Pacific Summary. 16 December 2020 - 23 December 2020
Pacific quakes are also present although most of the energy is volcanic. Major jetstream shifts have also come during this time. Etna has undergone 3 spectacular but brief paroxysms on 14, 21, 22 December. Kilauea has responded to the quake swarm and expansion from 29 November, driven by the 29 November solar proton storm from AR2790. A major eruption began 21 December at Halemaumau, 50 meter high fountains are rapidly filling the crater after boiling off the lake at the bottom. The lava lake drained out a couple of weeks before the 4 May 2018 eruption and the crater went cold. Many other Pacific volcanos which were in a state of ongoing low eruption suddenly had larger eruptions. New eruption at Shiveluch. Ruapehu is hot and may erupt with new spaceweather on 24 December. South of Philippines 6.1 and Northeast Honshu 6.3 are close to or in risk locations from the previous forecast period. Cyclone Yasa briefly reached Cat 5 on 16 December, the first Southern Hemisphere Cat 5 since Cyclone Winston in 2016. Unfortunately Yasa got to Cat 5 just as it passed over Vanua Levu, flattening the island but luckily only a few deaths. Major Northern Hemisphere winter storms are under reported on most mainstream media. Honshu, Northeast USA, European Alps, Northern India broke cold or snowfall records as jetstreams powered up. Spaceweather has been mild but steady through the period and stronger spaceweather is arriving late 23 December. More volcanic action seems likely in the next few days although the peak may be past. 16 December. South of Mindanao 6.1 Cyclone Yasa Cat 5 Eruption Villarrica 17 December. Eruption Sakurajima, Suwanosejima. 21 December. Northeast of Honshu 6.3 6.23am Eruption Kliuchevskoi, Kilauea, Etna 22 December. Eruption Etna, Shiveluch, Sangay. 23 December. Eruption Semeru Aotearoa Earthquake and Volcano Forecast Service © 2013 - 2024 |
