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.
A very bright fireball was observed over central Indiana at around 09:05 UTC (04:05 local time) on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. The event lasted about 3 – 5 seconds and was accompanied by a sonic boom.
A series of atmospheric rivers (ARs) and mid-level shortwave troughs are forecast to deliver significant precipitation to the United States West Coast starting mid-week, potentially extending into next week. Forecasts indicate that California, Oregon, and Washington will experience varying levels of rainfall intensity, with Northern California likely at the epicenter of the heaviest activity. The first AR in the series is expected to reach California on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
A rapidly spreading Franklin Fire broke out on Monday night (LT), December 9, 2024, near Malibu Canyon Road, California amid a Red Flag Warning and severe Santa Ana winds, placing nearby residents on urgent mandatory evacuation.
Two lunar impacts were recorded on December 8, 2024, by Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii, who captured the events using high-speed recording equipment. The observations were made during routine skywatching activities, which coincided with a Saturn eclipse.
Temperatures across the Northeast are expected to reach 4 – 10 °C (40 – 50 °F), melting significant snow accumulations from last week’s lake-effect snowstorm. Rainfall totals are forecasted to reach 76 – 127 mm (3 – 5 inches) in some areas, including the I-95 corridor.
Taiwan has recorded 42 earthquakes exceeding magnitude 5.5 on the Richter scale in 2024, marking the highest count since precision seismic monitoring began in 1991 with the implementation of the Taiwan Strong Motion Instrumentation Program. The surge in seismic activity has been largely attributed to the April 3 Hualien earthquake, a powerful magnitude 7.4 event that struck 15 km (9.3 miles) south of Hualien City, causing extensive damage, 18 fatalities, and over 1 100 injuries.
A strong explosion took place at Indonesia’s Dukono volcano at 06:15 local time (LT) on December 7, 2024, producing a tall ash column up to 6 km (20 000 feet) above sea level (a.s.l.).
Increased seismic activity was observed at Indonesia’s Ranakah volcano over the past month, prompting the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) to raise the Alert Status for the volcano from Level 1 to Level 2 on December 3, 2024. The last eruption at this volcano took place in 1991.
At least 3 people have been reported dead in West Java, Indonesia after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.
A very bright fireball was observed over Hokkaido shortly after 01:00 local time (LT) on Thursday, December 5, 2024 — 16:00 UTC on December 4.
