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 M6.0 hit off the coast of Vanuatu at 04:32 UTC on October 29, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 80 km (50 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
On October 25, 2023, Colombia’s Puracé Volcano experienced a noticeable increase in seismic activity, with earthquakes reaching a maximum magnitude of 1.0. Located between 1 and 4 km (0.6 – 2.5 miles) in depth, these quakes coincided with higher degassing levels and persistent high CO2 values.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has revised its forecast for Solar Cycle 25, predicting a quicker and more intense peak in solar activity between January and October 2024. The updated prediction challenges the previous expert panel’s forecast from 2019.
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 from October 18 to 24, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 16 volcanoes.
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible across the eastern Americas, Europe, Africa, Russia, Asia, Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica on October 28, 2023. The event will peak at 20:14 UTC and will be part of the Saros 146 series.
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2023 UH9 flew past Earth at a distance of 0.27 LD / 0.00070 AU (104 456 km / 64 906 miles) from the center of our planet at 17:12 UTC on October 18, 2023.
An intense earthquake swarm started north of Grindavik and near Fagradalsfjall volcano, Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula early on October 25, 2023, prompting the Civil Protection Service to declare an uncertainty phase due to the seismic swarm.
A long-duration, early-season snowstorm began Tuesday afternoon, October 24, 2023, across portions of the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, and Northern High Plains. Moderate to heavy snowfall is forecasted for these locations over the next few days. Heavy snow bands will likely result in hazardous travel conditions and poor visibility.
Increased seismic activity has been recorded at Bogoslof volcano in Alaska since October 21, 2023, leading authorities to raise the alert level.
Tropical Storm “Otis” explosively intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in just 12 hours and continued intensifying on its way toward Mexico where it made landfall at 06:25 UTC on October 25, 2023, as a Category 5 hurricane. This is now one of the fastest-intensifying hurricanes in the world’s history.
