Daylight fireball produces sonic boom over Salt Lake City, Utah
A bright daylight meteor produced a sonic boom over northern Utah at 14:31 UTC (08:31 LT) on Saturday, August 13, 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.
Violent storm hits Stromboli, covering streets and homes in tons of mud
Streets and homes on the island of Stromboli were engulfed in thousands of tons of mud as heavy rain caused mudslides to spread across the iconic volcanic island on August 12, 2022.
Tropical Storm “Meari” makes landfall in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Tropical Storm “Meari” made landfall in Shizuoka Prefecture, close to capital Tokyo at 08:30 UTC (17:30 LT) on August 13, 2022, with maximum sustained winds of 72 km/h (45 mph). The storm caused disruption to the roads and train and air services during the peak summer holiday season, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
Earthquake swarm in American Samoa likely related to Taʻū volcano or the nearby submarine Vailuluʻu
An earthquake swarm is occurring in the Manuʻa islands of American Samoa. These earthquakes are most likely related to either Taʻū volcano or the nearby submarine Vailuluʻu volcano, according to the USGS.
Shallow M5.9 earthquake hits Moro Gulf, Philippines
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the PHIVOLCS as M5.9 hit Moro Gulf, Philippines at 06:25 UTC on August 13, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 1 km (0.62 miles). The USGS is reporting M5.8 at a depth of 15 km (9.3 miles), EMSC M5.8 at a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles).
Gambia experiences worst floods in nearly half a century
The flash floods that hit most of Gamia on July 30 and 31 and on August 5 and 6, 2022, have been the worst that have hit the Gambia in nearly half a century. The worst affected were the West Coast Region, North Bank Region and the Greater Banjul Area.
Strong eruption at Lokbatan mud volcano in Baku, Azerbaijan
A strong eruption took place at the Azerbaijani Lokbatan mud volcano on August 11, 2022, covering about 2 ha (4.94 acres) of land with mud. This is an active mud volcano whose last eruption took place in 2018. Since 1829, it erupted at least 27 times.
France battles extremely violent wildfire, officials warn additional flare-ups could cause it to spread further
France is battling a massive fire in its drought-stricken southwestern region of Gironde for the third day in a row. On August 11, officials are warning that new flare-ups could cause it to spread further.
Extreme drought in Somalia displaces more than 1 million people
Extreme, multi-season drought in Somalia has displaced more than 1 million people, as of August 11, 2022.
38 people killed, historic buildings and scores of homes collapse after heavy rains hit Yemen
Heavy rains and floods affecting parts of Yemen over the past 2 days claimed the lives of at least 38 people and completely destroyed at least 10 historic buildings in the capital Sanaa.
