Severe sandstorms engulf Saudi Arabia and Iraq
Large sandstorms swept across multiple provinces across Saudi Arabia, with parts of Riyadh and Al Qassim experiencing near-zero visibility through Sunday and Monday, May 4 and 5, 2025.
Rishav Kothari is Editor-in-Chief of The Watchers, where he runs the newsroom and covers earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather and space weather.
Omega block set to bring multiday flooding threat to central and northeastern U.S.
An omega block pattern over the United States is expected to bring prolonged rounds of thunderstorms and showers starting Monday, May 5, 2025, posing a multiday flooding threat primarily across the central and northeastern U.S.
Atmospheric rivers disrupt ENSO-based precipitation forecasts in the southwestern U.S.
A recent study from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography found that ARs were responsible for 70% of years when precipitation deviated from ENSO-based expectations.
Intense hailstorm hits Paris, France
Severe hailstorm hit Paris on May 3, 2025, as a low pressure system over the Iberian Peninsula triggered widespread storms across southern France.
Record rainfall and strong winds trigger State of Emergency in New Zealand
Record rainfall and strong winds struck New Zealand at approximately 09:00 LT (21:00 UTC) on May 1, 2025, prompting a Red Alert for the North Island and a state of emergency for parts of the South Island.
M6.0 earthquake hits near Gorontalo, Indonesia
A strong earthquake registered by the BMKG as M6.0 hit NW of Pohuwanto in Gorontalo Province, Indonesia at 19:51 WIB (12:51 UTC) on May 3, 2025. The agency reports a depth of 90 km (56 miles). USGS registered the same magnitude but at a depth of 108.4 km (67.3 miles).
Wildfires near Jerusalem trigger national emergency, disrupting Independence Day celebrations in Israel
Wildfires erupted near Jerusalem on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, prompting a national emergency in Israel, disrupting independence day celebrations leading to evacuation in 12 towns near the city and closing Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway on Thursday, May 1.
Hot mudflows destroy rubber and rice crops in North Sumatra, sparking fears of another Lapindo disaster, Indonesia
Hot mudflows struck Indonesia’s Roburan Dolok village in North Sumatra on April 25, 2025, damaging crops across the region and contaminating the water supply of four villages.
At least 2 dead in Pittsburgh as severe storms sweep through Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
At least two people died in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, after a derecho swept through the area, downing power lines and trees. The storm was part of a larger severe weather system that affected the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Severe thunderstorms forecast for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and the northeastern U.S. as powerful storm system moves east
A powerful storm system will move across the northeastern United States through Tuesday, April 29, 2025, prompting an Enhanced Risk for severe thunderstorms from Texas to New York through Wednesday, April 30.
