Humans to honey bees, and the environment will be challenged, whereas, food prices--from quality raw honey to coffee--will continue to skyrocket.
The year of the horse with promise of energy and change is here! It is believed to bring both progress and potential for chaos. Expect opportunities, and challenges. Looking ahead to 2026, there will be Earth changes and consequences around the world. It’s a time of change and a time to be prepared for the unexpected.
There are three three-week Mercury Retrograde periods this year—February 26-March 20, June 29-July 23, and October 24-November 13—which may cause chaos but it isn’t always challenging. Still, it is advised not to sign legal documents, make big purchases, or travel during these times. Also, events like Full Moons and New Moons this year intensify natural events and human responses.
The effects of climate change (this will include more unhealthy air and wildfires worldwide) and earthquakes repeating history (and some due to fracking) will frazzle nerves. On the upside, people will be bettered prepared for disasters to help face the waves with a sense of calm until the storm passes.
MEGA EVENTS
AIR QUALITY: Air quality conditions in Canada will affect the states as it did in 2025. Los Angeles air will continue to have unhealthy ratings for sensitive groups to unhealthy and even hazardous for all groups throughout the year. The southwest like Arizona to the Pacific Northwest will be affected by air quality especially if wildfires are an issue.
GREAT QUAKE-TSUNAMI: Experts warn Japan [UPDATE] and the Cascadian Subduction Zone are ripe for another great one like it has happened before in both these regions. Both past great quake-wave areas are in the Ring of Fire, a quake-prone area. There have been tremors in these regions but still nothing great yet.
PNW VOLCANOES: Speaking of tremors, a whole lot of shaking has been happening near three volcanic regions: The tri volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest that experts are actively monitoring due to seismic activity are Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, and Mount Hood.
Volcanologist and seismic networks, such as the Pacific Seismic Network and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Cascades Volcano Observatory will monitor these volcanos for signs of unrest, including tremors, ground deformation, and volcanic gas emissions.
WEATHER WATCH
A mixed bag of forecasts will happen for the New Year. The northern states may face a colder-than-normal season, Southern states will likely see warm, dry conditions, La Nina wetter conditions in the Pacific Northwest will bring too much rain, severe flooding, and landslides. Not to ignore the precipitation makes the ground more vulnerable during and after earthquakes. The Sierra Nevada will get less than more snow at lake level, more at higher elevations but not a super great ski season at Reno-Tahoe. Drought will be worse in Southwest, Deep South, and the Central States is a toss-up for a cold winter or milder season.
Superstorms and Firestorms: Hurricanes and/or twisters will happen and in the Gulf States. While 2025 was overall fairly quiet 2026 may not be. Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida may be the areas under pressure and the Atlantic Seaboard will deal with havoc and major hurricane threats especially in the lower states…
The West Coast, other states and countries will continue to battle out of control wildfires due to extreme heat, lightning, high winds and man. As usual, the fire will affect air quality. That means air alerts and even lockdowns and watching air quality websites for updates like accuweather and airnow will be a way of life. Staying prepared with air purifiers, staying hydrated, and mandatory evacuations will be expected for health’s sake for all ages of people and pets.
ON THE FRINGE
Meteors, comets, and even UFOs are likely to make the news and cause excitement in the nation and around the world. On the ground, one great quake event outside of the United States may occur. This could be in the Mediterranean (Italy or Turkey) or New Zealand. If the mainshock is shallow it will go down in history as a devastating act of nature.
As the United States and world continue to cope with political upheaval and AI changes, the planet will continue to be neglected. However, mankind will see ignoring unhealthy air and water quality is too important to forget and linked challenges to human health will be a major concern. Humans, animals, honey bees, and the environment will be challenged, whereas, food prices will continue to skyrocket. People and farmers will be forced to be more resourceful, money-minded, and aware of how to forage food during tough times.
[MINI BOX]
THE YEAR OF THE HORSE AND THE GREAT QUAKE
Among the options provided, the Cascadia Subduction Zone (stretches from offshore California to British Columbia) is often cited as having the highest potential for a very large, overdue earthquake. It is a prime spot for a future megathrust event, which could cause widespread devastation, tsunamis, and prolonged aftershocks.
Though the San Andreas Fault zones in both Northern and Southern California also pose significant risks. The northern segment of the SAF last ruptured in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, estimated at magnitude 7.9 While this segment has released significant stress, other segments within the Bay Area, such as the Hayward Fault and the Rodgers Creek Fault, are considered highly active and overdue for major events.
The Southern San Andreas Fault (SSAF) is also a major concern. The "Big Bend" segment of the SAF, which runs through Southern California, has not experienced a major rupture since 1857, when a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred. It’s overdue to rumble. And note, the last year of the horse was in 1966. The great 9.2 quake hit Alaska in 1964. Is it possible to happen again following a major 2025 earthquake? In 2025 a 7.0 hit near Anchorage; so yes, the shaky state could rock and roll in 2026.
CAL OREY, M.A., is a bestselling author-novelist specializing in topics such as adventure, health, romance, and science. She holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in English (Creative Writing) from San Francisco State University. Her books include the popular Healing Powers series, and Courage with Paws, and The Healing Powers of Honey, 2nd edition (Kensington) will be released 2026. The Healing Powers of Olive Oil, 3rd edition is in progress. Her website is www.calorey.com
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