Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.2 Earthquake hits Tonga.
5.0 Earthquake hits Samoa.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the North Atlantic:
Tropical Storm Nicole is located about 365 mi…585 km S of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds…60 mph…95 km/h. Present movement…NNW or 335 degrees at 5 mph…7 km/h.
In the Eastern Pacific:
Invest 98E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for further tropical development.
Invest 99E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for further tropical development.
In the Western Pacific:
Typhoon 23w (Songda), located approximately 537 nm southeast of Yokosuka, Japan, is tracking northwestward at 10 knots.
Newsbytes:
North Carolina, USA – Residents in central North Carolina were told late Monday (Oct 10) to evacuate their homes amid fears that rising floodwaters from Hurricane Matthew could breach a dam, adding to a storm toll of 19 dead. Officials in Moore county ordered a mandatory evacuation ahead of an imminent breach of Woodlake Dam, WRAL TV reported. Evacuations have also been ordered for two more counties along the Neuse River. Meanwhile, lengthy sections of Interstate 95 remained closed Tuesday – along with dozens of other major highways in Eastern North Carolina – and transportation officials aren’t sure when traffic can resume, since the floodwaters are continuing to rise.
Disease
Egypt – Bird Flu
Egypt has reported 356 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) since March 2006, including 121 deaths, according to The World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region Office (EMRO). During the first nine months of 2016, 10 cases have been reported. Four of the patients died from the dangerous viral disease.
Niger – Rift Valley fever update
In an update on the Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreak in western Niger, the World Health Organization (WHO) puts the case tally at 90, including 28 deaths, according to a Thomson Reuters Foundation report. The outbreak started in August in the Tahoua region. The fear from UN health officials is that the viral disease my spread in West Africa.
Tiger mosquitoes spread north as Temperatures rise
Asian tiger mosquitoes that can transmit dengue, Zika fever and other diseases have spread to the northern tip of Japan’s main Honshu island due to global warming.
In the past it was too cold for the insects to make their home in Aomori Prefecture, but large numbers of them were found this year.
The northern limit of the mosquitoes’ habitat was previously Iwate and Akita prefectures, both of which are southern neighbours of Aomori Prefecture, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).
Volcanos
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Etna (Sicily, Italy): (10 Oct) While on excursion in the summit area of Etna today, our guides felt an earthquake at noon. At 15:26, a sudden explosion occurred from the Bocca Nuova crater (the westernmost of the summit vents). Currently, the nature of the event (phreatic explosion?) is unknown. The thermal webcam from the western side shows an ash plume of a few hundred meters height and a weak hot spot caused by the event.