Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wildfires Could Affect Over Half of Canada’s Oil Sands Output: Report
May 17 2024 // More than half of the oil sands production from Canada could be impacted if the wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia worsen, Rystad Energy said in a report on Thursday. WHY IT’S IMPORTANT Canada is one of the...
Greater Chance of Major Hurricane on East Coast This Year, Less in Gulf, Scientist Says
May 17 2024 // Multiple computer models from forecasting organizations across the globe have predicted a very active hurricane season starting next month, spelling trouble for Florida and much of the Eastern United States. The models...
Oil-Sands Capital of Canada Now Grappling With Second Wildfire
May 16 2024 // The unofficial capital of Canada’s oil-sands industry is now facing a second wildfire that’s north of the city and closer to major energy operations. The new blaze near Fort McMurray, Alberta, is about 3...
Update: Wildfire Threat to Oil-Sands Capital Expected to Ease as Winds Shift
May 15 2024 // The threat of a wildfire bearing down on the unofficial capital of Canada’s oil-sands industry is expected to lessen as temperatures cool and winds shift, though the prospect of rains dousing the flames entirely...
Canadian Crews Battle Wildfire Threatening Remote Western Town
May 14 2024 // Firefighters on Monday battled a large wildfire heading towards a remote western Canadian town as winds and tinder dry conditions threatened to spread the flames further, a provincial minister said. The largely evacuated...
US States Warned of Unhealthy Air From Wildfires: Weather Watch
May 13 2024 // Air quality has turned unhealthy for parts of the Upper Midwest in the US, including the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as smoke drifts south from ongoing Canadian forest fires, according to AirNow.gov. The US...
Over 700 Tornado Reports Filed in 2024, Above Historical Average – AccuWeather
May 13 2024 // Approximately 700 preliminary tornado reports have been filed so far in 2024, above the historical average for this time of year, according to AccuWeather Global Weather Center. The roughly 700 preliminary tornado reports...
It’s a Matter of When, Not if, a Hurricane Will Hit Florida, Forecasters Say
May 13 2024 // SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — With the start of hurricane season less than a month away, U.S. officials who predict, prepare for and respond to natural disasters had a message for Floridians on Friday: It’s not a matter of...
Two Tornadoes Down Trees on Homes, Kill One Person in Tallahassee
May 13 2024 // Two confirmed tornadoes and storms packing hurricane-force winds killed at least one woman Friday in Florida as a week of deadly severe weather continued in the South, where uprooted trees crashed onto homes and knocked...
Western Canada Wildfires Prompt Evacuations, Air Quality Warnings
May 13 2024 // The season’s first major wildfires have spread to roughly 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) across Western Canada on Sunday as authorities issued an evacuation order for a community in British Columbia and warned of...
Decayed, Broken Utility Pole Caused Largest Wildfire in Texas History: Report
May 13 2024 // LUBBOCK — A decayed utility pole that broke, causing power wires to fall on dry grass in the Texas Panhandle, sparked the state’s largest wildfire in history, a Texas House committee confirmed Wednesday. And other...
Catastrophe Bonds Use Models Underestimating Climate Risks, Investors Say
May 13 2024 // The risk models that helped drive one of the most lucrative bets of 2023 are increasingly being tested by smaller weather shocks fueled by climate change. Catastrophe bonds and other insurance-linked securities, which...
Mexico Is Battling 159 Active Wildfires
May 10 2024 // Mexico is fighting 159 active wildfires across the country amid the year’s second heat wave that has also put the nation’s power grid under stress. Mexico’s national weather service issued an alert that...
Lawyers Handling Lawsuits Over Maui Wildfires to Get Investigation Documents
May 10 2024 // A judge on Friday forced the Hawaii attorney general’s office to turn over to lawyers involved in the hundreds of lawsuits over last summer’s Maui wildfires all documents, interviews and data collected by the...
Report Using Aerial Imagery Keys in on Hailstorm Risks to Colorado Homes
May 10 2024 // A report looking at 1.2 million homes in Colorado shows risks in the one of the top states for hail-related insurance claims are made worse by the state of some properties. The Arturo used artificial intelligence models...
After Deadly Oklahoma Tornado, Storms Bring Twisters to Midwest
May 9 2024 // DETROIT (AP) — Severe storms battered the Midwest on Tuesday, unleashing a curtain of heavy rain, gusty winds and tornadoes throughout the region a day after a deadly twister ripped through a small Oklahoma town and...
Tornadoes in Tennessee, North Carolina Kill Three, Damage Properties
May 9 2024 // High winds, hail, heavy rain and tornadoes battered Southern states from Alabama to North Carolina Wednesday and Thursday morning, leaving three people dead and hundreds of properties with heavy damage. USA Today, CNN and...
Typhoon Season in Northwest Pacific Seen Less Active Than Normal
May 8 2024 // Typhoon activity in the Northwest Pacific region is expected to be about 20% below normal this year, forecaster Tropical Storm Risk said in its first outlook of the season. The London-based group said it expects 15...
Maui Sues Cell Carriers Over Failure of Wildfire Warning Alerts During Outage
May 8 2024 // Had emergency responders known about widespread cellphone outages during the height of last summer’s deadly Maui wildfires, they would have used other methods to warn about the disaster, county officials said in a...
New $20M Coverage for California Commercial Property E&S Risks in Wildfire Areas
May 8 2024 // Wildfire Defense Insurance Services is offering a $20 million excess and surplus commercial property coverage for E&S risks in wildfire prone areas of California. The coverage is for total insured value up to $20...
