The Watchers - Featured stories

M7.8 earthquake off southern Mindanao leaves at least 32 dead, Philippines

Teo Blašković — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:55:00 +0000

A M7.8 earthquake off southern Mindanao left at least 32 people dead, injured 134 others in preliminary civil-defense figures, and caused widespread damage in General Santos and nearby areas on June 8, 2026. Philippine authorities are verifying preliminary reports of 32 deaths and 134 injuries, while AP reported more than 200 injuries, mostly in damaged buildings.

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SPC upgrades severe thunderstorm risk to Enhanced for Mid-Atlantic and Northern High Plains

Reet Kaur — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 16:06:47 +0000

The Storm Prediction Center upgraded parts of the Mid-Atlantic and northern High Plains to an Enhanced Risk for severe thunderstorms on June 6, 2026, as severe storms and heavy rainfall continued across parts of the Plains, Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, and Northeast through June 8.

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X1.0 solar flare erupts from geoeffective Region 4455

Teo Blašković — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:24:41 +0000

An X1.0 solar flare erupted from Active Region 4455 at 11:28 UTC on June 3, 2026, producing R3 - Strong radio blackout conditions on the sunlit side of Earth. This is the third major flare from the same region today, following M9.3 at 01:36 UTC and M7.7 at 07:00 UTC.

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Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi leaves 23 injured, 60 000 without power after landfall in Wakayama, Japan

Rishav Kothari — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:23:57 +0000

Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi made landfall over southern Wakayama Prefecture at 04:30 JST on June 3 (19:30 UTC on June 2), bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds that injured at least 23 people, damaged 57 homes, left more than 60 000 customers without power, and prompted evacuation orders affecting more than 400 000 residents. The storm also triggered the first Level 5 Special Flood Warning issued under Japan's new five-level disaster alert system.

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Rare dust storm, hail, and extreme winds hit Harbin as multi-hazard event unfolds in Northeast China

Rishav Kothari — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:01:10 +0000

A rare dust storm accompanied by winds of up to 148 km/h (92 mph) struck Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, at around 17:00 LT on May 31, causing widespread damage, reducing visibility to less than 100 m (328 feet), and disrupting transportation and public events across the city. The same atmospheric setup also produced a tornado in Changling County, Jilin Province, as a broader outbreak of severe weather affected parts of Northeast China.

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Bombing low brings destructive winds, heavy rain, and coastal hazards to southwest Western Australia

Rishav Kothari — Sun, 31 May 2026 14:43:28 +0000

A rapidly deepening low-pressure system southwest of Western Australia is bringing damaging to destructive winds, severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, and coastal hazards to broad areas of the state's southwest on Sunday, May 31, 2026. Wind gusts of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) are possible southwest of a line from Lancelin to Albany, including the Perth metropolitan area, while dangerous surf, coastal erosion, and inundation affect exposed sections of the coast.

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Daylight meteor airburst releases energy equal to about 300 tons of TNT over New England

Teo Blašković — Sun, 31 May 2026 08:37:16 +0000

A meteor traveling about 120 700 km/h (75 000 mph) fragmented high above northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire at 18:06 UTC (14:06 EDT) on May 30, 2026, releasing energy equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT and producing a loud boom reported across New England, according to NASA.

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Record rain triggers severe flooding across Mérida and parts of Yucatán, Mexico

Rishav Kothari — Sat, 30 May 2026 16:25:29 +0000

Historic rainfall affected much of Yucatán on May 29, 2026, with Mérida setting a new all-time May rainfall record after 154 mm (6.1 inches) fell in 24 hours. Floodwaters inundated roads, stranded hundreds of vehicles, and caused significant disruptions across the city and surrounding areas.

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Rare winter low threatens Western Australia with destructive winds and large waves

Rishav Kothari — Sat, 30 May 2026 10:44:33 +0000

A Severe Weather Warning remains in effect across a large part of Western Australia as an unusually deep low-pressure system approaches the southwest coast, bringing the threat of damaging to destructive wind gusts, severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, isolated tornadoes and very large waves through Monday.

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Paris enters unprecedented May heat streak as France experiences record-breaking temperatures

Rishav Kothari — Thu, 28 May 2026 19:59:34 +0000

France recorded its hottest May day since records began on May 26, 2026, while temperatures climbed to 37.8 °C in southwestern parts of the country on May 28. Multiple stations across France set new all-time May temperature records this week as a prolonged heat dome pushed daytime temperatures into the upper 30s°C (upper 90s°F) and kept nighttime temperatures unusually high across much of the country.

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