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 blast of frigid Arctic air hit the United States late last week, causing sharp temperature drops across the country and serious traffic chaos. Between December 16 and 17, at least three low-temperature records were broken from California to Colorado and…
A massive landslide hit Fiji's Qamea island on December 18, 2016, sweeping homes into the sea. The slide happened after the first tropical depression of the 2016/17 South Pacific cyclone season dumped heavy rain and caused severe flooding throughout the country….
At least five people were killed in North Sulawesi, Indonesia after floods and landslides caused by three days of intense rainfall hit the city of Manado. The Head of National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said Sunday, December 18, that a joint…
Cold and dry air streamed into parts of Southern California over the weekend, dropping temperatures to record lows. Cold air and weakest sunshine of the year will not allow maximum temperatures to warm much at all for at least the next couple of days. SoCalGas is…
A strong and deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.4 hit Peru-Brazil border region at 13:30 UTC on December 18, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 618.2 km (384 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 (preliminary) at a depth of 624 km (388 miles). According to…
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit near Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia at 09:47 UTC on December 18, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 13.2 km (8.2 miles). Geoscience Australia is reporting M6.3 at a depth of 0 km….
A bright Geminid fireball streaked through the sky over Colombia and Venezuela at 23:25 UTC (18:25 COT) on December 16, 2016, and was recorded by numerous witnesses. The phenomenon was seen in the municipalities of Bucaramanga, Girón and Zapatoca in the…
A powerful earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.9 hit near the coast of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea at 10:51 UTC on December 17, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 103.2 km (64 miles). Geoscience Australia is reporting M8.0 at a depth of 95 km (59 miles)….
A potentially very dangerous weather system will affect eastern Spain this weekend. Regions that are likely to be most affected are Murcia and Valencia. The worst of the weather is expected on Sunday, December 18, 2016. The system could dump as much as 300 mm (11.8…
Kamchatka's Bezymianny volcano erupted at 05:20 UTC on December 15, 2016, sending a gas-steam plume containing small amount of ash up to 6 km (20 000 feet) above sea level. The Aviation Color Code is on Orange since December 13. KVERT warns stronger explosions…
