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!
Colloquially, British summer is described as three nice days then a thunderstorm. It proved so again this week when the UK's hottest day of the year, July 19 (33.5 °C / 92.3 °F in Brize Norton, Oxfordshire), ended in heavy thundery weather in the…
The first tornado since 1954 hit Russia's Novosibirsk region on July 19, 2016. It was Novosibirsk's first tornado in more than 60 years, but the third in Siberia in two weeks. The sudden storm caused flooding in Novosibirsk's metro region, city center…
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Ongoing activity/unrest was observed at 3 volcanoes between July 13 and 19, 2016. Ongoing activity was reported for 17 volcanoes during the same period. New activity/unrest: Kilauea, Hawaiian Islands (USA) | Manam, Papua New Guinea | Pacaya, Guatemala. Ongoing…
After more than 3 months without any significant solar flare, our sun produced two consecutive M-class flares early on July 21, 2016. The source was Active Region 2567 ('beta-gamma' / 'beta'), currently moving out of its geoeffective position….
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit Vanuatu at 15:13 UTC on July 20, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 164.1 km (102 miles). Geoscience Australia is reporting Mwp6.2 at a depth of 200 km (124 miles). According to the USGS, the epicenter was…
A geomagnetic storm reaching G1 – Minor levels is currently in progress following the early arrival of July 17th Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). The interplanetary shockwave produced by the long duration C1 flare on July 17, initially expected to arrive early on July…
Although solar activity was at low levels on July 17, 2016, geoeffective Active Region 2567 ('beta-gamma') managed to produce a long duration C1 solar flare. The event peaked at 06:42 UTC, producing a faint, asymmetric halo Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)….
A 'big flame in the sky' was observed over New Zealand's South Island at 06:30 UTC (18:30 local time) on July 19, 2016. The object was initially considered a 'fist-sized" meteor, but, after further analyses, some experts now believe it was a…
A ferocious landslide swept through a village in central China's Hunan Province on July 17, 2016. The slide destroyed all 14 houses located at the bottom of the mountain, causing traffic to be shut down. Video released by Chinese state media (CCTV) showed the…
A rare tropical disturbance (01S) for this time of year formed southwest of Diego Garcia in the southwest Indian Ocean on July 16, 2016. 01S strengthened into a Moderate Tropical Storm on Sunday, July 17 and was named Abela. Abela is southern hemisphere's first…
