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.
A total solar eclipse will take place at 16:13 UTC on December 14, 2020, and be visible from the South Pacific, Chile, Argentina, and the South Atlantic. Observers from southern South America, the Pacific, and those currently in Antarctica will experience a partial…
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2020 XK1 flew past Earth at a very close distance of just 0.05 LD / 0.00014 AU (20 943 km / 13 013 miles) from the center of our planet at 16:15 UTC on December 7, 2020. For reference, Earth's diameter is 12 742 km (7 917…
A long-duration solar flare measuring C7.4 at its peak erupted from Active Region 2790 — positioned in Earth-striking zone — at 16:32 UTC on December 7, 2020. The event started at 15:46, peaked at 16:32, and ended at 17:33 UTC. An asymmetric full halo coronal mass…
A major winter storm that started affecting parts of Europe on Friday, December 4, 2020, has dumped more than 3 m (9.8 feet) of snow in parts of Italy and Austria by the end of December 6 and more than 770 mm (30 inches) of rain in the town of Barcis in northern…
A massive hailstorm accompanied by exceptionally heavy rain and drastic temperature drop hit Lebanon's capital Beirut on December 5, 2020, causing massive floods and traffic chaos. The last time Beirut witnessed a similar event was back in 1968. The hailstorm…
A new eruption has started at Piton de la Fournaise volcano, Reunion at around 00:40 UTC (04:40 LT) on December 7, 2020. The first lava poured out around 00:50 to 01:00 UTC. Three cracks opened on the WSW flank of the volcano, at an altitude of between 2 300 and 2…
The Martinique volcanological and seismological observatory of the IPGP has raised the alert level for Pelée volcano to Yellow (2 of 4) on December 4, 2020. The last eruption of this volcano took place in 1932 (VEI 3). Pelée is the deadliest volcano of…
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit Tarapaca, Chile at 16:47 UTC on December 6, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 102 km (63 miles). The EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 100 km (62 miles). The epicenter was located 113 km (70 miles) E…
A powerful Nor'easter, the first of the winter season, is forecast to roll-up the Northeastern Seaboard and impact the region with a number of hazards this weekend, December 5 and 6, 2020. Very heavy wet snow and high gusty winds will affect a good portion of…
An extreme, potentially catastrophic amount of rain and especially snow could develop across the southern Alpine flank over the coming weekend, leading to potentially catastrophic avalanches. Potentially a very dynamic weather pattern change is shaping up for…
