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 rare tropical cyclone formed May 16, 2018 in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia. Named Tropical Cyclone 01A and internationally known as Sagar, this cyclone's main threat is substantial rainfall (for desert regions), leading up to dangerous flash…
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit south of the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand at 01:45 UTC on May 18, 2018. The agency is reporting a depth of 10.6 km (6.6 miles). The epicenter was located 544.2 km (338.1 miles) NE of Opotiki…
A strong explosion took place at the Overlook vent within Halemaumau crater at Kilauea volcano's summit about 04:15 HST (14:15 UTC) on May 17, 2018, ejecting ash up to 9.1 km (30 000 feet) above sea level. The Aviation Color Code is at Red. Continued emissions…
A rare tornado for this part of the world swept through a populated area in western Germany on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, leaving a trail of destruction and 2 people injured. The storm that produced the tornado also dropped large hail on the region. The tornado formed…
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes between May 9 and 15, 2018. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 15 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Kilauea, Hawaiian Islands (USA) | Merapi, Central Java (Indonesia) | Oraefajokull, Iceland |…
Flash floods affecting Afghanistan over the past 7 days have claimed lives of at least 34 people and left 4 injured. Severe weather hit the country following an unusually dry winter. Hashmat Khan Bahaduri, spokesman for the Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management…
At least 5 people have been killed and nearly 500 000 homes are without power after severe thunderstorms swept through the US Northeast on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. An unsettled wet pattern continues over the eastern US through the end of the week, with flash flooding…
A massive 23.8 m (78 feet) high wave has been measured near Campbell Island, New Zealand on May 9, 2018, making it the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. A new ocean buoy, installed March 2, 2018 and located about 640 km (400 miles) south of New…
A brief but strong explosive eruption, the first since April 6, took place at Mount Shinmoedake in southern Kyushu at 05:44 UTC on May 14, 2018. The eruption sent ash up to 7.6 km (25 000 feet) above sea level, making it nearly 1 km higher than April 4th eruption…
A rare earthquake swarm started near the small Indian Ocean island of Mayotte on May 10, 2018 and continues to date. Mayotte is the oldest volcanic island in the Comoros Basin grouping and quakes likely are the result of a seismic hot spot as well as the…
