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!
Scientists today are expressing their astonishment over the detection of water-deposits on an asteroid that is thought to be pure metal. The asteroid is called 16 Psyche, and it’s believed to be on of the ten most-massive asteroids in the asteroid belt. Psyche…
The deserts of Saudi Arabia were covered in snow at the end of November 2016, bringing joy to surprised Saudis who marked the occasion building snowmen. However, the weather soon turned very serious, and deadly. The first snowfall in northern parts of the country…
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M4.4 hit southwestern Poland at 20:09 UTC on November 29, 2016, killing 8 people in a nearby Rudna mine. USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting mb 4.4 at a depth of 1 km (0.62…
Another hydrothermal eruption occurred in New Zealand's Lake Rotorua on Wednesday, November 30, 2016, following the first one on Monday, November 28. This eruption was, however, caught on camera. Today's eruption also occurred in the village of Ohinemutu. It…
An impulsive, moderately strong solar flare measuring M1.0 at its peak erupted at 17:26 UTC on November 29, 2016. The event started at 17:19 and ended at 17:26 UTC. This is the first M-class solar flare since M1.3 on August 7, 2016. With the approach of solar…
In a global, zoomable and interactively explorable timelapse, Google's Earth Engine has finally made available over 5 million satellite images acquired over the past three decades by 5 different satellites. You can search, pan, or zoom around to begin exploring…
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a severe-to-extreme heatwave warning for central and southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, with temperatures forecast to pass 40 °C (104 °F) in some areas over the weekend. Temperatures are…
Massive wildfires fueled by strong winds and the Southeast's worst drought in nearly a decade are burning around Gatlinburg, Sevier County, Tennessee, forcing evacuations. Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) said at 08:00 UTC (02:00 local time) today there are…
At least 6 meters (20 feet) deep sinkhole opened up on November 25, 2016 in the city of Ufa, Urals, Russia and slowly swallowed a car. The owner of Lada Kalina called rescuers and frantically waited for them to show up as she watched her car slowly disappear. By…
The southern hemisphere noctilucent clouds (NLC) season has started early this year and tied with 2013 for the earliest southern hemisphere season on record. The 2016/17 southern hemisphere noctilucent clouds season started on November 17 and tied with 2013 for the…
