• Giant hail hits San Luis Potosi, Mexico

    Giant hailstones about the size of a melon lashed Ciudad Valles in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, on May 17, 2020, injuring three people and causing damage to properties. An intense storm accompanied by hail began around 23:00 UTC (18:00 LT), smashing vehicles, damaging…

  • Red sprites and airglow over West Texas

    A large column of red sprites and airglow put on a fantastic display over West Texas on May 13, 2020. The phenomenon was captured by Stephen Hummel of the McDonald Observatory. A line of storms more than 161 km (100 miles) away generated the astonishing display in…

  • Strong advection of Saharan dust from North Africa into Europe

    A huge load of Saharan dust is moving across the Mediterranean Sea into SE Europe on May 14, 2020, with additional deposits expected in the coming days. According to Severe Weather Europe (SWE) meteorologists, the dust may also reach the UK and Ireland over the…

  • 2020 northern hemisphere NLC season forecast

    Public interest for noctilucent clouds rose sharply in 2019 after record-setting outbreak across the northern hemisphere. The 2020 season is expected to start mid- to late-May or early June, but at the moment, it doesn't seem like 2020 will be a repeat of 2019….

  • Powerful outburst from Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN)

    Astronomers monitoring Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) spotted a powerful outburst from the comet on May 5. Such outbursts usually indicate a fragmentation, but scientists are hopeful that this could just be a volatile comet. The comet is approaching Earth and the Sun– its…