• Massive sinkhole opens in New Zealand after record-breaking rain

    A massive sinkhole has opened up in Rotorua, New Zealand's North Island following a record-breaking rainfall on Sunday, April 30, 2018. The sinkhole is 200 m (656 feet) long, 30 m (98 feet) wide and 20 m (65 feet) deep. The hole is growing and is now threatening…

  • Lifeless Ambae: Heavy ashfall forces evacuation of entire island

    Vanuatu's Manoro Voui volcano, also known as Ambae and Aoba, erupted in September 2017, forcing short-term mass evacuation. The entire island was evacuated but most of its 11 000 residents returned by December, only to find their island covered in ash, grey and…

  • Mount Shirane volcano alert level raised, Japan

    The Japan Meteorological Agency has raised the alert level for Mount Shirane volcano near Gunma and Nagano prefectures from Level 1 to Level 2 on Sunday, April 22, 2018, restricting access to the crater. JMA said volcanic earthquakes at the Yugama crater have been…

  • Major dust storm sweeps over Yazd province, Iran

    A massive dust storm swept over Yazd province in central Iran on April 16, 2018. Hadi Hadinasab, the director-general of the crisis management department of Yazd governorate, said the storm has fortunately left no casualties or damages. The dense cloud dramatically…

  • Asteroid 2018 GE3 flew past Earth at 0.5 LD

    A newly discovered asteroid designated 2018 GE3 flew past Earth at a very close distance of 0.5 LD or 0.00129 AU (~192 981 km / 119 912 miles) on April 15, 2018. This is the 28th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and…

  • Destructive flash floods, rare tornado hit Algeria

    Severe weather conditions hit northern parts of Algeria on April 14, 2018, bringing heavy rain, flooding, and hail. A rare tornado was spotted in Batna Province. Rainfall of 25 – 50 mm (1-2 inches) was reported across north-central Algeria through the afternoon of…

  • More than 840 000 people in Puerto Rico without power again

    More than 840 000 people across Puerto Rico lost power on April 12, 2018, as the U.S. territory continues to struggle after the damage caused by Hurricane "Maria" last fall, according to island’s Electric Power Authority. The 2018 Atlantic hurricane…