Asteroid 2022 YO1 flew past Earth at just 0.07 LD
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2022 YO1 flew past Earth at a distance of 0.07 LD / 0.00018 AU (27 627 km / 17 167 miles) at 18:40 UTC on December 17, 2022.
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.
Strong and shallow M6.4 earthquake hits near the coast of Northern California, leaving at least 2 people dead and 12 injured
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.4 hit near the coast of Northern California at 10:34 UTC (02:34 LT) on December 20, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 16 km (9.9 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.3 at a depth of 40 km (24.8 miles).
Snow piling up at an unprecedented pace, Japan
Heavy sea effect snow continues affecting parts of Japan, bringing unprecedented amounts to parts of the country.
Extremely cold Arctic air to impact much of U.S.
A massive surge of extremely cold Arctic air will consume much of the Lower 48 this week with well below-normal temperatures stretching from the Northwest into the Eastern two-thirds of the U.S.
Severe turbulence hits flight HA35 from Phoenix to Honolulu, injuring 36 people, 11 seriously, Hawaii
Honolulu Airlines flight 35 from Phoenix to Hawaii encountered severe turbulence roughly 30 minutes before landing in Honolulu on December 18, 2022, causing some passengers to fly out of their seats. While the plane (Airbus A330) landed safely, 36 people were injured during the event, of which 11 seriously.
Freak wave hits South African beach, killing 3 people and injuring 17
An unusually large wave hit a popular beach in the city of Durban, South Africa at around 17:00 LT on December 17, 2022, killing three people and injuring 17 others.
Meteor explodes over Zhejiang – broken windows and street lamps reported, meteorites found, China
A very bright fireball exploded over China’s Zhejiang Province around 10:00 UTC on December 15, 2022. Parts of the object survived the entry and were later recovered. Locals reported broken windows and street lamps.
New era of violent and unpredictable eruptions at Stromboli volcano, Italy
New research published in Nature Communications suggests the internal ‘plumbing’ system of the Stromboli volcano in Italy may have changed, allowing magma from deep beneath the surface to rise more easily, triggering violent and unpredictable blasts. The research follows a series of surprisingly strong eruptions and paroxysms in 2019.
Record-breaking snow and coldest air mass of the season hit Japan
Heavy sea-effect snow and the coldest air mass of the season are affecting Japan this week, forcing authorities to issue blizzard warnings for parts of the country.
Major landslide hits camping site in Malaysia, leaving dozens dead and missing
A major landslide hit a campsite at a location known as Father’s Organic Farm in Genting Highlands, Malaysia — about 50 km (31 miles) N of Kuala Lumpur — on December 16, 2022. The cause of the landslide is not clear at the moment as there had been only light rain in the area.
