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History Severe storms Weather phenomena

How did one flash of lightning, lasting about seven seconds, stretch 829 km across five US states, beat the previous record by 61 km, and only be recognized as the longest ever measured nearly eight years later?

November 9, 2026

Seismic activity

Strong and shallow M6.4 earthquake hits Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands

November 9, 2026

Volcanoes

Kīlauea episode 56 ends abruptly after nearly 6 hours of lava fountaining, Hawaii

November 6, 2026

Atmosphere

Polar vortex winds at 60°N drop from 22.13 to 5.44 m/s in eight days in rare November disruption; major SSW remains forecast

November 5, 2026

Seismic activity

Deep M6.2 earthquake hits Vanuatu 43 km from Port-Olry at 143 km depth, no tsunami threat as USGS issues Green alert

November 3, 2026

Earth Hunger

IPC projects nearly 26 000 displaced people in Baidoa to face catastrophic hunger as 5.4 million Somalis face crisis-level food insecurity

November 3, 2026

Tornadoes

NWS confirms EF0 tornado near Spring Grove, Virginia, with 115 km/h winds and a 4.3 km path, no injuries reported

November 3, 2026

Wildfires

More than 6 000 evacuated north of Reno as Bug and Fred Mountain fires reach 23 458 ha at 0% containment under Nevada state of emergency

November 3, 2026

Wildfires

Wildfire near Ferial Reservoir in Spain’s Bardenas Reales brought under control in about 2 hours after burning 4-5 ha of Aleppo pine

November 3, 2026

Browse news

Earth

A dam above Los Angeles collapsed just before midnight on March 12, 1928, and the flood killed more than 400 people, hours after the engineer who built it had spent two hours looking at a new leak and decided there was no danger

November 9, 2026

Earth

In 1903, 17 coal miners in Frank, Alberta, dug their own way out of a mountain after a rockslide sealed the mine, and came up 13 hours later to find part of their town buried

November 9, 2026

Earth

Brownsville, Texas, on the Mexican border, had not seen measurable snow since 1895, until it fell on Christmas Eve 2004

November 9, 2026

Earth

China’s giant sinkholes shelter endangered Magnolia but leave isolated populations genetically vulnerable

November 9, 2026

Evergreen Science Space

In 1920, a man out hunting on a farm in Namibia sat down on a strange black rock, scratched it with his knife and saw metal shine underneath. It was Hoba, a 60-ton meteorite, the largest ever found, and there is no crater around it

November 8, 2026

Earth Evergreen Science Preparedness

On December 26, 2004, a 10-year-old British girl on a Phuket beach recognized the frothing sea from a recent geography lesson, and her warning helped clear the beach before the tsunami struck

November 7, 2026

Earth

A volcano in Tonga exploded so loudly in 2022 that people in Alaska, 6,000 miles away, were woken by the booms. Hawaii, at half that distance, heard nothing at all

November 7, 2026

Earth

In 2001, red rain fell on parts of Kerala, India, on and off for about two months. Scientists traced the color to algae spores, but one physicist argued the cells came from space.

November 6, 2026

Earth

In 2002 a magnitude 7.9 quake on the Denali Fault shoved the ground about 14 feet sideways under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, but engineers had designed Teflon sliders for the pipe nearly 30 years earlier, and no oil spilled.

November 6, 2026

Earth

Global rainfall is becoming concentrated into fewer event-days, study find

November 6, 2026

Browse Epicenter

NewsEarth & Space
EpicenterDecoding Earth & Space

Map of the southern Great Plains showing the 829 km maximum extent of the October 22, 2017 megaflash, from eastern Texas to near Kansas City, Missouri

How did one flash of lightning, lasting about seven seconds, stretch 829 km across five US states, beat the previous record by 61 km, and only be recognized as the longest ever measured nearly eight years later?

November 9, 2026

Strong and shallow M6.4 earthquake hits Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands

November 9, 2026

Episode 56 of lava fountaining at Kīlauea summit on November 5, 2026. Credit: USGSCredit: HVO

Kīlauea episode 56 ends abruptly after nearly 6 hours of lava fountaining, Hawaii

November 6, 2026

Polar vortex winds at 60°N drop from 22.13 to 5.44 m/s in eight days in rare November disruption; major SSW remains forecast

November 5, 2026

Epicenter of M6.2 earthquake in Vanuatu on October 29, 2026

Deep M6.2 earthquake hits Vanuatu 43 km from Port-Olry at 143 km depth, no tsunami threat as USGS issues Green alert

November 3, 2026

Satellite image of Baidoa, Somalia on September 25, 2026

IPC projects nearly 26 000 displaced people in Baidoa to face catastrophic hunger as 5.4 million Somalis face crisis-level food insecurity

November 3, 2026

Tornado near Hankinson, North Dakota on August 21, 2025. Credit: Eric Klindt

NWS confirms EF0 tornado near Spring Grove, Virginia, with 115 km/h winds and a 4.3 km path, no injuries reported

November 3, 2026

Flames spread across brushland as crews respond to the Bug, Fred Mountain and Stallion fires in northern Nevada.

More than 6 000 evacuated north of Reno as Bug and Fred Mountain fires reach 23 458 ha at 0% containment under Nevada state of emergency

November 3, 2026

Wildfire near Ferial Reservoir in Spain’s Bardenas Reales brought under control in about 2 hours after burning 4-5 ha of Aleppo pine

November 3, 2026

Multi-coring device on the back of the R/V Neil Armstrong, used to collect sediment samples from the ocean floor

Gulf Stream shifted north during abrupt Ice Age cold snap, offering clues to future climate tipping points

November 3, 2026

Tourists film nighttime explosion near active Fuego volcano, Guatemala

November 3, 2026

Browse news

A dam above Los Angeles collapsed just before midnight on March 12, 1928, and the flood killed more than 400 people, hours after the engineer who built it had spent two hours looking at a new leak and decided there was no danger

November 9, 2026

Highway 3 crosses the Frank Slide debris field in this July 4, 2012, view. The 1903 rock avalanche buried part of Frank and spread across the valley floor.

In 1903, 17 coal miners in Frank, Alberta, dug their own way out of a mountain after a rockslide sealed the mine, and came up 13 hours later to find part of their town buried

November 9, 2026

Satellite image of South Texas and northeastern Mexico on December 25, 2004, showing the snow left by the Christmas Eve–Christmas morning storm. Brownsville is labeled near the lower edge. Credit: NASA EOSDIS Worldview, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Brownsville, Texas, on the Mexican border, had not seen measurable snow since 1895, until it fell on Christmas Eve 2004

November 9, 2026

Dashiwei Tiankeng in Leye, Guangxi, southwestern China. The enclosed karst depression contains a shaded forest habitat below steep limestone walls.

China’s giant sinkholes shelter endangered Magnolia but leave isolated populations genetically vulnerable

November 9, 2026

Acacia bushveld stretching to distant hills in Namibia

In 1920, a man out hunting on a farm in Namibia sat down on a strange black rock, scratched it with his knife and saw metal shine underneath. It was Hoba, a 60-ton meteorite, the largest ever found, and there is no crater around it

November 8, 2026

Holidaymakers in the water on a sandy beach in Phuket, Thailand, as a plane passes overhead

On December 26, 2004, a 10-year-old British girl on a Phuket beach recognized the frothing sea from a recent geography lesson, and her warning helped clear the beach before the tsunami struck

November 7, 2026

2022 Tonga Tsunami warning！ in Gesashi mangrove bay

A volcano in Tonga exploded so loudly in 2022 that people in Alaska, 6,000 miles away, were woken by the booms. Hawaii, at half that distance, heard nothing at all

November 7, 2026

Orange Trentepohlia algae growing on rock. A species of this genus was identified as the source of the color in the 2001 Kerala red rain.

In 2001, red rain fell on parts of Kerala, India, on and off for about two months. Scientists traced the color to algae spores, but one physicist argued the cells came from space.

November 6, 2026

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline on its sliding supports at the Denali Fault crossing, after the 2002 earthquake.

In 2002 a magnitude 7.9 quake on the Denali Fault shoved the ground about 14 feet sideways under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, but engineers had designed Teflon sliders for the pipe nearly 30 years earlier, and no oil spilled.

November 6, 2026

climatology for 2001–2022, showing the average geographic distribution of rain and snowfall. Illustrative image; the Su et al. study used gauge observations rather than this satellite dataset.

Global rainfall is becoming concentrated into fewer event-days, study find

November 6, 2026

Study adds Little Ice Age climate variability to explanations for vitamin D deficiency in industrial-era England

November 6, 2026

Browse EPICENTER

Featured

Flood watches cover the Southwest ahead of a Four Corners heavy-rainfall event, U.S.

October 30, 2026

coastal flooding occuring on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach on October 27, 2026

Lake Worth Pier and South Port Everglades reach record water levels, King tides flood Florida’s Atlantic coast

October 29, 2026

Coastal flooding forecast at Hooper Bay as Bering Sea storms continue, Alaska

October 28, 2026

Tornado damage in Santa Fe, New Mexico on October 24, 2026

New Mexico seeks federal emergency after record San Juan River flooding, United States

October 26, 2026

Damage caused by Typhoon Champi in Taiwan on October 24, 2026

Typhoon Champi leaves one dead and hundreds injured as recovery continues in Taiwan

October 25, 2026

Epicenter

A dam above Los Angeles collapsed just before midnight on March 12, 1928, and the flood killed more than 400 people, hours after the engineer who built it had spent two hours looking at a new leak and decided there was no danger

November 9, 2026

In 1903, 17 coal miners in Frank, Alberta, dug their own way out of a mountain after a rockslide sealed the mine, and came up 13 hours later to find part of their town buried

November 9, 2026

Space

Asteroid 2026 SZ2 passed Earth at just 0.05 lunar distances

September 21, 2026

asteroid 2026 rw1 13th predicted impactor

Asteroid 2026 RW1 impacts Earth over Indian Ocean about 7 hours after discovery, becomes 13th known asteroid detected before impact

September 7, 2026

Updates from watchers.LIVE

Latest updates from watchers.LIVE — events, alerts, and monitoring notes.

Editors’ picks

JAXA launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard H3 Launch Vehicle flight No10 at 044103 JST on October 20, 2026 from the Tanegashima Space Center

Ten grams from Phobos may reveal how Mars got its moons

October 29, 2026

A sample weighing at least 10 g from Mars’ moon Phobos could contain enough individual…

Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak passes 10 000 confirmed cases in DRC

October 27, 2026

The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reached 10 060…

Arctic stratospheric polar vortex forecast to weaken sharply in early November

October 26, 2026

NASA Ozone Watch’s current Arctic wind product forecasts the 60°N zonal-mean wind at 10 hPa…

comet 3IATLAS by gemini south gmos august 27 2025

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS lost meters of its surface, giving scientists a depth scale for its chemistry

October 25, 2026

New calculations based on reported production rates indicate that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS lost the equivalent…

ASI’s LICIACube satellite acquired this image just after its closest approach to the Dimorphos asteroid, after the Double Asteroid Redirect Test, or DART mission, made impact on Sep 26, 2022

3D simulations reveal how a nuclear burst could break apart a threatening asteroid

October 22, 2026

Three-dimensional simulations developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory show how X-rays from a nuclear standoff…

Earth

How did one flash of lightning, lasting about seven seconds, stretch 829 km across five US states, beat the previous record by 61 km, and only be recognized as the longest ever measured nearly eight years later?

November 9, 2026

A single lightning flash on October 22, 2017 stretched 829 km from eastern Texas to near Kansas City in 7.391 seconds. Satellite data captured…

Strong and shallow M6.4 earthquake hits Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands

November 9, 2026

A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.4 struck 30 km WSW of Lata, Solomon Islands, at 03:34:59 UTC on November…

Kīlauea episode 56 ends abruptly after nearly 6 hours of lava fountaining, Hawaii

November 6, 2026

Episode 56 of Kīlauea’s ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 12:10 HST (22:10 UTC) on November 5, 2026, and ended abruptly at 18:01 HST that…

Polar vortex winds at 60°N drop from 22.13 to 5.44 m/s in eight days in rare November disruption; major SSW remains forecast

November 5, 2026

A rare November disruption of the Northern Hemisphere stratospheric polar vortex is underway, with the daily-mean wind at 60°N and 10 hPa weakening from…

Volcanoes

Kīlauea episode 56 ends abruptly after nearly 6 hours of lava fountaining, Hawaii

November 6, 2026

Tourists film nighttime explosion near active Fuego volcano, Guatemala

November 3, 2026

Vanuatu's cabinet is convening an emergency meeting Friday to discuss the escalating situation on Ambae Island following increased volcanic activity at the Manaro volcano

Acid rain reported across multiple islands as Manaro Voui volcano continues erupting at Alert Level 3, Vanuatu

November 3, 2026

The eruption of Mount Marapi in West Sumatra on august 12 2025

Mount Marapi eruption sends ash 1.6 km (1 mile) above summit in West Sumatra, Indonesia

November 3, 2026

lava effusion from the Mayon Volcano summit crater

Mayon Volcano generates largest PDCs of 2026 eruption, ashfall hits Camalig and Guinobatan

November 3, 2026

Mayon erupts as Alert Level rises to 3 and ash spreads south, Philippines

October 30, 2026

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report: October 22-28, 2026

October 30, 2026

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report: October 8-14, 2026

October 16, 2026

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report: October 1-7, 2026

October 9, 2026

Earthquakes

Strong and shallow M6.4 earthquake hits Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands

November 9, 2026

Deep M6.2 earthquake hits Vanuatu 43 km from Port-Olry at 143 km depth, no tsunami threat as USGS issues Green alert

November 3, 2026

Strong and shallow M6.4 earthquake hits southeast of Easter Island

October 29, 2026

M6.0 earthquake hits northwest of Port-Olry, Vanuatu

October 28, 2026

Strong and deep M6.5 earthquake hits Bonin Islands, Japan region

October 25, 2026

Strong earthquake sequence strikes off northern Vanuatu after initial M6.9 event

October 24, 2026

M7.0 earthquake kills at least 16, injures 76 in Xizang, China

October 23, 2026

Strong and shallow M7.0 earthquake hits Xizang-Qinghai border region, China

October 22, 2026

Strong and shallow M6.3 earthquake hits Vanuatu

October 20, 2026

Strong M6.9 earthquake hits Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

October 16, 2026

Strong and shallow M6.9 earthquake hits central Mid-Atlantic Ridge

October 13, 2026

Shallow M6.7 earthquake hits central Mid-Atlantic Ridge

October 13, 2026

Floods

Florida declares emergency after catastrophic flooding in southern Brevard County

November 3, 2026

An unusually high tide, called a King Tide, floods a highway on-ramp in Northern California in January 2023. Sea level rise and El Niños can exacerbate this type of flooding

Record tides flood California coast as Huntington Beach declares emergency and warnings persist

October 30, 2026

Cyclone Arnab brings over 546 mm (21 inches) of rain, flooding isolates around 300 villages in Odisha, India

October 29, 2026

Lake Worth Pier and South Port Everglades reach record water levels, King tides flood Florida’s Atlantic coast

October 29, 2026

New Mexico seeks federal emergency after record San Juan River flooding, United States

October 26, 2026

Flooding in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on October 24, 2026

Flash floods sweep away vehicles and prompt rescues in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

October 25, 2026

Floods in the residential area near the beach of Rafalcaid, in the town of Gandia, Valencia, Spain on October 19, 2026

Four deaths reported as DANA Adam flooding prompts more than 1 000 rescues in eastern Spain

October 20, 2026

Moderate Risk of excessive rainfall issued for parts of West Texas as flooding continues, U.S.

October 15, 2026

Flooding in Tripoli, Libya on October 14, 2026

At least 2 dead in Tripoli after heavy rains trigger severe flooding, Libya

October 15, 2026

Severe weather

How did one flash of lightning, lasting about seven seconds, stretch 829 km across five US states, beat the previous record by 61 km, and only be recognized as the longest ever measured nearly eight years later?

November 9, 2026

A single lightning flash on October 22, 2017 stretched 829 km from…

NWS confirms EF0 tornado near Spring Grove, Virginia, with 115 km/h winds and a 4.3 km path, no injuries reported

November 3, 2026

Emu reported dead at Dickerson Park Zoo after giant hail pummeled Springfield, Missouri

November 3, 2026

Flood watches cover the Southwest ahead of a Four Corners heavy-rainfall event, U.S.

October 30, 2026

Cyclone Arnab brings over 546 mm (21 inches) of rain, flooding isolates around 300 villages in Odisha, India

October 29, 2026

Coastal flooding forecast at Hooper Bay as Bering Sea storms continue, Alaska

October 28, 2026

Severe storms

How did one flash of lightning, lasting about seven seconds, stretch 829 km across five US states, beat the previous record by 61 km, and only be recognized as the longest ever measured nearly eight years later?

November 9, 2026

Flood watches cover the Southwest ahead of a Four Corners heavy-rainfall event, U.S.

October 30, 2026

Coastal flooding forecast at Hooper Bay as Bering Sea storms continue, Alaska

October 28, 2026

New Mexico seeks federal emergency after record San Juan River flooding, United States

October 26, 2026

Nor’easter keeps N.C. 12 closed as coastal flood warnings continue in the Outer Banks, U.S.

October 21, 2026

Flash-flood risk rises in Southern California, severe storms threaten Arizona

October 20, 2026

Four deaths reported as DANA Adam flooding prompts more than 1 000 rescues in eastern Spain

October 20, 2026

Satellite image of Hatteras Island on October 16, 2026

Visitors ordered to evacuate Hatteras Island as coastal storm threatens N.C. Highway 12, U.S.

October 17, 2026

Tornadoes

NWS confirms EF0 tornado near Spring Grove, Virginia, with 115 km/h winds and a 4.3 km path, no injuries reported

November 3, 2026

Tornado leaves one injured and damages dozens of homes in Requínoa, Chile

October 27, 2026

Powerful tornado damages school and homes in Marsala, disrupts transport in Western Sicily, Italy

October 9, 2026

Tornado touches down near Francis Peak in Davis County, Utah

September 19, 2026

montezuma creek long-track tornado utah september 13 2025

First-ever Tornado Watch reported for Hawaii as Hurricane Lowell passes west of Niʻihau

September 8, 2026

Tornado damage in Pomas, Aude, France on August 24, 2026

Tornado in Pomas injures 39, damages 300 homes and forces evacuations, France

August 25, 2026

Storm damage in Wetzlar, Germany on August 20, 2026

Three tornadoes confirmed after severe storms leave at least two dead in Germany

August 22, 2026

Storm damage in Dover, Delaware on August 20, 2026

Dover declares State of Emergency after tornadoes and severe storms strike parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware

August 21, 2026

Tropical cyclones

Cyclone Arnab brings over 546 mm (21 inches) of rain, flooding isolates around 300 villages in Odisha, India

October 29, 2026

Cyclone Arnab leaves 3 dead after landfall in Andhra Pradesh, India

October 28, 2026

Very severe cyclone Arnab nears Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast ahead of October 28 landfall, India

October 27, 2026

Typhoon Champi leaves one dead and hundreds injured as recovery continues in Taiwan

October 25, 2026

Hurricane Vance continues strengthening south of Mexico, forecast to reach Category 3

October 23, 2026

Eastern Pacific reaches 21 named storms for the first time since 2018 as Tropical Storm Vance strengthens

October 22, 2026

Subtropical Storm Josephine forms off U.S. East Coast, forecast to become a hurricane-force extratropical cyclone

October 22, 2026

Tropical cyclones

Cyclone Arnab brings over 546 mm (21 inches) of rain, flooding isolates around 300 villages in Odisha, India

October 29, 2026

Cyclone Arnab leaves 3 dead after landfall in Andhra Pradesh, India

October 28, 2026

Very severe cyclone Arnab nears Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast ahead of October 28 landfall, India

October 27, 2026

Typhoon Champi leaves one dead and hundreds injured as recovery continues in Taiwan

October 25, 2026

Hurricane Vance continues strengthening south of Mexico, forecast to reach Category 3

October 23, 2026

Eastern Pacific reaches 21 named storms for the first time since 2018 as Tropical Storm Vance strengthens

October 22, 2026

Subtropical Storm Josephine forms off U.S. East Coast, forecast to become a hurricane-force extratropical cyclone

October 22, 2026

Space weather

G2 geomagnetic storm forecast for October 9 as CME approaches Earth

October 9, 2026

September 28 CME expected to deliver glancing blow to Earth on October 2, geomagnetic storm forecast

September 30, 2026

Multiple CMEs forecast to impact Earth on September 8 and 9, G1 geomagnetic storm watch issued

September 7, 2026

M6.9 solar flare produces Earth-directed CME, G2 geomagnetic storm watch issued for August 28

August 26, 2026

Solar activity reaches moderate levels following strong M8.1 flare from Active Region 4513

August 20, 2026

Space Weather Monitor

Real-time solar flares, solar wind data, geomagnetic indices, alerts, and more in a single view dashboard

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Plots, models, images, and videos
…and more

Asteroid 2026 RW1 impacts Earth over Indian Ocean about 7 hours after discovery, becomes 13th known asteroid detected before impact

September 7, 2026

Asteroid 2026 RW1 impacts Earth over Indian Ocean about 7 hours after discovery, becomes 13th known asteroid detected before impact

September 7, 2026

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