I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
Tropical Storm Amanda formed as the first tropical storm of the 2026 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season on June 3, 2026. At 08:00 PDT (15:00 UTC), the storm was located 2 375 km (1 475 miles) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, and was moving northwestward.
Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi made landfall over southern Wakayama Prefecture at 04:30 JST on June 3 (19:30 UTC on June 2), bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds that injured at least 23 people, damaged 57 homes, left more than 60 000 customers without power, and prompted evacuation orders affecting more than 400 000 residents. The storm also triggered the first Level 5 Special Flood Warning issued under Japan’s new five-level disaster alert system.
At least three tornadoes were reported across McCook, Minnehaha, and Lincoln counties in southeastern South Dakota on May 31, 2026.
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 struck southern Italy at 22:12 UTC on June 1, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 243 km (151 miles). INGV is reporting an ML6.2 (Mw6.1) earthquake at a depth of 250 km (155 miles).
An IF2 tornado damaged at least 18 structures, including 11 residential buildings, near the village of Balcarzowice in Opole Voivodeship, Poland, on May 30, 2026. Two homes were completely destroyed.
A rare dust storm accompanied by winds of up to 148 km/h (92 mph) struck Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, at around 17:00 LT on May 31, causing widespread damage, reducing visibility to less than 100 m (328 feet), and disrupting transportation and public events across the city. The same atmospheric setup also produced a tornado in Changling County, Jilin Province, as a broader outbreak of severe weather affected parts of Northeast China.
A new study found that 335 million ha (828 million ha) burned worldwide in 2025, the second-lowest global wildfire total since 2002 and 16% below the long-term average. Despite that, 2025 became the costliest year on record for insured wildfire losses globally, with more than 300 000 evacuations and over 90 fatalities linked to major fires in Canada, the United States, Europe, and South Korea.
A rapidly deepening low-pressure system southwest of Western Australia is bringing damaging to destructive winds, severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, and coastal hazards to broad areas of the state’s southwest on Sunday, May 31, 2026. Wind gusts of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) are possible southwest of a line from Lancelin to Albany, including the Perth metropolitan area, while dangerous surf, coastal erosion, and inundation affect exposed sections of the coast.
Typhoon Jangmi strengthened south of Okinawa on May 31, 2026, and is forecast to bring heavy rainfall to parts of Taiwan and southern Japan through June 3, prompting nearly 300 flight cancellations in Japan and warnings for hazardous seas, strong winds, flooding, and landslides in multiple regions.
Historic rainfall affected much of Yucatán on May 29, 2026, with Mérida setting a new all-time May rainfall record after 154 mm (6.1 inches) fell in 24 hours. Floodwaters inundated roads, stranded hundreds of vehicles, and caused significant disruptions across the city and surrounding areas.
