I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Asteroid 2026 HZ4 passed Earth at a distance of 0.077 LD (0.00020 AU / 29 709 km / 18 460 miles) from the center of our planet at 12:13 UTC on April 24, 2026, becoming the second-closest known asteroid flyby within 1 lunar distance recorded so far this year. Its closest point was about 23 338 km (14 501 miles) above Earth’s surface, placing it inside the orbit of geostationary satellites.
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit Hokkaido, Japan, at 20:23 UTC on April 26, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 81 km (50 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 79 km (49 miles).
Flooding left at least 19 people dead in the Dominican Republic and Haiti between April 9 and 24, 2026, including 12 deaths reported in northwestern Haiti, and displaced or evacuated 30 500 people in the Dominican Republic.
The Storm Prediction Center issued an Extremely Critical Fire Weather Area for portions of eastern New Mexico into the far western Texas Panhandle on Sunday, April 26, 2026. Red Flag Warnings cover much of the southern High Plains as southwest winds of 40-55 km/h (25-35 mph), localized gusts of 80-95 km/h (50-60 mph), and very low relative humidity create conditions where any new fire could spread rapidly.
A 958 hPa hurricane-force extratropical low is approaching the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea on April 26, 2026. NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center issued a Hurricane Force Wind Warning, with winds of 93-120 km/h (58–75 mph) and seas of 7-10 m (23-33 feet) in the southern semicircle.
A possible tornado damaged homes in Runaway Bay, Wise County, Texas, shortly after 21:00 CDT on April 25, 2026 (02:00 UTC on April 26), sending at least six people to hospitals and displacing about 20 families. Wise County Judge J.D. Clark said one person has died during the event. At least one home was destroyed, and multiple homes were heavily damaged near the Cumberland Trail and Overland Trail on the west side of the city.
Two major wildfires in southeast Georgia have burned over 16 000 ha (40 000 acres) and destroyed 143 structures by April 25, 2026, with federal fire officials reporting extreme fire behavior near the Florida line. The Highway 82 Fire in Brantley County and the Pineland Road Fire in Clinch and Echols counties remained 10% contained, with evacuations and road closures in effect.
New activity/unrest was reported for 4 volcanoes from April 16 to 22, 2026. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 23 volcanoes.
A preliminary EF4 tornado injured 10 people in Enid, Oklahoma, on April 23, 2026, according to NWS Norman. The tornado reached estimated peak winds of 274 km/h (170 mph), tracked 15.3 km (9.5 miles), and damaged parts of Vance Air Force Base and the Gray Ridge neighborhood. This was the first EF4 tornado to impact Garfield County since April 1991.
El Niño conditions are likely to develop in the equatorial Pacific by mid-2026, with climate models showing strong agreement on onset timing, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported on April 24, 2026. The transition window spans May–July, following neutral conditions at the start of the year, and forecasts do not exclude the development of a strong event.
