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 newly discovered asteroid 2016 YJ will flyby Earth at 1.2 LD (460 800 km / 286 330 miles) from the surface on December 22, 2016. 2016 YJ is Apollo-class near-Earth asteroid, discovered on December 18, with an estimated size of 10 – 23 m (32.8 – 75.4 feet). It…
Earth is under the influence of a positive polarity coronal hole high speed stream today, December 21, 2016, which is causing geomagnetic storms reaching G2 Moderate levels. Shortly after 04:00 UTC on December 21, solar wind speeds increased to just over 500 km/s,…
While December temperatures across the United States reached record low levels over the past couple of days, the winter in Miami, and Florida in general, felt a lot like summer. As another polar blast caused numerous problems from coast to coast over the past…
Residents of a small Saharan desert town of Aïn Séfra in Algerian Naâma Province experienced a rare phenomenon for their region on December 19, 2016 when the sand around their town was covered in a thin layer of snow. Contrary to most media…
An unexpected, powerful eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska occurred at about 00:35 UTC on December 21, 2016. The eruption lasted about 30 minutes and sent volcanic ash to an estimated altitude of 10.3 km (34 000 feet) above sea level. The Aviation Color Code was…
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.7 hit near the coast of East Timor at 00:17 UTC on December 21, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 151.5 km (94 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.5 at a depth of 178 km (110 miles). According to the USGS, the…
Scientists using data obtained by ESA's Swarm constellation of satellites have discovered a jet stream in the liquid iron part of Earth’s core 3 000 km (1 864 miles) beneath the surface. In addition, Swarm satellite data show that this jet stream is…
Yet another daily record low temperature was set in the United States as deadly winter storm continues across much of the country. After record daily low temperatures in Boston on December 16, Denver on December 17, and on two locations in Southern California on…
At least 3 people have been killed and more than 47 injured after a strong and shallow earthquake registered by Ecuador's Geophysical Institute (IGEPN) as M5.7 hit Ecuador on December 19, 2016. The quake occurred at 07:11 UTC at a shallow depth of 5.2 km (3.2…
Record-breaking temperatures invaded Colorado on Saturday, December 17, 2016, as deadly winter storm engulfed much of the country. A cold front, fresh snow and clearing afternoon skies allowed for record low temperatures for December 17 to 18 across Northern…
