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!
Heavy rains affecting parts of Indonesia on September 13 and 14, 2021, caused rivers to overflow, floods and landslides. According to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), at least 11 839 people have been…
The La Mojana dam in southwestern Colombia overflowed on August 27, 2021, due to high water levels of the Cauca River caused by atypically heavy rains during the month. The resulting floods affected more than 180 000 people in 39 municipalities across Antioquia,…
A bright fireball — most likely a small asteroid or a comet — struck Jupiter at 22:39 UTC on September 13, 2021. The impact was seen and captured by astronomers across the world who were observing the ongoing transit of the shadow of Jupiter's moon Io. "A…
Severe thunderstorms accompanied by powerful wind gusts hit the Gard department in Southern France on the morning of Tuesday (LT), September 14, 2021. In just three hours, the equivalent of more than 2 months of rain fell on Gard's southern and western regions,…
Shanghai authorities have ordered the evacuation of nearly 330 000 people as the city braced for heavy rains and strong winds caused by Tropical Cyclone "Chanthu" — the 14th named storm of the 2021 Pacific typhoon season. Before reaching the coast of…
Very heavy rains affecting the Indian state of Gujarat over the past few days have caused massive floods in parts of the state, affecting more than 1.6 million people. The flooding affected 1 660 245 people across 44 villages in the districts of Rajkot, Jamnagar,…
Severe flash floods hit the Nigerian capital Abuja and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on September 12, 2021, claiming the lives of 4 people. The floods were caused by heavy rains, but the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director-General Abbas G. Idriss said…
A strong earthquake swarm started under Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands at 03:18 UTC on September 11, 2021. From the beginning of the seismic series until 08:00 UTC on September 13, a total of 1 570 earthquakes have been detected, of which 354 were…
In 24 hours to 16:00 UTC on September 11, monitoring systems of the Popocatepetl volcano registered 128 exhalations accompanied by water vapor, volcanic gases and low ash content.1 Additionally, 753 minutes of low-amplitude tremor were recorded as well as an…
Hurricane "Larry" made landfall near South East Bight, Newfoundland, Canada at 03:45 UTC on September 11, 2021, with maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h (80 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 960 hPa, making it a Category 1 hurricane on the…
