Autumn 2026 Continues Summer’s Parade of Climate Disasters
OCTOBER 2026 HOTTES October ever | Extraordinary heat persists in Japan and China | December, February, March and August were all the hottest ever documented in Colorado | The US west has lost nearly 300 glaciers since the 1960s | Half of world’s reef-building coral species face extinction risk | According to a new report published in the journal BioScience, “Earth’s climate system is moving deeper into uncharted territory.” | The Trump Administration has severely cut disaster relief funds, resulting in a growing list of places that are unable to recover | Berkeley Earth’s newly updated data show August 2026 at +3.0°F globally — nearly 1.7°C above the late-19th-century average | Four people died and at least six remained missing after Typhoon Dujuan brought 33 inches of rain 48 hours, across eastern Japan, triggering flooding, landslides, and widespread disruption to power and transport
global warming trends
global warming events
Historic violent weather rips East and West USA
There is repeat lethal flooding in “four corners” and Florida is has been hit by crazy flash flooding, that has surprised even meteorologists. The region of Palm Bay and Melbourne was inundated with 12 – 24 -inches of rain.
Meanwhile, Arizona’s rivers and washes are overrun with floodwaters, following 72 hours of historic rainfall that began Oct. 30. Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a statewide state of emergency. Arizona’s rivers and washes are overrun with floodwaters, following 72 hours of historic rainfall that began Oct. 30. Apache, Gila, and Yavapai counties and the cities of Camp Verde, Prescott and Sedona have declared their own states of emergency.
The atmospheric river dumped about five times that quantity of water generally expected in desert southwest.
Cars swept out to sea in Los Cabos, Mexico record deluge
Los Cabos, Mexico was overwhelmed by flash floods October 29, changing the desert roads into a dangerous rivers. Described by authorities as unprecedented, the atmospheric plume triggered mass evacuations in the coastal area. Cars were seen being swept out to sea. In some places, up to seven inches of rain fell in an hour, breaking all time records.
As is the case with dry desert climate, the hard baked earth is not able to absorb this amount of rain over a short period. The normally dry arroyos in the area quickly became lethal rivers.
Brutal storm smashes Rhodes, Greece and Turkey
Schools and businesses were closed on the southeastern Mediterranean Sea island of Rhodes as a dangerous weather system drove flash flooding across the region. The same system The storm also caused triggered a rock slide in Greece as streets flowed with brown water and heavy rain wrecked water supply facilities, sewage and municipal lighting networks.
Heavy rainfall also caused flooding in the large city of Bodrum, in Türkiye’s Muğla Province. Dozens of homes and commercial properties were destroyed and at least on car was swept into the sea.
Another Glacial Lake Outburst Flood displaces 10,000
The Indian states of West Bengal and Assam are the scene of yet another South Asian glacier lake outburst, this time in Bhutan. Early reports indicate about 10,000 people evacuated.
The October 29 outburst was located at Shintaphu Lake, below Wakila Mountain in Gasa district in northern Bhutan. While on a much smaller scale than the catastrophic August 2026 event in Nepal, this glacier collapse is the result of the same forces at work in Alpine regions around the world.
A glacial lake outburst occurs when water held in a lake formed by melting glaciers is suddenly released, often because the natural barrier holding it back fails. Shintaphu is among Bhutan’s potentially dangerous of the 17 glacial lakes in Bhutan.
Record flooding in California is a bit little more than high tides
Watching certain reporting describe the record flooding in California as “King Tides” is like describing Exxon Valdez as an oil leak. Yeh, there are tides involved but it’s the unprecedented ocean heat generated by this El Niño and the associated Kelvin wave that’s driving this event. It’s not that there are never high tides in California. The El Niño marine heat event is causing seawater levels to rise somewhere between 1 and 2 feet higher than they otherwise would. On October 26, a full moon coincided with warmer than normal waters to ramp up high tides in Southern California. Ocean temperatures have been affected not only by human-caused climate change but also an El Niño-fueled Kelvin wave that brings warmer water from the equatorial Pacific Ocean up and down the coast of the Americas, and a months-old marine heat wave unrelated to El Niño.
Detachment landslide is new type of Arctic destabilization
PERMAFROST DETACHMENT SLIDES There’s a new type of landslide affecting northern latitudes that adds more crazy to the events driven by rapid permafrost thaw. These landslides, called permafrost detachment slides, occur in areas with relatively thin permafrost and are related to the increase in Arctic wildfires.
“It has been stable, and then it just flipped a switch, essentially.” – Joseph Young
Such slides have not been observed in the region before and may be unprecedented over the past 10,000 years or more, said study leader Joseph Young, who completed the work as part of his doctoral degree at the University of Alberta.
El Niño + Kelvin wave gang up on SoCal with record tide
It’s not that there are never high tides in California. The problem is that the El Niño marine heat event is causing seawater levels to rise somewhere between 1 and 2 feet higher than they otherwise would. On October 26, a full moon coincided with warmer than normal waters to ramp up high tides in Southern California. Ocean temperatures have been affected not only by human-caused climate change but also an El Niño-fueled Kelvin wave that brings warmer water from the equatorial Pacific Ocean up and down the coast of the Americas, and a months-old marine heat wave unrelated to El Niño.
Massive oil spill off the UAE coast continues to grow
A 300 sq. mi. oil spill from a damaged tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates has prompted authorities to close several beaches across northern emirates. Hundreds of unique species of the region are threatened by another major human disaster. Satellite imagery shows the oil spreading toward Umm Al Quwain, amid rising maritime security risks in the region due to ongoing conflict.
The spill is originating from the vessel Gem No. 2, which was reportedly struck by an unidentified projectile in September, most likely related to Donald Trump’s holy war.
Out of control Wildfires leave 12 dead in Peru
Forest fires fueled by El Niño have killed 12 people and left hundreds homeless in Peru since June, authorities in the Andean country said Wednesday. Most of the victims were farmers who died of injuries sustained while trying to fight the flames, the National Emergency Operations Center. The worst-affected region was Cusco, where a fire broke out near the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu earlier this month. have consumed more than 1,000 hectares of farmland and destroyed around 100 homes
Flash floods in Four Corners follow violent storms
Severe flooding in the Four Corners region October 23 led to mass evacuations and rooftop water rescues, along with impassable roads and smashed infrastructure. The area encompasses the intersection of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Authorities issued varying orders from mandatory evacuations to shelter in place.
It followed several busy days of flooding in the region that swamped dozens of homes in Utah. Earlier in the week, tornadoes blew off roofs, knocked trees on to houses and downed power lines in Arizona. At least one person was injured.
Killer Storm Boelo brings historical floods to Scotland
Disturbed and unsettle weather brought widespread flooding overnight to coastal towns across Scotland in the second extreme weather to hit the country in a in a week.
Dozens of coastal towns were deluged during Storm Boelo as Scotland clocked wind gusts exceeding 85 mph. Flooding brought extensive damage to property.
“26 years of being here and it’s the highest it’s ever been.”
Heavy rainfall has caused coastal and surface flooding in towns including Largs, Dumbarton and Rothesay on the west coast.
Rockslides, mud and floods inundate Thailand
Relentless downpours caused runoff that washed large rocks and mud into local communities and tourist venues in this southern island province on October 26. Six inches of rain pounded Phuket over 24 hours, generating a mess of mudslides and debris runoff that caused extensive damage downstream. Shopfront windows were shattered and many vehicles inundated.
Patong municipality opened shelters for affected householders at its office as work crews cleared away the rocks, mud and accumulating garbage. The torrential rain also caused flash floods in parts of Muang and Thalang districts. Story here.
global warming trends
Say what? Tropical virus mosquitos invade Switzerland
The chikungunya virus has been transmitted locally in Switzerland for the first time, in Ticino. The virus is transmitted by the tiger mosquito which is not normally found in cooler climates. It is however, found in warmer climates. The affected individuals had not recently traveled to areas where the virus is circulating.
Chikungunya is found primarily in tropical and subtropical regions. Numerous countries in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Central and South America are particularly affected. There have also been local outbreaks in Europe, including in Italy and France.
This story comes a few months after the first reports of malaria mosquitos in Iceland.
Christmas tree shortage in UK reflects tough summer
This may seem like a fairly innocuous post, but it is a reflection of the kinds of non-critical shortages that are beginning to be felt. In this case, it’s simply that young trees planet in 2026 died by the thousands. Christmas tree growers have warned of potential shortages in the coming years after Britain’s record-breaking summer heat and prolonged drought killed thousands of newly planted trees and damaged established crops.
Sea Ice in Antarctica falls to crazy new lows
Shocking new research published in the journal Science Advances shows that sea ice off the coast of the Antarctic continent has dropped to an all time low. According to the report, the precipitous decline is due to a series of interconnected climate change-driven phenomena. According to the report, until 2015 sea-ice levels in the continent were increasing, but that trend then reversed itself abruptly. Around 2013, global warming driven wind pattern changes began drawing warm, saline water from the deep ocean closer to the surface. In 2015, intense wind mixed the deeper heat directly into the surface layer, rapidly melting sea ice. Since 2018, the ice-ocean system has been trapped in a cycle where – with less ice to melt – the surface remains salty and warm so that ice cannot recover.
44% of reef-building coral species face extinction
Nearly 44% of the world’s reef-building coral species face extinction due to global warming-driven rising ocean temperatures, according to a new study. The research, published in October in the scientific journal Nature. The group reviewed 892 reef-building coral species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, drawing on data and expertise from more than 60 coral experts around the world. It is the first full update since the 2008 global assessment of reef-building corals. That study concluded around one-third of species were found to be threatened.
Of the 774 species with enough data to be classified, 340 fall into the highest-risk categories: 33 are critically endangered, 251 endangered and 56 vulnerable.
Last glaciers in Africa are disappearing this year
More than 90% of the continent’s historically measured glacier area is gone. Scientists are racing to preserve the climate information locked in the remaining ice.
A high-resolution remote sensing study has documented the retreat of glaciers on Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and the Rwenzori Range in Congo. The combined ice cover has shrunk dramatically since the first measurements around the turn of the 20th century. On Kilimanjaro, glacier area fell from 11.40 square kilometers in 1912 to about 0.98 square kilometers in 2021/2022. On Mount Kenya, it declined from 1.64 square kilometers in 1899 to 0.069 square kilometers, while in the Rwenzori Range it fell from 6.51 square kilometers in 1906 to 0.38 square kilometers in 2024.
Thawing permafrost = poison in Norwegian water supply
Residents of a remote village in Norway that is in one of the fastest-warming places in the world have been told they must no longer drink tap water due to heavy metal contamination that scientists have linked to the thawing permafrost.
Longyearbyen, in the archipelago of Svalbard, gets its main drinking water supply from a 1.5 mile-long (2.5km) dammed lake called Isdammen, or “ice pond”. Higher temperatures as a result of the climate crisis have thawed permafrost, leading to newly exposed bedrock leaching metals into the pond.
Papua’s eternal snow peak is no longer eternal
The mountains of the tropical island of Papua have been defined for thousands of years by the eternal snow of its peaks. Today, the four mountains of the Sudirman Range are almost free of snow. For a century, the peaks in this Indonesian region on the world’s second-largest island, just north of Australia, have offered scientists countless insights into the Earth’s climate history via ice core sampling. Glacier cover around the peak has shrunk from nearly 1,900 hectares (4,700 acres) in the 19th Century to about 16 hectares (40 acres) today. Almost entire glaciers have vanished within a human lifetime.
More killer bears in Siberia as warming limits food
At least six people have been killed in bear attacks in Russia’s vast Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk in a month, prosecutors said Wednesday, as an official in a neighboring region reported bears had put one town “under siege.” A Russian woman has been fatally mauled by a bear in her garden, the seventh such death in her Siberian region this month, state investigators said, amid a nationwide spate of killings that experts blame on climate change and human incompetence. Experts quoted in Russian media explained that brown bears – which have launched attacks in at least 11 regions across Russia this year, causing at least 20 deaths – have been compelled to search further for food because an unseasonably early and dry spring left a shortage of wild berries in September.
Climate shock is wrecking key tea harvest in Kenya
Climate-related disruptions in Kenya are cutting black tea harvests and driving prices up, affecting farmers in the country’s tea-growing regions.
Extreme weather disasters are threatening lives and livelihoods by wiping out crops, reducing income, and making it harder for families to afford essentials in Kenya.
In the tea-growing areas of Kericho and Bomet, farmers say conditions have veered from rain during normally dry periods to unusual heat, storms, and drought.
Lethal rain and flooding in eastern Spain
Torrential rain storms killed four people in eastern Spain again on October 26, 2026. Rampaging floodwaters swept away cars, submerged roads and stranded residents. Emergency crews carried out more than 400 rescues in Valencia, where rainfall reached 27.5 inches in 24 hours in some areas.
27.5 in. rain in 24 hours
Security forces carried out more than 400 rescues in the Valencia region, both by air and land. The heavy downpour, also lashed the Balearic Islands and Catalonia.
Panamanian islanders join the flood of climate refugees
The the global climate emergency is forcing the Guna people of coastal Panama from their ancestral island homes. The guna are an Indigenous people whose traditional territory includes the Caribbean coastline of northeastern Panama and the Guna Yala archipelago, a chain of hundreds of small islands. For generations, their communities have depended on the sea for food, transport, trade, and cultural identity.
Today, rising sea levels, high-tide flooding, coastal erosion, overcrowding, and damage to marine ecosystems are making some islands increasingly difficult to inhabit. For many Guna, the challenge is not simply finding safer ground. It is finding a way to relocate without losing the community, traditions, and autonomy that make their homeland distinctive.
Record rainfall triggers evacuations in France
Heavy downpours in southern France caused local flooding. At least one person died, and about 17,000 homes in several departments were left without electricity. The intense rainfall began October 20 and intensified overnight.
In some places, nearly 10 gallons of water per square foot have fallen since the severe weather began. In Salon-de-Provence, around 20 gallon per square foot were recorded in one day, the wettest day in the city’s history, at least since 1938.
Wildfires scorch Orange County amid evacuations
It’s already a tough fall season in California as rampant wildfires follow the initial manifestations of the Kelvin wave coming fast at the Western Hemisphere. At least six homes burned and two firefighters were injured after a fast-moving wildfire blazed through parts of southern California on Friday. But on the heels of the recent storm surge that battered the California coast, the weather whiplash has left residents reeling. By Friday night, about 6,000 homes were under mandatory evacuation, affecting 16,000 residents. An evacuation shelter opened in each city.
Key Elephant Butte reservoir running on empty
The largest reservoir in New Mexico is down to 1.4% of capacity. The Middle Rio Grande and southern New Mexico depend on irrigation to sustain agricultural production. This particular statistic is part of a long term water challenge that covers extensive areas of the Southwest, including the Colorado River Basin and its two critical reservoirs at Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
As of October 17, 2026, the two largest reservoirs on the Colorado River are at critically low levels following decades of drought, rising temperatures and water consumption that has repeatedly exceeded the river’s available supply. More here.
Nepal disasters continue with massive October rockslide
Another rock-ice avalanche flooded the Budhi Gandaki River – which joins the Trishuli downstream – in central Nepal’s Gorkha district, with concrete-like slush swallowing houses, bridges and trekking trails. Thawing frozen ground, glacier melt of glaciers, collapse of the ice “glue” that stabilized mountain slopes contributed to conditions that trigger these disasters. The October event follows a cataclysmic August catastrophe that has since been more or less forgotten by the rest of the world.
Danube record low water levels threaten fish habitats
Water levels have fallen to new record lows at gauging stations on the essential Danube River. Fishermen are particularly concerned that persistently low water levels could endanger native fish species and others that have long inhabited the river. The relentless drought has resulted in major fish die offs in the Rétszilasi Lakes and Simontornya regions. In July, a Viking cruise ship was evacuated when it ran aground. The Rhine has been similarly affected.
El Niño + Hurricane Rachel flood Long Beach
A state of emergency was declared as Hurricane Rachel smashed into Long Beach, CA Oct 11 with coastal flooding that overwhelmed barrier infrastructure and ripped apart a famous boardwalk. This is part of a larger and ongoing story: Americans don’t pay much attention to Pacific cyclones because they usually affect Mexico. So many have overlooked this year of numbers and intensity. These super storms were in turn driven by the super El Nino that continues to build. The world is on the brink of crossing a critical warming threshold, raising the question of whether the current conditions can be considered a new normal for future El Niños. As climate change intensifies, the big worry is that many regions will see extreme conditions even before an El Niño reaches its peak.
High octane twin tornadoes in Sicily highly unusual
A violent double tornado smashed through Marsala, Sicily October 9, injuring multiple people, wrecking infrastructure and overturning vehicles. Drone footage showing the aftermath revealed extensive damage to the school, with windows shattered and desks and chairs overturned.
Up until the past few years, tornadoes have been relatively rare in Europe, but as the atmosphere warms all storms have become far more extreme. This incident is notable for its unusual destructive power.
Water starved village in India for sale
Residents of Tulsi in Maharashtra’s Solapur district in India have put their village up for sale as the long time water shortage gets worse. Sporting a banner reading Village for Fales, Price: Water. The village is home to about 7,000 citizens who have become desperate as they watch their farms and wells dry up. Incomplete excavation work under the Sina-Madha Lift Irrigation Scheme has left the village without access to the water it was meant to receive, forcing residents to depend almost entirely on tankers. The village is already dependent on water tankers and that inadequate rainfall during this year’s monsoon has further aggravated the shortage.
Another lethal landslide in Nepal/India kills dozens
Following August’s cataclysmic glacier outbreak in Nepal, at least 19 people have died and 10 workers left missing following floods and landslides caused by storms which have also battered parts of neighboring India. The Himalayan region was hit by extraordinary rain storm on September 25, 2026, damaging 117 homes and killing 15 people, authorities confirmed.
Three children and a woman were among those killed after being buried by a landslide which destroyed their house in Baglung district while they were asleep.
Killer torrential rains in Honduras expected to last two months
Intense rains affecting Honduras have left five people dead and hundreds of families affected by floods, overflows and rising rivers in different regions of the country, while authorities warn that rainy conditions could continue for the next eight weeks .The situation remains a concern for emergency authorities, particularly because forecasts indicate that rainfall will continue for the next two months, increasing the risk of further flooding and landslides in vulnerable communities. One of the most critical situations is in Las Vegas , Santa Bárbara , where between 90 and 110 families remain isolated due to the rains. The severity of the situation has forced residents to resort to boat transportation to reach the municipal seat.
Bangkok emergency declaration under record rain onslaught
Bangkok authorities declared on Saturday a disaster across all 50 districts of the Thai capital after continuous rain caused heavy flooding. The designation, which gives local organizations authority to take action, came after the governor said almost 12 inches) of rain had fallen since Thursday.
Libya flash floods kill dozens and destroy infrastructure
The Libyan government declared a national emergecny as flash floods swept across southern, western and northern Libya. Dozens drowned as cars were swept away and roads and bridges were destroyed.
Mizda and Nesma, in southwestern Libya, have faced dire conditions since Thursday. Floodwaters from overflowing valleys surged into homes, tore through roads and brought down high-voltage transmission towers, causing extensive damage to public and private property..
Mass Japan evacuations as Dujuan brings record rainfall
Four people died and at least six remained missing after Typhoon Dujuan brought 33 inches of rain 48 hours across eastern Japan, triggering flooding, landslides, and widespread disruption to power and transport. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest-level landslide warning on Monday for several areas of the Izu Islands, including Oshima, as heavy rainfall overwhelmed the region. The rainfall measurement was the highest on record.
Great Plains continue to endure through a historic drought
According to precipitation measurements recorded by the US National Weather Service, large swaths of the US Great Plains continue to experience exceptional or serious drought conditions. The patchwork conditions are persisting in parts of Colorado, western Nebraska, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. This is particularly consequential because these areas depend heavily on soil moisture, groundwater, snowpack and surface reservoirs for agriculture and ranching.
Alarming planetary scale Kelvin wave approaches CA
Concerns are mounting about an ocean phenomenon known as a Kelvin wave that could raise sea levels along the California coastline by up to a foot, as scientists say El Niño is supercharging the threat of storm surges and flooding in the coming months.
As an incredibly strong El Niño continues to develop in the Pacific, the phenomenon brings with it a strange shift in the ocean. The Kelvin wave phenomenon is created when trade winds that usually blow from South America towards Asia die down or reverse in El Niño years, setting off a massive, slow-moving slosh of water.
Kelvin waves are not like crashing waves at the beach. They are planetary in scale, spanning thousands of miles. And when a Kelvin wave kicks off, it brings with it an untold amount of warm water that slowly moves from the western Pacific, along the equator, towards South, Central and North America. The whole story in The Guardian.
El Niño bringing Zimbabwe water crisis to brink
More than a million residents in Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, Bulawayo, are facing acute water stress after years of poor rainfall. The city’s reservoirs are depleting fast and currently hold less than 50% usable water of their capacity. With the population growing and demand for water rising, the looming threat of El Niño is deepening the crisis. For most residents already struggling to secure continuous and reliable supply, every drop is becoming a matter of survival. Zimbabwe’s second largest city has endured recurring water shortages for more than a century now. Currently the city’s supply dams hold below 70% combined holding capacity.
Indian glacial lakes pose catastrophic downstream threat
In the wake of the cataclysmic glacier outburst flood in Nepal authorities have identified at least seven high-risk glacial lakes in Mago Chu basin in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang. An effect of rapidly melting glaciers in the Himalayas and alpine regions worldwide, the unstable lakes pose a major flood threat to villages and army camps in downstream areas. Five army personnel died in a flash flood in the Dibang valley in August
Toxic orange rivers in Alaska worse than mine waste
As the Arctic warms and tundra thaws, minerals long trapped in frozen soil are leaching into once pristine rivers, turning them orange and acidic. A study from northern Alaska found “rusting” waters to be more metallic and acidic than toxic effluent from mining. Analyzing records of water quality, researchers also determined that rusting began in the summer of 2019, the hottest summer on record in the state of Alaska. Since then, rusting has been recorded in more than 200 rivers in Alaska, as well as in waterways across much of northern Canada. There are fears that rusting may have led to the collapse of the chinook salmon fishery in the region.
El Niño is predicted to kill hundreds of thousands
The Super El Niño growing ever more powerful in the Pacific ocean is projected to generate extreme heat, violent weather and other climate extremes that will result in an estimated 450,000 deaths by February 2027.
The toll is on top of the early deaths resulting from temperatures already driven up by the climate crisis. Scientist say that although some regions will be hit especially hard, the effects will be felt from Indonesia to India, and Nigeria to the US. Many further deaths are expected from the droughts, wildfires and flooding that El Niños bring. More on El Niño.