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!
The peak of this year's Perseid meteor shower, one of the most prolific annual showers, will be in "outburst" mode on August 11 and 12, the first since 2009. This means that instead of the usual 80 Perseids per hour, the rate could top 150 or 200…
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit South Indian Ocean at 07:42 UTC on August 1, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting mb6.1 at a depth of 60 km (37.3 miles). According to the USGS, the epicenter…
Tropical Depression 06W developed on July 29, 2016, near the west coast of Philippines and intensified into a Tropical Storm "Nida" on July 30. The system, known in the Philippines as Carina, is moving toward Northern Luzon, dumping heavy rain. Nida is…
A very strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.7 hit Northern Mariana Islands at 21:18 UTC on July 29, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 212.4 km (132 miles). Geoscience Australia is reporting Mwp7.9 at a depth of 200 km (124 miles). According to the…
Vigorous steam degassing was observed at Alaska's Pavlof volcano in web camera images from Cold Bay (65 km / 35 miles SW) and Black Hills (35 km / 20 miles NNE) on July 28, 2016. Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has increased the Aviation Color Code and the…
A La Niña event may develop in the third quarter of this year, but it is likely to be weak, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported in its ENSO Update published July 28, 2016. The event is not expected to match up to the moderate to strong La…
Researchers from Boston University's (BU) Center for Space Physics report that Jupiter's Great Red Spot may provide the mysterious source of energy required to heat the planet's upper atmosphere to the unusually high values observed. The work, led by Dr…
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Between July 22 and 26, 2016, new activity/unrest was observed at 4 volcanoes. Ongoing activity was reported for 16 volcanoes during the same period. New activity/unrest: Chikurachki, Paramushir Island (Russia), Chirpoi, Kuril Islands (Russia), Kilauea, Hawaiian…
A slow moving bright streak of light burst across the night sky over California, Utah and Nevada around 21:36 PTD on Wednesday, July 27 (04:36 UTC on July 28). Images and videos of the event immediately sent social media into a frenzy. The event lasted for over 30…
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit off the coast of Aisen, Chile at 01:25 UTC on July 27, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). CSN Chile is reporting Mw6.0 at a depth of 14.6 km (9 miles). According to the USGS, the…
