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!
According to Astronomy Ireland, a large fireball was seen streaking across the sky above Ireland around 17:15 UTC on November 23, 2016, creating sparks, a smoke trail and a bright flash said to be more intense than the full moon. As of 17:00 UTC today, there is only…
After 3 days of exceptionally heavy rain, severe weather warnings have again been issued for northwestern Italy as more heavy rainstorms are expected to affect the region today and tomorrow. Liguria and Piedmont are at highest risk. Schools and other public…
Temperatures in central Tokyo have fallen to near zero °C recently, rare for this time of year, and the city today saw its first November snow in 54 years. According to the JMA, this is the first time the snow had fallen in central Tokyo since 1962 and the first…
.jpg){kind=small}
Between November 16 and 22, new activity was reported for 7 volcanoes. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 12 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Copahue, Central Chile-Argentina border | Kerinci, Indonesia | Langila, New Britian (Papua New Guinea)…
The European Environment Agency (EEA) released its annual report on air quality in Europe today, identifying air pollution as 'the single largest environmental health hazard in Europe.' Although air quality in Europe is slowly improving, EEA said it still…
Hurricane "Otto" formed on November 22, 2016 in the Caribbean Sea as the 7th hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, including record-breaking, early season Hurricane "Alex" of January 2016. Otto was nearly stationary system since it…
A bright meteor swept through the night sky above the Gulf of Mexico around 04:19 UTC on November 22, 2016 and exploded about 24 km (15 miles) from the surface, creating a spectacular show. The event was seen from Florida to Alabama and Georgia, and as far away as…
South American country of Bolivia is experiencing its worst drought in 25 years, state officials said and declared a state of emergency on Monday, November 21, 2016. The government declared the state of emergency due to water shortages in large swaths of the…
A small asteroid named 2016 WT made a close approach to Earth at 06:54 UTC on November 17, 2016 at just 0.49 LD (188 160 km / 116 917 miles) from the surface of the planet. This is an Apollo class asteroid with an estimated size of 2 – 5 m (6.5 – 16.4 feet). It flew…
This amazing fireball overflew the Mediterranean Sea on November 18, 2016 at 22:31 UTC and was recorded by the astronomical observatories of Calar Alto and La Sagra, Spain (SMART Project). On the following day, a bright daylight meteor was recorded from Sevilla….
