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.
Meteorological forecasts show a major sudden stratospheric warming event forming over the Arctic, likely to cause significant weakening of the polar vortex in early February 2026. The resulting atmospheric disruption may alter jet-stream dynamics and increase the risk of Arctic air intrusions into North America and northern Europe during the second half of February.
Severe geomagnetic storm on January 19, 2026, generated a rare auroral glow inside the South Atlantic Anomaly, a region where Earth’s magnetic field is significantly weaker. Photographers in Brazil captured a diffuse purple band over Cambará do Sul during peak geomagnetic activity, documenting the latest in rare instances of possible auroral or SAR arc activity within the anomaly.
At least nine people have been reported dead, while over 80 remain missing, in Indonesia after a major landslide destroyed homes and forced evacuations in the Pasir Langu village on January 24, 2026.
Heavy winter storms struck northern and central Afghanistan on Thursday, January 22, 2026, causing avalanches, building collapses, and road blockages across several provinces. At least 11 people were confirmed dead, with fatalities reported in Kandahar, Parwan, Bamyan, Maidan Wardak, Jawzjan, and Faryab.
An avalanche claimed nine lives and injured a 9-year-old child of the same family in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, January 23, 2026.
A potentially historic winter storm associated with the Polar Vortex is forecast to bring heavy snow, freezing rain, and dangerous cold across much of the United States from January 23 to 26, 2026. The system is expected to cause widespread travel disruptions, power outages, and hazardous conditions from Texas to the Northeast, with more than 200 million people under various National Weather Service warnings and watches.
Moscow sent two military cargo planes to deliver heavy snow-clearing equipment to Kamchatka on January 22, 2026, after historic snowfall claimed two lives last week. More than 2 m (7 feet) of snow fell in the first half of January, followed by another 3.7 m (12.1 feet) in December, burying entire homes and paralyzing the region.
Ice storm warnings are in effect for parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia between January 24 and 26, 2026. Ice accumulations of 6 mm to 25 mm (0.25 to 1 inch) and wind gusts up to 30 mph (48 km/h) are forecast across the regions. The combination of freezing rain, sleet, and gusty winds is expected to cause widespread power outages, tree damage, and extremely hazardous travel conditions.
Winter storm warnings and watches have been issued across a broad swath of the United States due to a long-duration winter storm forecast to affect the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley to the Midwest, Great Lakes, Appalachians, and parts of the Southwest.
A severe storm system brought intense rainfall and gale-force winds across Greece on January 22, 2026, causing deadly floods and widespread disruptions. A woman was killed in Glyfada, Athens, when her vehicle was swept away by floodwaters, and a 53-year-old coastguard officer died in Peloponnese after being struck by a wave. Schools were closed, ferry services suspended, and authorities warned residents to avoid non-essential travel.
