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.
Tropical Cyclone “Megan” formed on March 16, 2024, in the Gulf of Carpentaria as the 5th named storm of the 2023/24 Australian region cyclone season. Megan has reached Category 3 intensity today and is forecast to cross the southwest coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, most likely on Monday, March 18, with wind gusts up to 220 km/h (137 mph).
After more than a month of magma buildup, a new eruption began in Reykjanes Peninsula, between Hagafell and Stóra-Skógfell, at 20:23 UTC on March 16, 2024.
A moderately strong solar flare registered as M3.5 erupted from the southeast limb of the Sun at 16:35 UTC on March 16, 2024. The event started at 16:22 and ended at 16:44 UTC. This flare was partially eclipsed by the edge of the Sun, which means it was much stronger than M3.5.
Although solar activity was at low levels over the past 24 hours, multiple long-duration C-class solar flares, associated with activity from Region 3599 as it rotated beyond the west limb, produced coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that sent proton flux rising to S1 – Minor levels.
A severe storm system spawned eight tornadoes across Indiana, Ohio, and Texas on March 14, 2024, resulting in numerous injuries and widespread property damage. The most critical impact occurred in Winchester, Indiana, where significant injuries were reported by the Indiana State Police, and in Ohio, where multiple structures were destroyed and two people lost their lives.
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2024 EJ4 flew past Earth at a distance of just 0.07 LD / 0.00018 AU (26 246 km / 16 308 miles) from the center of our planet at 17:22 UTC on March 13, 2024.
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 21:10 UTC on March 14, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
New activity/unrest was reported for 3 volcanoes from March 6 to 12, 2024. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 19 volcanoes.
A significant winter storm has brought heavy snowfall to Colorado, particularly affecting areas from Denver to the state’s ski resorts, resulting in widespread flight cancellations and major highway closures. The National Weather Service in Boulder reports more than 60 cm (2 feet) of snow in the Front Range foothills and predicts totals could exceed 120 cm (4 feet) in some mountainous areas by Friday morning, March 15, 2024.
An early-morning landslide on March 13, 2023, caused significant damage to a house under construction and posed a threat to several other homes in the 3700 block of North Ventura Canyon Avenue, Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported no injuries, and several residents were evacuated as a precaution. The landslide led to the red-tagging of at least one building and prompted the deployment of LAFD Drone Operators to assess the situation further.
