I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan at 13:34 UTC (18:04 local time) on June 27, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 199 km (123.7 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes from June 18-24, 2026. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 27 volcanoes.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Missoula upgraded Winter Storm Watches to Winter Storm Warnings at 11:04 MDT (17:04 UTC) on June 26, 2026, for four high-elevation zones in central Idaho and southwest Montana, where 10-20 cm (4-8 inches) of heavy wet snow, with isolated amounts up to 30 cm (12 inches), is forecast above about 2 000 m (6 500 feet) over the weekend.
Asteroid (152637) 1997 NC1 will pass Earth at 6.67 lunar distances (about 0.017 AU), or 2.5 million km (1.6 million miles) above Earth’s surface, at 11:16 UTC on June 27, 2026. The object has an estimated diameter between 750–1 650 m (2 460–5 410 feet), making this an unusually close encounter for an object of this size. The Virtual Telescope Project will stream the flyby live at 23:00 UTC on June 26 and 27, offering real-time views as the asteroid reaches peak brightness.
High concentrations of Saharan dust are affecting Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on June 26, 2026, reducing visibility and air quality as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) moves west. Drier Saharan air is forecast to reach South Florida from late Saturday, June 27, followed by a dust plume over Southeast Texas late Sunday, June 28, where hazy skies and reduced air quality are possible.
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit Mindanao, Philippines at 11:34 UTC (19:34 LT) on June 26, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 52.4 km (32.6 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth. According to PTWC, there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued an Extremely Critical fire-weather outlook for parts of central and southwestern Utah, northwest Arizona, and extreme southeastern Nevada for June 26, 2026, as southwest winds of 40-55 km/h (25-35 mph) combine with relative humidity of 5–15%.
The UK Met Office has issued a Red Warning for Extreme Heat for Friday, June 26, 2026, marking the first time in the history of the current weather warnings system that red warnings have been issued for extreme heat for three consecutive days.
Spain’s public mortality-monitoring system (MoMo) estimated that high temperatures were linked to 212 deaths between June 21 and 24, as the country’s first official heat wave of 2026 brought temperatures near 40°C (104°F) and higher across large areas.
A rare earthquake doublet struck northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026, beginning with an M7.2 foreshock at 22:04 UTC (18:04 LT) and followed just 39 seconds later by a larger M7.5 mainshock at 22:05 UTC. The USGS reported depths of 20.3 km (12.6 miles) for the foreshock and 10 km (6.2 miles) for the mainshock. EMSC reported the foreshock as M7.1 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) and the mainshock as M7.5 at a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles). The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said evaluation of all available data indicates that a destructive tsunami was not generated. Reports received by 06:40 UTC on June 30 mention at least 1 700 deaths and over 5 000 people injured. The death toll is expected to continue rising.
