Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Yet another unexplained spike in airborne radioactivity has been detected in Europe. This is the second reported spike in radioactive particles in Europe this year. According to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, elevated levels of the isotope…
A supercell thunderstorm swept through South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province on October 10, 2017, dropping unprecedented rain on Durban, the region's main city and home to one of the busiest ports in Africa. At least 6 people were killed in Durban and 2 in…
A powerful eruption started at Sheveluch volcano, Kamchatka, Russia at 23:29 UTC on October 10, 2017 and lasted 20 minutes. According to the Tokyo VAAC, the volcanic cloud reached a height of 10.4 km (34 000 feet) above sea level at 23:50 UTC and drifted to the…
Asteroid 2012 TC4, discovered in 2012 by PanSTARRS-1, will fly past our planet at a very close distance of 0.13 LD (~50 100 km / 31 140 miles) at 05:40 UTC on October 12, 2017. Current estimates suggest it should peak around mag +12.8 at closest approach and be…
Following increased seismic activity detected since September 23, 2017, Shinmoedake volcano (Kirishimayama) in Kyushu, Japan started erupting at 20:34 UTC on October 10, 2017, coating nearby cities and towns with a thin layer of ash. The last eruption of this…
At least 23 people have been killed since October 1, 2017 in six Chinese provinces after two waves of heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds caused floods and landslides. According to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, the storms caused widespread damage in…
Tropical Storm "Ophelia" formed west-southwest of the Azores islands around 09:00 UTC on October 9, 2017 as the 15th named storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm is now getting better organized and is expected to strengthen into a…
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.7 hit Bouvet Island region, South Atlantic Ocean at 18:53 UTC on October 10, 2017. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). This is the second M6+ earthquake within 24 hours. The epicenter was…
A total of 102 500 homes and businesses in Denver metro area were left without electricity on Sunday and Monday, October 8 and 9, 2017 after the first snowstorm of the season hit parts of Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. This was Denver's earliest first snow of…
Massive wildfires fanned by strong winds that ignited in Northern California on Sunday, October 8, 2017 are now the worst the state has seen in its history. As of early October 10, at least 11 people have been killed, more than 100 are believed to be missing and…
