The Watchers team and our contributors bring the latest on extreme weather, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, space weather, and all things science. We're all about making sense of the natural world and keeping you informed on what’s happening. Got a tip or a question? Hit us up using the form at newstips!
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency as M6.3 hit Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture, Honshu at 12:38 UTC (21:38 JST) on December 28, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS is reporting M5.9 at the same…
A bright fireball was observed disintegrating over Central America at 04:30 UTC on December 28, 2016 (22:30 CST on December 27). The event was observed from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Witnesses from Guatemala said they saw up to seven flashes in the sky….
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.7 hit Nevada – California border region at 08:18 UTC on December 28, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 8.2 km (5 miles). The quake was followed by another strong earthquake – M5.7 at a depth of 12…
Bogoslof volcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska remains in a state of elevated unrest following the fourth explosive eruption since the current eruptive sequence began on December 21, 2016. Retrospective analysis of seismic, infrasound, and satellite data…
A massive Christmas storm, described by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) as a twice-a-century weather event, brought a record amount of rainfall to the Northern Territory, causing flash floods, evacuations and the closure of Australia's famous national…
Nock-Ten, known as Nina in the Philippines, intensified into a supertyphoon on December 24, 2016, a day before its deadly strike on the Philippines. Reports received early Tuesday, December 27 (UTC), say at least 7 people died as the typhoon rolled over the country….
A massive earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.6 hit southern Chile at 14:22 UTC on December 25, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 34.6 km (21.5 miles). CSN Chile is reporting M7.6 at a depth of 30 km (18.6 km). According to the USGS, the epicenter was…
Nock-Ten, known in the Philippines as Nina, has reached typhoon strength today and is still intensifying on its way toward capital Manila, Philippines. Landfall is expected around 12:00 UTC on December 25, 2016. Nock-Ten is the 13th typhoon of the 2016 NW Pacific…
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New activity/unrest was reported for 4 volcanoes between December 14 and 20, 2016. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 11 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Bezymianny, Central Kamchatka (Russia) | Bogoslof, Fox Islands (USA) | Colima, Mexico |…
A huge dust storm swept through the Pilbara region of Western Australia on Wednesday, December 21, 2016. The storm came ahead of Tropical Cyclone "Yvette" which formed on the same day. Parts of northwestern Australia have already seen 200 mm (7.9 inches)…
