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!
An extratropical cyclone, forming off the coast of southern Brazil on Thursday, June 15, 2023, produced excessive rainfall and strong wind gusts, wreaking havoc in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. The event is still in progress. There are reports of dead and missing and over 1 million people without power.
Late in the night of June 15, 2023, a major landslide occurred at Brienz-Brinzauls, Switzerland, narrowly missing a mountain village whose inhabitants were evacuated last month over fears of a landslide.
Strong winds, thunderstorms, and tornadoes caused multiple casualties and damage across the southeastern United States, including Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida, over a 24-hour period starting June 15, 2023. Three people lost their lives in Perryton Town, northern Texas, and one in Escambia County, Florida.
Biparjoy is making landfall along the coast of Saurashtra and Kutch, India and adjoining Pakistan — between Mandvi, Gujarat, and Karachi, Pakistan near Jakhau port, Gujarat — on June 15, 2023, with a maximum sustained wind speed of 115 to 125 km /h (71 – 78 mph), with gusts to 140 km/h (87 mph).
A series of severe storms swept across the southern United States on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, leaving over 150 000 residents without power and causing extensive damage. The storms produced large hailstones, some bigger than softballs, and spawned multiple tornadoes in Alabama and Georgia.
The ongoing third heat wave in Mexico led to six fatalities and over 400 cases of heat-related illnesses, affecting 26 out of the 32 federal entities in the country.
A bright fireball streaked through the night sky over Minas Gerais and Goiás, Brazil at 00:50 UTC on June 13, 2023.
A lethal combination of high winds, lightning strikes, and heavy rain resulted in over 20 deaths in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, on June 10 and 11, 2023.
Extremely heavy rains hit central and eastern Cuba over the past couple of days, causing destructive flooding in which at least 6 people lost their lives.
California, under the grip of intense drought for years, experienced its highest year-over-year water gains in the last two decades, as revealed by the GRACE-FO satellite mission, a collaborative initiative between NASA and GFZ. Between October 2022 and March 2023, the state received sufficient rainfall to increase the water levels by approximately 50.8 cm (20 inches), roughly twice the average winter water gain since 2002.
