Weather phenomena – The Watchers

Extremely rare gigantic jet captured from the International Space Station over Mexico and U.S. Southwest

Reet Kaur — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 19:39:00 +0000

An extremely rare gigantic jet, powerful bolt of upward lightning, was captured from the International Space Station as it soared above a thunderstorm over northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest on July 3, 2025. The striking image, taken by NASA astronaut Nichole Vapor Ayers, shows the jet piercing into the ionosphere, offering a rare glimpse of one of Earth's most elusive atmospheric phenomena.

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Rare landspout outbreak in UAE

Harsha Borah — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 20:25:00 +0000

A rare landspout outbreak occurred in the United Arab Emirates on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 23, 2024, leading to multiple landspouts forming between Kadra in Ras Al Khaimah and Al Khudaira in Sharjah.

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Victoria Harbour sees first recorded waterspout in Hong Kong history

Teo Blašković — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 13:42:02 +0000

A waterspout was observed over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour at 12:30 PM local time on Saturday, September 28, 2024, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. This marks the first recorded occurrence of a waterspout in the harbour since records began in 1959.

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Powerful derecho blasts through Midwest, leaving a trail of destruction

Rishav Kothari — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 19:55:59 +0000

A powerful and deadly derecho swept across the Midwest on July 15, 2024, leaving an 800-km (500-mile) path of destruction from Iowa to Indiana. The storm, with wind gusts reaching up to 169 km/h (105 mph), caused extensive damage, power outages affecting hundreds of thousands, and at least one fatality. The National Weather Service issued numerous Tornado Warnings as the storm downed trees, tore roofs off buildings, and disrupted travel across the region.

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Super fog leads to tragic 158-vehicle pileup on Interstate 55 in Louisiana

Teo Blašković — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 07:02:13 +0000

Dense fog and smoke have combined to form what is known as super fog, heavily impacting Interstate 55 in Louisiana’s St. John the Baptist Parish on Monday morning, October 23, 2023, and leading to a massive vehicle pileup in which at least 7 people lost their lives and more than 25 were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical.

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Waterspout outbreak in the Mediterranean Sea

TW — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 11:03:35 +0000

The Mediterranean Sea experienced an extraordinary waterspout outbreak on June 13, 2023, with the International Centre for Waterspout Research (ICWR) confirming 15 waterspouts off the coasts of Italy, France, and Spain.

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Cyclone Yaku – Peru’s first cyclone in 40 years and El Niño Costero leave 54% of the country under a state of emergency

Teo Blašković — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 11:39:35 +0000

In early March 2023, Peru was hit by Cyclone Yaku -- the country's first cyclone in 40 years. Its impact coincided with the beginning of the El Niño Costero phenomenon, extending the rainy season and leading to large-scale floods and landslides which forced the Government of Peru to declare a state of emergency in over half of the country. Heavy rains and flooding are expected to continue until June.

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Waterspout outbreak off the Florida Keys, U.S.

Teo Blašković — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 10:30:00 +0000

A total of 12 waterspouts were observed south of the westernmost Lower Keys, Florida, U.S. on the afternoon/evening of November 4, 2022.

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Cuba still fighting massive blaze after lightning strikes Matanzas Supertanker Base

Teo Blašković — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 18:22:34 +0000

A large fire that started in Cuba after lightning struck Matanzas Supertanker Base on Friday, August 5, 2022, is still not under control. According to the initial reports, 1 firefighter has been killed while at least 16 other firefighters are still missing. 122 people were injured, of which 5 critically.

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A ‘highly unusual weather event’ produces destructive swells in the Cook Islands and French Polynesia

Teo Blašković — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 14:26:41 +0000

A high pressure system pushing up from New Zealand this week produced swells of up to 4.5 m (14.7 feet) in the Cook Islands, inundating coastal areas and damaging homes and roads. The same event produced destructive swells as large as 9 m (29.5 feet) in French Polynesia.

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