Mayon Volcano alert level raised to 2MANILA, Philippines — State volcanologists raised Mayon Volcano’s alert status to Alert Level 2 early Thursday, January 1, citing a sharp increase in rockfalls and prolonged ground swelling that could signal magma moving beneath the volcano. Phivolcs said in a 6 a.m. bulletin that it was elevating the alert from Level 1, or low-level unrest, to Level 2, which indicates increasing or moderate unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes. The agency's monitoring instruments recorded 599 rockfall events in the last two months of 2025, averaging 10 events a day. On December 31 alone, 47 rockfall events were logged — the highest number recorded in a single day over the past year. With Alert Level 2 now in effect, Phivolcs warned of possible sudden explosions, pyroclastic density currents (locally known as uson), rockfalls, landslides and ballistic projectiles.

Source: Philippine Star January 01, 2026 06:35 UTC