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 moderately strong eruption was registered at Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano at 16:17 UTC on June 12, 2016. The eruption produced a mushroom-shaped ash cloud that rose up to 2.5 km (8 202 feet) over the crater and dispersed to the west. This is 7.9 km (26…
The Kingdom of Tonga was hit by an exceptionally heavy, unseasonal rainfall and very strong winds on June 10 and 11, 2016, causing heavy flooding in the Pacific nation and turning the capital Nuku’alofa in a city of lakes. The severe weather, brought by the…
Although the summer is the northern hemisphere is nearly here, wintry conditions have once again made a return to the summit of Mount Washington, with snow and hurricane-force winds. Officials at the Mount Washington Observatory said they are on the pace to have one…
A ferocious hail and rainstorm hit the city of Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on June 12, 2016, wreaking havoc on the streets and disrupting traffic. The sudden onslaught congested sewers and turned roads into rivers, forcing…
A report published last week by the UK’s Environment Audit Committee warns that there has been a lack of effective long-term strategic planning in the UK about how to manage flood risk. The Committee urged the Government to stop being reactive and adopt a…
Torrential rains have lashed Azerbaijan over the past couple of days and caused severe flooding that damaged houses and infrastructure in the country's Goychay, Shamakhi, and Ismayilli districts. At the same time, the rains have caused a strong mudflow that hit…
On June 8, 2016, amateur astronomer Thomas Ashcraft captured an enormous ring of light high above a thunderstorm in southeast Colorado. "It only lasted about a millisecond, but it was definitely there. The ring was about 300 km (186 miles) wide," Ashcraft…
South American countries of Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and southern Brazil are experiencing an unusually cold weather for this time of year. Cold blasts, caused by cold winds from the Antarctica (Friagens), are not unusual across South America in the…
At least two homes have been destroyed and 12 others damaged after a tornado hit the city of Baker, Montana late Saturday, June 11, 2016. An unknown number of people were injured. The tornado touched down around 18:55 MDT (00:55 UTC on June 12) hitting the east side…
At least 5 people are missing in southwest China's Guizhou Province following heavy rainfall that started affecting the province a few days ago, authorities said Sunday, June 12, 2016. Torrential downpours started affecting the province on Thursday, June 9 and…
