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.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit central Colombia at 17:04 UTC (12:04 LT) on August 17, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit central Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 16:41 UTC on August 17, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Tropical Storm “Hilary” formed at 15:00 UTC on August 16, 2023, as the 8th named storm of the 2023 Pacific hurricane season. The system is strengthening and is expected to become a hurricane on August 17, on its way toward the Baja California Peninsula and the United States.
New activity/unrest was reported for 4 volcanoes from August 9 to 15, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 16 volcanoes.
The water level of the Euphrates River has plummeted drastically over the past three weeks, reaching a concerning historical low at Tabqa Dam, Syria. This alarming decline has left the Alouk water station non-functional since June 23, impacting close to one million residents of the Hassakeh governorate in various vital sectors.
A waterspout that formed on the Bangtaboon River in Phetchaburi’s Ban Laem district on August 12, 2023, capsized a tourist boat, leaving one person dead and another missing.
A rapidly spreading wildfire, which ignited on Tuesday night, August 15, 2023, in a Tenerife national park, has since spread across 300 ha (741 acres), leading to the evacuation of five villages and sealing off the forest near Mount Teide volcano.
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit Vanuatu at 12:47 UTC on August 16, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 193 km (119 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Tropical Cyclone “Lan” made landfall near Cape Shionomisaki in Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture just before 05:00 LT on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 (20:00 UTC, August 14), with winds near 160 km/h (100 mph) — equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic.
Remnants of Tropical Cyclone “Khanun” dropped heavy rains over Primorsky Krai, Russia over the past couple of days causing widespread floods. Khanun made landfall in South Korea late August 9 (UTC) and continued moving north toward Russia.
