• West Mims Fire in Georgia continues to grow, only 12% contained

    A lightning-caused West Mims Fire is still burning, more than a month after it started on April 6, 2017, approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) northeast of the Eddy Fire Tower in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. As of May 10, the fire has consumed 140…

  • Severe floods hit coastal Kenya, at least 9 casualties

    Deadly flooding and landslides in southern and eastern parts of Kenya claimed lives of at least 9 people since the rains started on Friday, May 5, 2017. More than 5000 people in Taveta Taita Taveta County near the Kenya coast have been displaced by flooding on May…

  • Off-season Tropical Cyclone “Ella” forms, threatens Fiji

    A second off-season tropical cyclone has formed in the South Pacific Ocean and was named Ella today. Ella is currently located south of Samoa as a quasi-stationary system with maximum sustained winds near 83 km/h (52 mph). Slight intensification is expected over the…

  • 15 dead after intense thunderstorms hit Bihar, India

    At least 15 people have been killed, including 7 due to lightning, after intense thunderstorms accompanied by heavy pre-monsoon rains hit the Indian state of Bihar on May 9, 2017. The storm hit Bihar, dropping temperatures, while the rest of the country still…

  • Very strong M6.8 earthquake hits Vanuatu at intermediate depth

    A very strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.8 hit Vanuatu at 13:52 UTC on May 9, 2017. The agency is reporting a depth of 179 km (111 miles). After M6.4 in Japan's Ryukyu Islands, this is the second M6+ earthquake today. According to the USGS, the…

  • Powerful hailstorm hits Colorado, leaving widespread damage

    A severe thunderstorm hit Colorado on Monday, May 8, 2017, dumping hail as large as tennis balls. The storm blanketed the state in a thick layer of ice, leaving widespread damage and traffic delays. Hundreds if not thousands of vehicles and buildings were damaged….

  • Washed away Irish beach reappears after 33 years, again

    A beach in the village of Dooagh on Achill Island, northwestern Ireland that vanished during a violent spring storm in 1984 has reappeared during a freak tide in April 2017 after hundreds of thousands of tons of sand were deposited on the shore, re-creating once…

  • Shallow M6.4 earthquake hits Ryukyu Islands, Japan

    A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency as M6.4 hit Ryukyu Islands at 01:54 UTC on May 9, 2017. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS registered it as M6.0 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). According to the…