Andaman Sea a low chance of becoming a significant cyclone within 24 hours.

Typhoon In-fa: Northern Mariana Islands

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Guam has a Typhoon Warning for Alamagan, Pagan and Agrihan. Its Advisory 23A (4:40 p.m. ChST Thursday) said In-fa would track “over or near Agrihan Friday night.” A later NWS forecast, reported by Weatherboy, put the eye about 8 miles from Agrihan around 8 p.m. ChST Friday (10:00 UTC, 6 a.m. EDT). No reports of impacts were available at the time of writing.

NWS forecasts as reported by Weatherboy on October 29:

• Wind: 110 to 130 mph on Agrihan, gusts to 180 mph near the center; 80 to 100 mph on Pagan and Alamagan.
• Rain: 8 to 12 inches on Agrihan through Saturday; 6 to 10 inches on Pagan and Alamagan.
• Surge and surf: coastal inundation of 3 to 6 feet on Agrihan and 2 to 4 feet on Pagan and Alamagan; reef surf of 13 to 19 feet.
• Saipan and Tinian: a high surf warning with 12- to 18-foot waves on north- and east-facing reefs, and minor coastal flooding up to 1 foot.

CNMI Gov. David M. Apatang maintained Typhoon Condition III for the three islands, and residents were urged to stay in safe shelter until sunrise Saturday. JTWC expects In-fa to stay near 138 mph through Saturday, then weaken slowly. These figures will be replaced by the newest NWS Guam advisory and JTWC warning.

Remnants of Vance: Mexico and the US Southwest

NHC issued its final advisory on Vance at 8 p.m. MST Thursday. It said remnant moisture would “enhance rainfall over the Southwestern United States and Southern Plains leading to a threat of flash flooding over the next few days.” It also warned of “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” on Mexico’s southwest coast and southern Baja California.

Fires

US wildfire activity is light, but the season’s totals remain well above average. Figures are from the National Interagency Fire Center report dated 7:30 a.m. MDT Thursday, October 29.

Fires to know

• Sisi Fire, Washington: 4,743 acres in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, 34% contained, with residences threatened.
• Ridge Fire, Michigan: 496 acres, 50% contained, with structures threatened.
• Austin Fire, Oregon: 12,888 acres on the Mt. Hood National Forest, 98% contained.

No structures have been lost on any listed large fire. Elsewhere, the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) flagged green-level fires in Botswana (21,070 hectares, about 52,000 acres), China (5,088 hectares, about 12,600 acres) and Nigeria.

Floods

Odisha in eastern India faces the most serious flooding, after the remains of Cyclone Arnab dropped 546 mm (21.5 in) of rain on Patrapur in 24 hours. Flooding has affected 299 villages in Ganjam and 711 in Gajapati, and 59,028 people have been evacuated across nine districts (Daily Pioneer). The Rushikulya River reached 19 m (62 ft) at Purushottampur, above its 16.8 m (55 ft) danger level. A coast guard helicopter winched six people from a flooded health center. About 300 m (1,000 ft) of National Highway 326 washed away, and at least 36 trains were cancelled (National Herald). No deaths have been reported in Odisha. In Andhra Pradesh, where Arnab made landfall on October 28, the toll differs by source (see table).

Also today

Mayon volcano in the Philippines had a moderately explosive eruption at about 11:50 a.m. local time on October 30 (03:50 UTC). The gray plume rose about 3,000 m (9,800 ft) above the crater. The volcano is at Alert Level 3, and Phivolcs advised evacuating the 6 km (3.7 mi) Permanent Danger Zone (GMA News). Sources differ on the exact minute.

• Etna, Italy: the aviation color code went to red on October 29 for a weak ash emission up to about 13,000 ft (4 km); Catania airport stayed open (EtnaWatch).
• Kilauea, Hawaii: the eruption is paused; USGS forecasts the next lava fountain episode for November 1 to 7.
• Great Sitkin, Alaska: remains at Watch/Orange with slow lava effusion in its summit crater.
• Tsunamis: none reported.

What to watch in the next 24 hours

• Typhoon In-fa’s passage: first reports from Agrihan, Pagan and Alamagan, and when the warnings are lifted. NWS Guam advisories, and JTWC warnings every six hours (at 03:00, 09:00, 15:00 and 21:00 UTC).
• Odisha rivers: whether the Rushikulya keeps rising and whether stranded villagers are airlifted out. Updates from the Odisha government and its relief commissioner.
• Flash floods in Texas and Oklahoma: Friday’s risk from Vance’s moisture across West and Central Texas into northern Oklahoma. NWS local offices and the Weather Prediction Center.
• Bay of Bengal: India’s weather service (IMD) expects a low over the South Andaman Sea to become a depression around October 31. IMD bulletins and JTWC outlooks.
• Pacific southeast of Hawaii: a broad low may form this weekend, with a 30% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in seven days. NHC and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center outlooks every six hours.

About this report

This report draws on official agencies (USGS, NHC, JTWC, NWS, NIFC, GDACS) and on news reports, all checked on the morning of October 30, 2026. The 24-hour window runs from 11:25 UTC October 29 to 11:25 UTC October 30. Casualty figures are early and often change; tolls are given with their source. Storm details change with every advisory.

Glossary

• Magnitude: a measure of the energy an earthquake releases. Each whole number is about 32 times more energy.
• Depth: how far below the surface a quake starts. Deep quakes usually cause weaker shaking at the surface.
• Typhoon Warning: typhoon-force winds of 74 mph (119 km/h) or more are expected in the area.
• Storm surge: sea water pushed ashore by a storm’s winds, flooding normally dry coast.
• Preparedness Level: a 1-to-5 US scale of wildfire activity and demand for firefighting resources. Level 1 is the lowest.

Frequently asked questions

Is Guam or Saipan in danger from Typhoon In-fa? Not directly. NWS Guam expected generally fair weather for Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan, with the main threat in the far northern islands. Saipan and Tinian still face dangerous surf on north- and east-facing reefs.

Why is Odisha flooding after the cyclone has weakened? Arnab’s remains dropped extreme rain on Ganjam and Gajapati districts as the storm faded. That water drains into rivers such as the Rushikulya, which was still above danger level, so flooding can last after the rain eases.

Did the Vanuatu earthquake cause a tsunami? No. USGS issued no tsunami flag, and the quake was about 89 miles deep, too deep to lift the sea floor much. Shaking at the surface was light.

Will the remains of Vance bring flooding to Texas? Flash flooding is possible in parts of West and Central Texas and Oklahoma on Friday. Fox Weather put the risk at Level 1 of 4, with 1 to 2 inches of rain and isolated 3-inch totals. Check local NWS flood watches and warnings.

Sources

Earthquakes

• USGS M4.5+ catalog query
• USGS count, all magnitudes
• USGS M6+ query, October 27-29
• USGS event us7000tu4f, Vanuatu M6.2
• WP: KGHM mine tremor
• innpoland: KGHM miners safe

Storms

• National Hurricane Center
• NHC Remnants of Vance Advisory 35
• NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook
• NHC Eastern Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook
• CPHC Central Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook
• JTWC Western Pacific advisory
• JTWC Indian Ocean advisory
• JTWC Typhoon 30W (In-fa) Warning 24
• NWS Guam Advisory 23A, Typhoon In-fa
• Weatherboy: Typhoon In-fa takes aim at northern Mariana Islands

Fires

• NIFC Incident Management Situation Report, October 29
• GDACS alert feed

Floods

• Daily Pioneer: Arnab floods over 1,000 Odisha villages
• Daily Pioneer: Six dead in Andhra
• National Herald: Odisha evacuates over 59,000
• The Watchers: Arnab rain in Odisha
• The Watchers: Arnab landfall
• Al Jazeera: Flash floods kill five in Syria
• WSWS: Thailand floods
• Capital FM via AllAfrica: Tana River floods
• BNPB situation report, October 29
• Fox Weather: Vance fuels Texas flood threat
• Linea Directa: Vance rain in Sinaloa
• The Watchers: Florida king tides
• KTOO: Ex-typhoon Champi and western Alaska

Volcanoes

• GMA News: Mayon eruption live updates
• Gulf News: Mayon erupts
• EtnaWatch
• USGS HVO Kilauea update, October 29
• USGS AVO update, October 29