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 newly-discovered asteroid designated 2020 QG flew past Earth at just 0.02 LD / 0.0000623 AU (9 319 km / 5 791 miles) on August 16, 2020. This is now the closest near-Earth object to flyby Earth so far this year and the closest on record. Valid 15:38 UTC on…
A weak solar flare measuring B1.2 at its peak erupted on August 16, 2020, producing a coronal mass ejection (CME). Consensus model results suggest an arriving glancing blow on August 20 — producing unsettled to active geomagnetic field conditions, with a chance for…
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit Samar, Philippines at 00:03 UTC (08:03 LT) on August 18, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). PHIVOLCS is reporting M6.6 at a depth of 21 km (13 miles). The epicenter was…
According to data provided by the National Weather Service, the temperature at Furnace Creek weather station in Death Valley National Park, California reached 54.4 °C (130 °F) at 15:41 CDT on Sunday, August 16, 2020, breaking the previous August 16 record of…
A massive dust storm impacted travel on the Interstate 10 and 8 near Phoenix, Arizona on August 16, 2020, after the city broke its daily high-temperature record with 46.1 °C (115 °F). The storm approached the city around 17:30 LT, causing low visibility…
A devastating derecho ripped through several Midwest states on August 10, 2020, leaving a path of destruction, more than 1.5 million customers without power, and more than 404 600 hectares (1 million acres) of destroyed or damaged crops. Northern Illinois University…
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2020 PY2 is expected to fly past Earth at a distance of 0.90 LD / 0.00232 AU (347 067 km / 215 657 miles) on August 20, 2020. This is the 51st known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year….
Tropical Storm "Genevieve" formed south of Mexico at 21:00 UTC on August 16, 2020, as the 7th named storm of the 2020 eastern Pacific hurricane season. The system is rapidly strengthening and is expected to become a major hurricane by August 18. There are…
A fire tornado produced by the Loyalton Fire in Northern California forced the National Weather Service to issue its first-ever fire tornado warning on Saturday, August 15, 2020. At least five tornado-strength/scale vortices are likely to have occurred within just 2…
A major landslide hit the district of Sindhupalchok in Nepal early Friday morning (LT), August 14, 2020, leaving at least 39 people dead or missing. Sindhupalchok is about 130 km (81 miles) east of Kathmandu. The district is among the worst-hit areas in the massive…
