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!

  • Severe thunderstorms, flash floods hit western Europe

    Severe thunderstorms have hit parts of the western Europe on June 23, 2016, flooding streets, homes, businesses, and disrupting public transport. In the UK, a red "immediate action" warnings are in place for areas of Essex and London. Around a month's…

  • Juno’s arrival is getting closer

    On the fourth of July, many Americans will be looking skyward in celebration of their nation’s independence. On the same date, NASA, and astronomers worldwide will also look skyward in celebration of another great achievement – Juno’s arrival to…

  • Severe storms, lightning kill over 100 people in India

    Severe thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain lashed northern and eastern India on Tuesday, June 21 and Wednesday, June 22, 2016, killing more than 100 people, officials said today. Deaths were reported from the four states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and…

  • Noctilucent clouds in motion

    On the night of June 21, 2016, photographer Derek Mellott from the town of Gibbons, Alberta, Canada recorded this fantastic display of noctilucent clouds (NLCs). "They were the brightest I have ever seen," he said. "It seemed like a good time to…

  • Increased activity at San Miguel (Chaparrastique) volcano, El Salvador

    El Salvador's San Miguel volcano is currently experiencing increased seismic unrest and strong degassing. The last major eruption of this volcano took place on December 29, 2013. Seismicity under the volcano sharply increased on June 13, 2016, and was followed…

  • Strong and deep M6.3 earthquake hits near the coast of New Ireland, P.N.G.

    A strong and deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit near the coast of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea at 17:12 UTC on June 21, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 365.3 km (227 miles). Geoscience Australia is reporting Mwp6.2 at a depth of 367 km….

  • Tropical Storm “Danielle” makes Mexico landfall

    Tropical Storm "Danielle" made landfall close to the Tuxpan city, Mexico's state of Veracruz around 00:00 UTC on June 21 (20:00 EDT, June 20), with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h (40 mph). Eastern Mexico was already under heavy rain at the time of…

  • Electric fields around Venus stripped its atmosphere of water components

    Scientists using data obtained by ESA's Venus Express have discovered a strong electric field around the planet Venus. Venus' electric field is at least 5 – 10 times stronger than Earth's and it seems it played a crucial part in removing water components…