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UTC time: Thursday, January 22, 2026 12:42 PM
Your time: Thursday, 22 January 2026 at 12:42 GMT
Magnitude Type: mww
USGS page: M 6.2 - 128 km S of Vilyuchinsk, Russia
USGS status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Reports from the public: 0 people
52 km depth
Videos and images from the flooded city center show cars stranded in waist‑high water, pedestrians wading through submerged roadways, and emergency crews battling to clear drains and pump out homes as rain continued to pound the capital.
The severe weather, part of a low‑pressure system sweeping across much of Greece, intensified in the Attica region late Wednesday afternoon, sending water rushing onto main roads and snarling travel in and out of the city.
Best of the Web: Cyclone Harry pummels hits Sicily, Italy, causing flash-flooding and major coastal erosion
A wave crashes through a street in Sicily
Parked cars were swept away, and flood waters invaded garages, basements and the ground floor of many homes, overwhelming the city in just a few hours. Emergency services received several requests for help throughout the night.
The tourist area of Taormina was on its knees, with beaches swept by the violence of the sea. Governor Schifani in Sicily expressed "heartfelt thanks to the regional civil protection, the volunteers, the municipalities, the fire brigade, the police force, and the thousands of people who worked tirelessly during the most difficult hours of the emergency", making it possible to "avoid the loss of human lives".
Authorities issued red alerts across Sicily and Sardinia as the storm unleashed gale-force winds, intense rain and dangerous storm surges. In total, 190 people were evacuated from exposed areas across Sicily.
It comes after storms also lashed Malta with hail piling up like snow and rivers of ice flooding streets. Malta's Civil Protection Department warned residents: "avoid working at heights, including rooftops, balconies, scaffolding, and exposed structures" and "Stay away from the shoreline, breakwaters, and coastal paths."
UTC time: Wednesday, January 21, 2026 16:37 PM
Your time: Wednesday, 21 January 2026 at 16:37 GMT
Magnitude Type: mww
USGS page: M 6.1 - Volcano Islands, Japan region
USGS status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Reports from the public: 0 people
Geoff Borg's great photo of the aurora australis as seen from Appila, South Australia.
Tuesday night's light show was caused by a severe solar storm hitting the Earth.
People have reported the phenomenon across Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.
Photographs and videos show shimmering and pulsating pastel-coloured lights, through to bright pinks and purples filling the sky.
Dr Rebecca Allen, co-director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne University of Technology, told ABC News Radio there had been more of the events in recent times.
Landslide leaves seven people dead in Kohat district
According to District Emergency Officer Noor Alamin Khattak, several persons were buried under the debris after a hillside was collapsed.
Rescue 1122 teams promptly reached the scene and conducted a search-and-rescue operation. All victims were recovered, including seven dead bodies and one injured person.
Over 30 Rescue 1122 personnel, along with three ambulances and a disaster response vehicle, participated in the rescue operation, which was directly supervised by the District Emergency Officer.
The deceased have been identified as Talat son of Waqil, Fayyaz son of Riaz, Abid son of Parvez, Daniyal son of Zafar Ali, Sabir son of Iqbal, Faraz son of Farzand Ali, and Faizan son of Haji Rehman. The injured has been identified as Riaz Ali Khan, son of Ibtidar Khan.
Authorities have called for caution in the hilly areas of Kohat and warned the residents to stay alert amid unstable terrain following heavy rainfall.
© Karim Bouchetatasnow cover on Saharan sand dunes in Aïn Séfra, Algieria on January 17, 2026.
Video filmed by Karim Bouchetata shows locals taking in the unusually white desert landscape amid roaring wind.
© ARAOnyar River this Tuesday as it passes through Girona.
The storm was expected to intensify throughout Tuesday, prompting authorities to remain on high alert. The episode, known in Catalan as a 'llevantada,' is a typical weather phenomenon marked by strong easterly winds and very intense rainfall.
The 'llevantada' is forecast to be particularly severe in the eastern half of the territory, especially along the coastal and pre-coastal areas.
To alert the population, Civil Protection issued an emergency mobile phone alert to all residents in the counties of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, Selva and Gironès, warning of the risk of flooding and rising river levels.
Authorities urged people to limit travel until 5 pm and to stay away from rivers, streams and ravines, as well as underground areas, due to the risk of water ingress.
School classes were suspended in the counties of Baix Empordà, Selva and Gironès, as well as in Alt Empordà, and several roads across the region were closed to traffic.
Mobility restrictions in Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà were later extended until midnight, via another ES-Alert to mobile phones from Civil Protection.
The cloudbursts inundated streets, submerged vehicles and disrupted daily life in multiple governorates (provinces) of the North African country, with emergency services struggling to respond to the scale of the flooding.
Civil protection teams said several areas were cut off by rising waters, particularly in low-lying neighbourhoods.
Schools were closed in the capital Tunis and in the towns of Nabeul, Sousse and Beja, and court sessions were suspended and public and private transport crippled in some districts.
Videos shared on social media showed fast-moving floods sweeping debris through residential streets, with seawater inundating neighbourhoods in the coastal town of Menzel Temime.
Meteorological officials said the rainfall levels in some regions were the heaviest recorded since 1950.
Reporting by Tarek Amara; editing by Mark Heinrich
Comment: Also on the coast of southern Italy more massive waves were videoed: