Rishav Kothari is Editor-in-Chief of The Watchers, where he runs the newsroom and covers earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather and space weather.

  • Enhanced Risk issued for severe storms across Northern Plains, tornadoes, very large hail, and damaging winds forecast

    ByRishav Kothari

    The Storm Prediction Center has placed parts of the Northern Plains under an Enhanced Risk (Level 3/5) for severe thunderstorms on June 9, 2026, as a strengthening low-pressure system emerging from the northern Rockies is forecast to support numerous storms capable of producing very large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes, including a few strong tornadoes, from eastern North Dakota and northeastern South Dakota into northwestern Minnesota.

  • At least one injured as severe storms hit southern Pennsylvania, tornado surveys planned

    ByRishav Kothari

    At least one person was injured after severe thunderstorms swept across parts of southern Pennsylvania on June 6, 2026, producing wind gusts of 115 to 130 km/h (70 to 80 mph) and causing damage across portions of Washington, Westmoreland, and Fayette counties. The National Weather Service plans to survey affected areas on June 7 amid reports that tornadoes may have occurred.

  • Earth has a second planetary symmetry, maintained by a hidden balance of clouds

    ByRishav Kothari

    Earth’s eastern and western hemispheres reflect almost exactly the same amount of sunlight despite being dominated by very different cloud systems, land masses, and ocean basins. A new study has identified a previously unknown planetary symmetry centered on 27° E longitude, revealing a new large-scale feature of Earth’s climate system and a phenomenon that many current climate models fail to reproduce.

  • Noctilucent cloud season begins: How glowing night clouds form near the edge of space

    ByRishav Kothari

    Noctilucent cloud season is underway across the Northern Hemisphere, bringing one of Earth’s most unusual atmospheric phenomena back to twilight skies. Composed of microscopic ice crystals suspended near the edge of space, these clouds shine with a distinctive silver-blue glow when conditions in the upper atmosphere become cold enough for them to form.