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 shallow earthquake registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as M6.0 hit off the east coast of Honshu, Japan at 09:01 UTC on August 20, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS is reporting the same magnitude and depth. According…
At least 13 people have died and more than 30 000 have been rescued from water-logged homes and cars by August 19, 2016, after extreme amounts of rain dumped by a very slow-moving storm caused historic flooding in Louisiana. Although some regions are still under…
A very strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.4 hit South Georgia island region at 07:32 UTC on August 19, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The epicenter was located about 261 km (162 miles) W of South Georgia, 293 km…
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New activity/unrest was observed at two volcanoes between August 10 and 16, 2016. During the same period, ongoing activity was observed at 15 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Chikurachki, Paramushir Island (Russia) | Chirpoi, Kuril Islands (Russia). Ongoing…
As of August 18, 2016, there are three tropical cyclones with fourth possibly developing in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, the most active basin on the planet. The biggest threat over the next 24 to 48 hours is Tropical Cyclone "Dianmu" which is forecast to…
A shallow earthquake registered by the Geoscience Australia as Mwp5.8 hit near the coast of Queensland, Australia at 04:30 UTC on August 18, 2016 (14:30 local time). The agency is reporting a depth of 0 km. USGS registered it as Mb5.7 at a depth of 7.8 km (4.8…
In September or early October 2016, NASA will launch its first mission to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft will travel to the near-Earth…
Tropical Storm "Chanthu" made the first landfall in Japan's Chosi, Chiba prefecture around 18:30 UTC on August 16 (03:30 JST on August 17) and the second near Cape Erimo on the southern tip of the main island of Hokkaido around 08:30 UTC on August 17,…
The Bluecut Fire in California's San Bernardino National Forest was first reported at 17:36 UTC on Tuesday, August 16, 2016. The fire has rapidly spread to over 30 000 acres (12 140 hectares / 121.4 km2) by 15:00 UTC on Wednesday, August 17. More than 80 000…
Mysterious lights were seen streaking across the sky in San Diego, California on Monday night, August 15, 2016. The prime suspect, at this time, is man-made space debris. The lights were reported between 21:35 to 21:37 local time in the sky over the 3300 block of El…
