Kanlaon volcano records highest sulfur dioxide emission this year, Philippines
A sharp increase in SO2 emissions was recorded at Kanlaon volcano last week, creating concerns over potential phreatic eruptions.
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.
Historic EF-3 tornado sweeps through Virginia Beach, leaving a trail of destruction, Virginia
A powerful EF-3 tornado struck Virginia Beach, Virginia, on April 30, 2023, damaging 115 homes and destroying 12. This is the most powerful tornado ever to hit the city, officials said on May 1.
Moderately strong M7.1 solar flare erupts from AR 3288
A moderately strong solar flare measuring M7.1 erupted at 13:09 UTC on May 1, 2023. The event started at 13:02 and ended at 13:09 UTC.
Strong and shallow M6.2 earthquake hits near the coast of Okinawa, Japan
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the JMA as M6.2 hit near the coast of Okinawa, Japan at 03:22 UTC (12:22 LT) on May 1, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS is reporting M5.9 at a depth of 10.9 km (6.7 miles); EMSC M5.9 at a depth of 12 km (7.4 miles).
Rainy season ravages Ecuador, leaves 79 people dead, 39 missing and 14 184 homes damaged
Heavy rainfall since January wreaked havoc across Ecuador, leaving at least 79 people dead, 39 missing, and 66 000 affected.
Deep M6.6 and M6.0 earthquakes hit south of the Fiji Islands
Two deep earthquakes registered by the USGS M6.6 and M6.0 hit south of the Fiji Islands at 03:13 UTC on April 28, 2023. The agency is reporting depths of 592.9 km (368.4 miles) and 598.5 km (371.8 miles), respectively. EMSC is reporting just one M6.0 quake at a depth of 593 km (368.4 miles).
Historic heatwave engulfs the Iberian Peninsula
Unusually warm April temperatures engulfed the Iberian Peninsula over the past couple of days, breaking numerous high-temperature records and setting a new (preliminary) European hottest April day on record.
The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report: April 19 – 25, 2023
New activity/unrest was reported for 4 volcanoes from April 19 – 25, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 17 volcanoes.
Severe thunderstorms drop grapefruit-sized hail over Texas, historic hailstorm over Florida, U.S.
Severe thunderstorms produced intense hailstorms over parts of the southern US on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, with golf ball to grapefruit-sized hail reported over parts of Texas and a historic hailstorm over Florida.
Large tornado hits earthquake-relief camp in Turkey
A sudden, very large tornado hit the earthquake-relief camp in the area of Pazarcik City, Kahramanmaras Province, Turkey on April 20, 2023, resulting in casualties and widespread damage. The tornado was strong enough to overturn cars and large vehicles.
