Snow squalls create hazardous travel conditions across Ohio and Pennsylvania
Snow squalls continued through the Saturday afternoon, January 17, 2026, across parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania as an Arctic cold front advanced eastward from the Midwest into the Interior Northeast.
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Over 200 killed by heavy rains, flooding and storms across Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe
More than 200 people have died in weeks of torrential rain and severe flooding across southern Africa, with Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe bearing the worst impacts. The prolonged La Niña…
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Major polar vortex disruption brings Arctic surges across North America and Europe through January and early February
A major polar vortex disruption has begun and is forecast to send Arctic air into much of North America and Europe through mid and late January 2026. The event will bring freezing temperatures and…
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Pavlof volcano alert raised after rise in long-period earthquakes, Alaska
A notable increase in seismic activity was detected at Pavlof volcano on the Alaska Peninsula on January 14, 2026, prompting the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) to raise the alert level to Advisory…
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Weak La Niña supports wet north-dry south pattern across the western U.S. through March 2026
Experimental seasonal forecasts from the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) suggest that a weak La Niña is reinforcing a wet–north, dry–south precipitation pattern across the western…
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The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report: January 8-14, 2026
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes from January 8 to 14, 2026. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 22 volcanoes.
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Magma intrusion reshaped plate motion during Antarctica’s largest recent earthquake swarm
A large earthquake swarm along the Scotia–Antarctica plate boundary between August 2020 and August 2021 was driven primarily by magma intrusion beneath the Bransfield Strait, according to a geodetic..
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Hidden fault fragments beneath San Andreas revealed by tiny earthquakes
A new seismic study shows that swarms of tiny, low-frequency earthquakes beneath the Mendocino Triple Junction off Northern California reveal a previously unrecognized configuration of hidden faults…
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Strong and shallow M6.0 earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 struck off the coast of Oregon, United States, at 03:25 UTC on January 16, 2026 (19:25 LT, January 15). The agency is reporting a depth…
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HVO reports increased earthquake activity beneath Halemaʻumaʻu, first notable summit unrest since December 2024
A series of three small earthquake swarms occurred beneath Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, between January 13 and 14, 2026, marking the most notable shallow seismic…
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Persistent drought and La Niña conditions sustain widespread wildfires in Chile
Widespread wildfires have been burning across central and southern Chile since early December 2025, affecting seven regions and destroying at least 3 839 ha (9 480 acres) of land. As of January 15…
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Freeze warnings issued across Florida Panhandle and parts of the southeast U.S.
Freeze warnings are in effect across the Florida Panhandle, northern and central counties, and parts of southeast Georgia from 23:00 EST Thursday, January 15, 2026, through 09:00 EST Friday…
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Multi-vehicle pileup shuts down Indiana Toll Road near Elkhart for hours
Heavy snow and low visibility conditions triggered a multi-vehicle pile-up involving 30 trucks along the eastbound I-80 near Elkhart County, Indiana on January 14, 2026. The crash involved at least 10…
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Solar flares and stellar flares behave very differently across the galaxy
A statistical analysis of more than 218 000 stellar flares observed by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite found no link between starspots and flare occurrence
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Study shows Main Marmara Fault is rupturing eastward toward Istanbul
Researchers revealed that the Main Marmara fault in northwestern Türkiye has been rupturing progressively eastward for more than a decade, culminating into the strongest earthquake in over 60 years…
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Dead star drives a shock wave astronomers cannot explain
Astronomers have confirmed the first known case of a diskless, synchronized polar-type white dwarf system hosting a persistent bow shock. The structure surrounding RXJ0528+2838 challenges existing..
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Red Flag Warning and High Wind Watches issued across central U.S. as strong northwesterly winds develop
Strong northwesterly winds and very low humidity will bring critical fire weather conditions across eastern Colorado and western Kansas on Thursday, January 15, 2026, prompting the National Weather…
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Forecast models indicate polar vortex split around January 25, bringing another surge of Arctic air to the US and Europe
A stratospheric warming event over the North Pole is expected to weaken the polar vortex and may lead to a core split around January 25, 2026. The disruption could cause another surge of Arctic air…
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El Niño and La Niña are synchronizing droughts and floods worldwide
A global analysis of satellite gravity data shows that El Niño and La Niña have been the dominant drivers of drought and flood extremes worldwide over the past two decades, synchronizing wet and dry…
F2 tornado damages hundreds of homes in São José dos Pinhais, Brazil
An F2 tornado struck Guatupê, São José dos Pinhais, in Brazil on January 10, 2026, damaging hundreds of homes and leaving 2 people with minor injuries.
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Landslide kills at least 13, leaves 30 missing in Burutsi village, North Kivu, DR Congo
A landslide killed at least 13 people and left 30 more missing in the Burutsi village, Kashebere area of Walikale Territory, DR Congo, on January 13, 2026.
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Direct measurements reveal extreme concentrations of plastics in urban atmosphere
Direct observations from two Chinese megacities show that urban air holds vast numbers of microplastic and nanoplastic particles, placing the atmosphere at the center of the global plastic cycle…
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Powerful winter storm drops 30% of monthly precipitation across Kamchatka in 24 hours
A powerful winter storm struck the Kamchatka Peninsula overnight on January 13, 2026, dropping 30% of the region’s monthly precipitation in 24 hours. Small avalanches were reported in snow-covered…
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Rare meteotsunami causes deadly surge along Santa Clara del Mar coast, Argentina
A strong meteotsunami impacted Argentina’s Atlantic coast on January 12, generating an abrupt sea-level rise and destructive waves that struck Santa Clara del Mar and nearby beaches in Mar Chiquita…
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Deadly avalanches strike the French Alps, leaving six dead in Savoie resorts
At least six people have been killed in separate avalanche incidents across the French Alps, with the latest fatalities being reported on January 11, 2026.
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Multiple avalanches reported in Alaska, prompting road closures and evacuations near Juneau
Multiple avalanches have been reported across parts of Alaska, prompting road closures and evacuations near Juneau as precipitation and heightened avalanche risk continue across the region through…
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Strong and shallow M6.2 earthquake hits Kuril Islands, Russia
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 struck the Kuril Islands region, Russia, at 07:34 UTC on January 13, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 35.8 km (22.2 miles).
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Avalanche kills 2 near Long Pass, Washington
At least 2 people were killed by an avalanche near Long Pass in Washington’s Cascade Mountains on January 9, 2026, while two others were safely rescued.
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Reference:The Watchers
