• Massive wildfires burning around Gatlinburg, Tennessee

    Massive wildfires fueled by strong winds and the Southeast's worst drought in nearly a decade are burning around Gatlinburg, Sevier County, Tennessee, forcing evacuations. Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) said at 08:00 UTC (02:00 local time) today there are…

  • Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes to hit the South US

    An outbreak of intense thunderstorms is expected across portions of the South US over the next few days. Heavy rainfalls, strong winds, and several tornadoes are possible. The thunderstorms will be fueled by the abundant moisture coming from the Gulf of Mexico,…

  • Car disappears in Ufa sinkhole, Urals, Russia

    At least 6 meters (20 feet) deep sinkhole opened up on November 25, 2016 in the city of Ufa, Urals, Russia and slowly swallowed a car. The owner of Lada Kalina called rescuers and frantically waited for them to show up as she watched her car slowly disappear. By…

  • Record early start of southern hemisphere NLC season

    The southern hemisphere noctilucent clouds (NLC) season has started early this year and tied with 2013 for the earliest southern hemisphere season on record. The 2016/17 southern hemisphere noctilucent clouds season started on November 17 and tied with 2013 for the…

  • Hydrothermal eruption in Lake Rotorua, New Zealand

    A new hydrothermal eruption was observed at New Zealand's Lake Rotorua at 15:30 UTC on November 27, 2016, prompting an evacuation of at least one house near the lake. The style of the eruption was one which hadn't been seen in Rotorua since about 2000 or…

  • Large waterspout in the Gulf of Valencia, Spain

    A very large waterspout, tornado over water, was seen in the Gulf of Valencia, Spain on November 27, 2016 and recorded by numerous witnesses. According to Ametse (Association Meteorologica del Sureste), a severe thunderstorm anchored in the Gulf of Valencia…

  • Powerful eruptions at Popocatépetl volcano, Mexico

    A powerful eruption occurred at Mexico's Popocatépetl at 15:45 UTC on November 25, 2016, followed by another one at 15:54 UTC today. Volcanic ash and gasses from yesterday's eruption moved NE and reached nearly 11.5 km (38 000 feet) above sea level,…

  • World’s biggest cluster of sinkholes found in Hanzhong, China

    Geologists have confirmed that a group of 49 sinkholes discovered in the mountains near Hanzhong city of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province contains the largest number of such a rare geological phenomena in the world. The scientists took about four months to…

  • San Francisco Millennium Tower sinking 5 cm (2 inches) per year

    According to new data gathered by the Sentinel-1 satellites, the Millennium Tower skyscraper, San Francisco, appears to be sinking at a rate of a few centimeters per year. This and similar studies are aiming at improving the quality of monitoring of the urban ground…

  • Massive wildfires ignite Israel

    Several wildfires broke out in Israel on November 22, 2016, causing widespread damage and prompting emergency evacuations. The police arrested 13 people, suspected of arson, on November 25. The wildfires were reported in the Jerusalem and Haifa districts. A massive…