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!
NASA's Juno spacecraft has successfully entered Jupiter's orbit during a 35-minute engine burn on July 5, 2016 (UTC). The confirmation that the burn had completed was received on Earth at 03:53 UTC (Earth-receive time, currently 48 minutes after the actual…
Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted on Sunday, July 3, 2016, covering Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province, in ash. At least three eruptions were recorded on Sunday, with ash rising up to 1.5 km (4 900 feet). Lava flows were observed 1 km (0.62 miles)…
A severe storm produced several waterspouts near the popular beach in Cuba's town of Caimito, Artemisa province, on Saturday, July 2, 2016. At least one of them has hit land, causing substantial damage. According to official media reports published Monday, July…
Heavy monsoon rains have caused deadly flash floods in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on July 2, 2016. The worst hit was province's Chitral district where hill torrent caused extensive damage to houses and other infrastructure. On Sunday, July 3,…
Over the past four days, 93 people have lost their lives, and 19 went missing in weather-related incidents across 11 Chinese provincial regions, authorities reported on Monday, July 4, 2016. Torrential rainfall over the middle and lower Yangtze River exacerbated…
Just a day after Agatha, the first tropical storm of the 2016 eastern Pacific hurricane season, a second tropical storm of the season formed and was named Blas. Tropical Depression 03E, later Blas, formed at 03:00 UTC on July 2 east of Agatha and by 09:00 UTC…
A low pressure area formed well south of the Mariana Islands during the last few days of June 2016. By July 2, it developed into a weak tropical depression and strengthened into a tropical storm on July 3, internationally known as Nepartak. Nepartak is the first…
Tropical Depression 02E formed around 03:00 UTC on July 2, 2016. By 15:00 UTC, 02E strengthened into a tropical storm and was named Agatha. This is the first named storm of the 2016 eastern Pacific hurricane season and the latest first tropical storm in the eastern…
July brings two meteor showers under relatively dark skies. Alpha Capricornids will reach their peak on July 26 with the maximum rate of around 5 per hour. A few days later, on July 29, the Delta Aquarid meteor shower will peak with up to 20 meteors per hour. The…
Heavy monsoon rains have triggered deadly floods and landslides in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, neighboring Nepal, on July 1, 2016. According to media reports, 18 bodies have been found so far. The number of casualties is expected to rise. The Press Trust of…
