A newly discovered asteroid designated 2024 XA flew past Earth at 0.02 LD / 0.00005 AU (7 726 km / 4 801 miles) from the center of our planet at 09:46 UTC on December 1, 2024. This is about 1 355 km (842 miles) above the surface, making it the closest asteroid flyby of the year.
Super Typhoon “Man-Yi” made landfall in Aurora, Philippines at 15:20 local time (LT) on Sunday, November 17, 2024, after catastrophic damage and heavy rainfall across Luzon. Several Wind Signal Warnings as well as heavy rain warnings have been issued, with some regions expecting over 200 mm (7.87 inches) of rain due to the storm.
A plume of moisture from Hurricane “Rafael” moved northward into the Southeastern United States and collided with a stationary front over South Carolina, causing intense rainfall in Orangeburg County on November 6 and 7, 2024. The extreme rainfall, totaling 180 – 380 mm (7 – 15 inches) in 24 hours, overwhelmed local ponds and dams, leading to failures that sent water downstream, damaging bridges and roads near Norway, South Carolina.
A powerful storm system hit eastern Spain this week, delivering more than a year’s worth of rain in just one day and causing historic flooding in Valencia, where at least 62 people lost their lives on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. The town of Chiva set a new 24-hour rainfall record, reporting 491 mm (19.33 inches) in just eight hours, while several other areas recorded rainfall totals between 100 mm (3.94 inches) and 200 mm (7.87 inches) on the same day.
A small asteroid, currently designated A11dc6D, impacted Earth’s atmosphere over the eastern Pacific Ocean at 10:54 UTC on October 22, 2024. This marks the 10th recorded instance of an asteroid being detected prior to impacting Earth, and the third occurrence of such an event this year. The asteroid was later officially named 2024 UQ.
A slow-moving storm brought extremely heavy rains to parts of France on Thursday, October 17, 2024, with the Ardèche Cévennes region experiencing rainfall totals as high as 700 mm (27.6 inches). This led to widespread flooding and approximately 350 rescue operations. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Ecological Transition, said the region is facing a situation that is unprecedented in its scale.
Florida saw a record-breaking 15 tornadoes on October 9, 2024, as Hurricane “Milton” swept through — the most ever recorded in the region in a single day. Among the 15 two were rated EF-3, causing significant damage across Palm Beach Gardens and Lakeport communities.
Hurricane “Milton” made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County along the west coast of Florida at 00:30 UTC on October 10, 2024, with maximum sustained winds of 205 km/h (120 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 954 hPa, making it a Category 3 hurricane.
A major solar flare measuring X9.0 erupted from Active Region 3842 at 12:18 UTC on October 3, 2024. The event started at 12:08 and ended at 12:27 UTC. This is thus far the strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25.
Hurricane “Helene” made landfall near Perry in the Big Bend region of Florida at 23:10 local time (LT) on Thursday, September 26, 2024, as a Category 4 hurricane with record-breaking winds of 220 km/h (140 mph). It created massive life-threatening storm surges of up to 6.1 m (20 feet). Multiple extreme wind warnings have been issued across several counties in the Big Bend region before the arrival of the eye of the storm.
