Severe hailstorm hits north Kashmir, causing massive crop damage
A severe hailstorm lashed parts of north Kashmir on April 25, 2022, causing heavy damage to fruit orchards. This is the second damaging hailstorm to hit the region this month.
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.
Southern California declares first-ever water shortage emergency, imposes unprecedented water usage restrictions, U.S.
fficials in Southern California have declared a water shortage emergency for the first time ever and imposed unprecedented outdoor water usage restrictions on roughly 6 million people.
Cundinamarca declares state of emergency after deadly floods and landslides, Colombia
Heavy rainfall affecting the department of Cundinamarca in central Colombia caused deadly floods and landslides over the past couple of days, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency for the entire department.
Severe dust storms and large hail hit parts of the Middle East
Severe dust storms are affecting parts of the Middle East, from the Mediterranean Sea to parts of Saudi Arabia.
Powerful dust storm hits Rakhine State, Myanmar
A powerful dust storm swept over parts of Myanmar’s Rakhine State on April 24, 2022, causing near-zero visibility.
Wildfires scorch northern New Mexico, U.S.
Strong, gusty winds, extremely low humidity and an exceedingly dry landscape fueled an early and severe fire season in New Mexico, U.S.
Tropical Storm “Jasmine” to make landfall over Madagascar
Tropical Storm “Jasmine” formed in the Mozambique Channel on April 24, 2022, as the 11th named storm of the 2021/22 Southwest Indian Ocean Cyclone Season. The storm is expected to make landfall in an area close to Toliara, Madagascar during the afternoon hours (LT) of April 26, with maximum sustained winds up to 105 km/h (65 mph).
Tremor at Ruapehu volcano now longest and strongest in 20 years, New Zealand
Elevated volcanic unrest continues at New Zealand’s Ruapehu volcano, dominated by strong volcanic tremor. The Crater Lake (Te Wai ā-moe) temperature remains stable at 37 °C (98.6 °F) and the Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 2.
DR Congo declares new Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province
The health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a new outbreak of Ebola on April 23, 2022, after a case was confirmed in Mbandaka, a city in the north-western Equateur Province. This is the third outbreak in the province since 2018.
Asteroid 2022 HB1 to fly past Earth at 0.5 LD
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2022 HB1 will fly past Earth at a distance of 0.52 LD / 0.00134 AU (200 460 km / 124 560 miles) at 21:52 UTC (± 00:37) on April 26, 2022.
