I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Record-breaking rainfall left at least two people dead and several others unaccounted for in parts of New Zealand on January 21, 2026. The event produced multiple rainfall records and damaging winds, marking the 20th Red Warning weather event since the alert level was introduced in May 2019.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit the Volcano Islands, Japan region at 16:37 UTC on January 21, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 25.5 km (15.8 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Prolonged heavy rain affecting New Zealand prompted MetService to raise heavy rain warnings to the highest alert level at 09:08 LT on January 21, 2026, amid a multi-day rainfall event and the influence of a tropical low.
Solar radiation storms are extreme space weather phenomena in which high-energy particles from the Sun reach near-Earth space, posing operational risks to satellites and aviation. The latest rare S4 – Severe event on January 19, 2026, is the strongest since 2003, providing an opportunity to explain what solar radiation storms are and why scientists monitor them from Earth’s orbit to surface detectors.
The impact of a full halo coronal mass ejection (CME) at Earth on January 19, 2026, drove geomagnetic activity to G4 – Severe levels, producing widespread aurora across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
A G4 – Severe solar radiation storm is in progress after ≥10 MeV proton flux exceeded 10 000 pfu at 18:10 UTC on January 19, 2026, following the X1.9 solar flare on January 18. As the associated full-halo coronal mass ejection approaches Earth, forecasters warn that a G4 – Severe geomagnetic storm is likely early on January 20.
A G4 – Severe or greater geomagnetic storm is forecast for early January 20, 2026, as a full-halo coronal mass ejection from the January 18 X1.9 solar flare approaches Earth. If G4 conditions materialize, auroral activity is expected to expand significantly equatorward, with visibility possible as far south as Alabama and northern California.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit southeast of Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia at 13:02 UTC on January 19, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
A strong solar radiation storm (S3) is in progress after ≥10 MeV proton flux exceeded 1 000 pfu at 10:20 UTC on January 19, 2026. The event follows an X1.9 solar flare and full-halo coronal mass ejection that erupted on January 18. S3 – Strong solar radiation storms are relatively rare, occurring just a few times in one 11-year solar cycle.
Piton de la Fournaise volcano on La Réunion entered a new eruptive phase at 19:42 LT (16:42 UTC) on January 18, 2026, after a strong seismic crisis and rapid ground deformation. The eruption is effusive, producing lava flows from fissures on the northern flank inside the Enclos Fouqué caldera. This is the first eruption at Piton de la Fournaise since August 2023.
