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.

  • Series of devastating wildfires hit Texas Panhandle, causing evacuations, temporary closure of critical nuclear weapons facility, U.S.

    ByTeo Blašković

    A series of out-of-control wildfires swept through the Texas Panhandle on February 27 and 28, 2024, prompting tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, causing widespread power outages, and forcing the temporary shutdown of the Pantex Plant, a critical nuclear weapons facility. The disaster, affecting numerous homes and prompting a disaster declaration in 60 counties, saw the Smokehouse Creek Fire rapidly grow to Texas’ 2nd largest wildfire in history.

  • Over 2 million animals perish in Mongolia’s harshest winter since 1975

    ByTeo Blašković

    This winter, Mongolia endures its snowiest season since 1975, leading to the deaths of 2.1 million head of livestock from starvation and exhaustion, a stark rise from figures reported just days ago. The extreme weather event, known as dzud, has intensified due to a preceding summer drought, severely impacting the country’s herding communities.

  • Magma volume under Svartsengi approaches eruption threshold, Iceland

    ByTeo Blašković

    Updated modeling shows Svartsengi’s magma volume reached 7.6 million m³ (268.3 million ft³) on February 26, 2024, and is now near or at the eruption threshold. With seismic activity increasing, particularly east of Sýlingarfell, the Norwegian Meteorological Agency has raised risk assessments, marking the Sundhnjúka crater series at high risk and adjusting other zones accordingly.

  • European farmers spray police with liquid manure during another violent clash in Brussels

    ByTeo Blašković

    European farmers sprayed police with liquid manure and hurled eggs and flares during another wave of clashes in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday, February 26, 2024. The confrontation occurred as the European Union’s agriculture ministers convened to address the agricultural sector’s grievances, including red tape and competition from low-cost imports.

  • Indonesia’s strongest tornado on record

    ByTeo Blašković

    Last week, Indonesia experienced its strongest tornado on record, injuring at least 33 people and causing extensive damage to hundreds of buildings in the West Java province, according to government officials.

  • Extreme anticyclonic anomaly linked to catastrophic rainfall in Henan and marine heatwave

    ByTeo Blašković

    A study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences has unveiled the unprecedented nature of an anticyclonic anomaly over Northeast Asia in July 2021, which played a key role in both the extreme precipitation in Henan Province, China and a severe marine heat wave in Japan Sea. This phenomenon resulted in significant ecological and economic impacts, including the deaths of 380 people in Zhengzhou and record-breaking losses to Japan’s coastal fisheries.