Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Parts of northwest India are experiencing severe heatwave conditions on Saturday, May 18, 2024, with the capital New Delhi under a Red alert as very high temperatures strike parts of the country. The India Meteorological Department has issued warnings for several states, anticipating persistent heat wave conditions over the next 5 days.
Chile’s capital, Santiago, has been experiencing record-low temperatures for several days, with minimum temperatures around 0 °C (32 °F). This cold spell has made May 2024 the coldest May since 1950, according to the Chilean meteorological agency. In some coastal regions and parts of Santiago, temperatures have dipped below freezing, a rare occurrence for this time of year.
A new earthquake swarm began in the Campi Flegrei area, Italy at 04:06 UTC on May 18, 2024.
A new eruption took place at Concepción volcano in Nicaragua shortly after 14:00 LT (20:00 UTC) on May 16, 2024, producing a thick column of ash and causing notable ashfall in nearby areas. This is the first eruption at Concepción since March 2011.
Severe storms over the past few days have caused historic rainfall and significant damage in northern Italy, particularly affecting the regions of Veneto and Lombardy. Milan experienced its heaviest rainfall in 170 years, leading to widespread flooding and travel disruptions.
At least 7 people were killed and about 2.2 million people lost power as intense thunderstorms swept through Texas on May 16, 2024. The storms brought heavy rain, destructive winds, and dangerous flooding to already inundated areas.
The activity level for Indonesia’s Ibu volcano was raised to Level IV — the highest, on May 16, 2024, following a surge in volcanic activity.
New activity/unrest was reported for 8 volcanoes from May 8 to 14, 2024. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 11 volcanoes.
A powerful solar flare measuring X2.9 erupted on the Sun’s southeastern limb at 14:38 UTC on May 15, 2024. The event started at 14:20 and ended at 14:51 UTC. This is the second X-class solar flare after X3.4 at 08:37 UTC from Region 3664 — off the west limb.
A powerful solar flare registered as X3.4 erupted from Active Region 3664 — now located beyond the west limb — at 08:37 UTC on May 15, 2024. The event started at 08:18 and ended at 08:52 UTC. A solar radiation storm continues at S1 – Minor to S2 – Moderate levels since May 13.
