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.

  • Storm Bert to rapidly intensify, bringing severe winds and heavy rain to the UK and Ireland

    ByRishav Kothari

    Storm Bert — the second named storm of the 2024/25 European storm season will undergo explosive cyclogenesis on Saturday, November 23, 2024, becoming a “bomb cyclone” with a rapid pressure drop of over 24 hPa in 24 hours. The system is set to bring heavy rain, strong winds, and freezing temperatures across the United Kingdom and Ireland this weekend, with warnings for flooding, power disruptions, and snow in higher regions.

  • Landslide claims 4 lives in Central Java, Indonesia

    ByRishav Kothari

    A landslide in Purworejo Regency, Central Java, struck on Tuesday, November19, 2024, at approximately 16:00 local time (LT), killing three people, severely damaging one house, and leaving one person missing.

  • Bomb cyclone kills at least 2, leaves over 1.8 million without power in U.S. and Canada

    ByRishav Kothari

    A powerful, rapidly intensifying cyclone wreaked havoc across the northwestern United States and parts of Canada on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, causing at least 2 deaths and leaving more than 600 000 customers (approximately 1.5 million people) in the U.S. without power. Another 140 000 customers (approximately 335 000 people) were left without power in B.C., Canada.

  • Over 120 schools closed in the UK as snow covers parts of Scotland

    ByRishav Kothari

    Snowfall sweeping across the UK caused the closure of over 120 schools and suspended transport services on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. Temperatures plunged to as low as -11.2 °C (11.8 °F) in Aberdeenshire on Monday, November 18 making it the coldest early winter night recorded in Scotland since 1998.

  • Widespread winter disruptions forecast for Europe as Arctic air advances

    ByRishav Kothari

    Europe is bracing for widespread winter weather disruptions as an Arctic air mass pushes southward, triggering heavy snowfall, rain, and blizzards in November 2024. This shift, marked by a deep trough, will bring near-blizzard conditions to Sweden and Finland, while northern Italy and the Balkans face the risk of flash floods and heavy snow. Coastal regions of the UK and Ireland are also on alert for a powerful storm system with 150 km/h winds by the weekend.

  • Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina brace for intense rainfall

    ByRishav Kothari

    Southern Brazil is bracing for heavy torrential rainfall between Tuesday and Wednesday, November 19 – 20, 2024, with regions like Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina expected to experience precipitation exceeding 100 mm (3.94 inches), according to MetSul Meteorologia.

  • 160 deaths recorded in three weeks as six typhoons batter the Philippines

    ByRishav Kothari

    Four typhoons have struck the Philippines in the last 10 days, with the latest Man-Yi having claimed 8 lives as of Monday, November 18, 2024. At least 160 people have died due to storms in the Philippines in the last 3 weeks, with the last three typhoons having caused combined damages worth roughly ₱469.8 million ($ 8 million).