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.
Tropical Storm “Ernsesto” formed at 12:00 UTC on Monday, August 12, 2024, near the Caribbean Sea as the 5th named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. The system is expected to bring tropical storm force winds and heavy rains to portions of the Leeward Islands beginning late tonight.
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M4.4 hit near Highland Park and South Pasadena, Los Angeles, California at 19:20 UTC (12:20 local time) on August 12, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 11 km (6.8 miles).
An increase in sulfur dioxide emissions, alongside minor eruptions observed on August 11, 2024, suggests the presence of shallow magma beneath the White Island volcano in New Zealand. The Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 3 since August 9, with continued monitoring under difficult weather conditions.
A G3 – Strong geomagnetic storming was observed on August 12, 2024, following multiple impacts from coronal mass ejections (CMEs) produced since August 7.
A deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia at 03:28 UTC on August 10, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 406 km (252 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.5 at a depth of 400 km (248 miles).
A robust aftershock sequence, currently exceeding 450 earthquakes, continues to shake Kern County in Southern California after M5.2 on August 7, 2024 — the strongest quake to hit the region in three years.
A notable eruption took place at White Island volcano, an active stratovolcano in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, on August 9, 2024, dispersing minor volcanic ash to the east of the volcano. The Volcanic Alert Level was raised to Level 3, and the Aviation Colour Code was increased to Orange. The activity was most active between 01:00 and 03:00 UTC (13:00 and 15:00 LT).
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its first megaquake advisory on Thursday, August 8, 2024, several hours after the M7.1 earthquake hit near the coast of Kyushu. The advisory warns that if a major earthquake were to occur in the future, strong shaking and large tsunamis would be generated.
A major, long-duration solar flare measuring X1.3 erupted from Active Region 3777 at 19:35 UTC on August 8, 2024. The event started at 19:01 and ended at 19:57 UTC.
New activity/unrest was reported for 3 volcanoes from July 31 to August 6, 2024. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 15 volcanoes.
