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 strong and shallow earthquake registered by the PHIVOLCS as M6.0 hit Mindanao, Philippines at 02:38 UTC on September 4, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 8 km (5 miles). USGS is reporting M5.9 at a depth of 12.4 km (7.7 miles). According to the USGS, the…
The origins of the constant flow of charged particles from the Sun, known as the solar wind, and the details of the transition from defined rays in the Sun's upper atmosphere to the solar wind have been a mystery ever since the discovery of solar wind in 1950s….
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as Mw5.8 hit 15 km (9.3 miles) northwest of Pawnee, north-central Oklahoma at 12:02 UTC on September 3, 2016. The agency reported a depth of 5.4 km (3.3 miles). Between September 1 and 3, USGS registered a total…
Hurricane "Lester" is passing northeast of Hawaiian Islands as a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale on September 3, 2016. Gradual weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for the Maui…
NASA's Juno spacecraft has executed the first of 36 orbital flybys on August 27, 2016, when it came about 4 200 km (2 500 miles) above Jupiter's swirling clouds. It was Juno's first flyby with instruments switch on and it sent back first-ever images of…
For the first time, scientists have observed a deviation from the typical alternating pattern of easterly and westerly winds in the equatorial stratosphere. The weather we experience on Earth typically occurs in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere….
At least one person has been killed after a Category 1 Hurricane "Hermine" made landfall near Saint Marks in Florida's Big Bend area early Friday, September 2, 2016. Hermine has caused severe coastal damage and is now a tropical storm making its way…
Typhoon "Namtheun" (15W) formed around 12:00 UTC on September 1, 2016, about 270 km (170 miles) SSE of Okinawa, and rapidly strengthened into a category 3 hurricane equivalent by 06:00 UTC on September 2. The typhoon is now tracking over the Ryukyu…
September 2016 started with an annular solar eclipse visible across central Africa southwards to Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean. The next annular eclipse will occur on February 26, 2017, and will be visible from south and west Africa, much of South America,…
A very strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.1 hit near the coast of North Island, New Zealand at 16:37 UTC on September 1, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 30.7 km (19 miles). New Zealand's GeoNet is reporting M7.1 at a depth of 55…
