• Very strong and shallow M6.6 earthquake hits Samar, Philippines

    A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit Samar, Philippines at 00:03 UTC (08:03 LT) on August 18, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). PHIVOLCS is reporting M6.6 at a depth of 21 km (13 miles). The epicenter was…

  • Intense dust storm hits Phoenix, Arizona

    A massive dust storm impacted travel on the Interstate 10 and 8 near Phoenix, Arizona on August 16, 2020, after the city broke its daily high-temperature record with 46.1 °C (115 °F). ​The storm approached the city around 17:30 LT, causing low visibility…

  • First-ever fire tornado warning issued by the NWS, California

    A fire tornado produced by the Loyalton Fire in Northern California forced the National Weather Service to issue its first-ever fire tornado warning on Saturday, August 15, 2020. At least five tornado-strength/scale vortices are likely to have occurred within just 2…

  • 39 dead or missing after major landslide hits Nepal

    A major landslide hit the district of Sindhupalchok in Nepal early Friday morning (LT), August 14, 2020, leaving at least 39 people dead or missing. Sindhupalchok is about 130 km (81 miles) east of Kathmandu. The district is among the worst-hit areas in the massive…

  • Florida Current at its weakest in the past 110 years

    New research by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found that a key component of the Gulf Stream– a warm Atlantic ocean current stretching to the tip of Florida– has steadily slowed and is now weaker than at any other point in the past 110 years. The…