The beginning of January was marked by an intense and persistent cold in much of Spain. Thus, the red alert was activated in Parameras de Molina, in Guadalajara, due to exceptional lows, as well as orange and yellow warnings, which extended across wide regions of the interior.
During the early morning of the Day of the Kings, thermometers dropped abruptly. In mountain areas, values close to −17 °C were reached. Meanwhile, Molina de Aragón recorded some of the lowest temperatures in Spain.
This winter scenario was not an isolated event. On the contrary, it is part of a succession of increasingly frequent extreme episodes. Thus, the cold once again tested infrastructures and daily routines.
Eastern Türkiye has been hit by severe winter conditions as temperatures plunged to record lows, with one district recording the coldest temperature in the country this season, according to official data.
The Gole district of Ardahan province registered a temperature of minus 39.7 degrees Celsius overnight, making it the coldest location in Türkiye, the Turkish State Meteorological Service reported. The extreme cold created hazardous conditions across several eastern provinces, freezing water bodies and significantly disrupting daily life.
Altinyayla district in Sivas province recorded the second-lowest temperature at minus 33.8 degrees Celsius, while Yavuzlar village, also in Gole district, followed closely at minus 33.2 degrees Celsius.
In Ardahan, the intense cold led to widespread ice formation and heavy frost. Windows of homes, vehicles, and businesses froze over, while roads turned dangerously icy, making transportation difficult. Ponds and streams across the city developed thick layers of ice as residents struggled to cope with the harsh conditions.
Philadelphia police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man who was found unresponsive in an Ogontz home with three dogs that had been shot.
Officers were called to the 1900 block of Medary Avenue just after 6:30 p.m. Friday.
"His wife returned from work and found him laying in front of the house unconscious," said Capt. Christopher Bradshaw.
The man had a bite mark on his ankle, authorities said. Paramedics rushed him to a hospital, where he later died.
Heavy rain has caused flooding in several municipalities in Kosovo, disrupting the electricity and water supplies and blocking roads.
Rainfall over the past two days has caused flooding across several western and central municipalities in Kosovo, disrupting electricity and water supplies, forcing evacuations, and disrupting traffic because of roads being blocked.
The situation is most severe in the municipality of Drenas, where the Drenica River has overflowed, flooding several homes and businesses. Multiple roads in the area are closed and several families living near high-risk zones were evacuated.
Torrential rain caused flooding across parts of Albania's main port city of Durres on January 6, forcing evacuations, closing roads and prompting the government to deploy the army, pumps and emergency crews as rivers and drainage systems struggled to cope.
Defence Minister Pirro Vengu said authorities had activated the national emergency mechanism over the weekend and were concentrating resources in the worst-hit areas, particularly Durres and the northern region of Lezha.
"We formed the emergency committee and distributed the entire risk map at the national level, concentrating both forces and resources in those areas where the greatest risk was assessed," Vengu said in a joint briefing with Agriculture Minister Andis Salla, according to a government statement.
He said the situation had worsened early on January 6 in Durres, especially in the Kënetë Spitallë area and parts of the city centre, where water had entered homes and limited access to some schools.
Indonesia's Semeru Volcano Monitoring Station (PGA) in Lumajang regency, East Java Province, recorded 31 volcanic eruption-related earthquakes just within Tuesday morning.
A report from the PGA Semeru Station at Mount Sawur showed that the eruption-related earthquakes had amplitudes of 11-22 mm and lasted 64-115 seconds, indicating that volcanic activity remains complex.
Besides, the monitoring station also recorded one avalanche earthquake with an amplitude of 6 mm lasting 20 seconds, four wind-induced earthquakes, and two tremor events.
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) advised people not to enter the southeast region along the Besuk Kobokan stream within a 13 km radius from the summit, which is a high-risk area affected by hot gas flows and lava.
In a recent report, Vaisala Xweather said that approximately 250 million lightning strikes occurred in 2025, a 20% increase from 2024.
Lightning strikes are always a serious threat, no matter what season it is. For the last year, lightning strikes in the U.S. have reached an 8-year-high, according to Vaisala Xweather.
Xweather operates the world's definitive lightning-detection infrastructure, capable of recording 99% of thunderstorms worldwide and detecting over two billion lightning events.
In a recent report, Vaisala Xweather said that approximately 250 million lightning strikes occurred in 2025, a 20% increase from 2024.
Islamuddin Sajid Anadolu Agency Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:48 UTC
A strong earthquake shook parts of the Philippines' southern islands on Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The quake was first reported as magnitude 6.7 before being revised to 6.4.
USGS said the tremor occurred at 3.02 am GMT, with the epicenter located 27 kilometers (16.8 miles) east of Santiago in the Cagayan Valley of northeastern Philippines.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that there was no tsunami risk to the Philippines, local media outlet Inquirer reported.
So far, there has been no immediate reports of casulaties or damage.
A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake has shaken western Japan, the country's meteorological office said, weeks after being hit with warnings of a "megaquake".
A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake has shaken western Japan, the country's meteorological office said, with no tsunami warning issued.
There were no reports of any major damage after the tremor was recorded at 10:18am local time in Shimane prefecture at a shallow depth.
The US Geological Survey recorded a slightly lower 5.8 magnitude reading. The quake measured upper five on Japan's Shindoscale of shakiness in the western city of Yasugi.
Six people were killed after flash floods struck residential areas in the eastern Indonesian province of North Sulawesi early Monday, according to ANTARA .
The floods occurred in East Siau of Sitaro Islands Regency at around 2:30 a.m. local time following heavy rainfall, according to reports.
The Sitaro Islands Regency administration said four residents remain missing, including an infant, while four others were injured. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Residents from affected neighborhoods have been temporarily evacuated to safer locations. Preliminary data showed that 35 families, totaling 108 people, have been displaced.
The disaster also washed away five houses and cut road access between East Siau and South East Siau sub-districts.
Indonesia frequently experiences flash floods and landslides during the rainy season.
Torrential rains battered Indonesia's Siau island, causing a flash flood that killed at least 16 people, with another three missing, authorities said Tuesday.
An overflowing river flooded four towns on the small island north of Sulawesi on Monday, the national disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.
"Sixteen people have been reported dead due to the flash flood," agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said, adding that teams were searching for the three missing.
He said 22 people were injured and nearly 700 villagers displaced.
"The flash flood was triggered by heavy-intensity rain that had drenched the area since the early hours, causing the river's water flow to surge suddenly," Abdul said.
Images shared by the search and rescue agency showed big rocks and uprooted trees that were swept away.
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