Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tropical Storm Elsa Weakens Over Northern Florida
Jul 7 2021 // Tropical Storm Elsa was weakening as it traveled over northern Florida, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm was about 105 miles west of Jacksonville and moving toward the north near 14 mph, according to the...
Following Years of Deadly Wildfires, PG&E Again Vows to Do Better
Jul 7 2021 // The nation’s largest utility has long vowed to change its reckless ways, but year after year there’s more death and destruction from Northern California wildfires sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric’s...
Record High Temperatures Hit Nordic Region, Arctic Circle, Adding to Wildfire Dangers
Jul 7 2021 // Record-high temperatures from Canada to Scandinavia and intense wildfires flaring up from California to Russia’s Far East are adding to extreme weather events recorded at the start of the summer in the Northern...
California’s Coming Wildfire Season Points to Potential Non-Renewals Ahead for Homeowners
Jul 6 2021 // By all accounts the California wildfire season continues to shape up to be a bad one, and another catastrophe modeling firm has reported sales of their products picking up due in part to carriers and reinsurers looking for...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Rates Deemed Inadequate
Jul 6 2021 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association has posted its 2021 Rate Adequacy Analysis for public review. The analysis indicates that TWIA’s current rates are inadequate by 39% for residential coverage and 46% for...
Update: Tropical Storm Elsa Moving Up Florida’s West Coast; Other States in Path
Jul 6 2021 // Tropical Storm Elsa is moving northward along the west coast of Florida, bringing heavy rains and winds, the National Hurricane Center reports. At 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, Elsa was reported to be about 70 miles west...
Small Earthquake Confirmed in Central Wyoming
Jul 6 2021 // A small earthquake struck a sparsely populated area of central Wyoming on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake about 29 miles south of Ten Sleep...
Louisiana Orders Insurer to Halt Non-Renewing Homeowners Policies after 2020 Hurricane Season
Jul 6 2021 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has ordered GeoVera Specialty Insurance Co. to stop non-renewing Louisiana homeowners policies in violation of state law. In a cease and desist order issued last week, Donelon...
Containment of Northern California Wildfires Grows, Wind a Concern
Jul 6 2021 // Containment of three big wildfires in Northern California has increased but potential for a new round of winds this week was a concern, authorities said Monday. Containment of the 39-square-mile Lava Fire at the foot of...
Weather Service Confirms Second Tornado in Delaware
Jul 6 2021 // The National Weather Service has confirmed a second tornado touched down in Delaware during storms earlier this week. The weather service’s office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, announced details from a survey of storm...
Tropical Storm Elsa Threatens to Pound Florida’s West Coast This Week
Jul 5 2021 // The National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm and storm surge warnings for the west coast of Florida as Tropical Storm Elsa began moving northward from Cuba. As of 11 am Tuesday, July 6, the tropical storm warning...
Earthquake Activity Increasing in U.S. Oil Regions, Study Says
Jul 5 2021 // The number of noticeable earthquakes has been increasing year after year since 2017 in the key oil producing regions of the U.S., according to an analysis by an independent energy research firm. The analysis of seismic...
Grim California Wildfire Outlook Has Insurers Forking Over Big Bucks for Modeling
Jul 5 2021 // Severe drought and searing temperatures are not the only proof that Californians should be worried about wildfires this year. A glaring piece of evidence that there’s ample cause for concern is this: those who will...
4 Texas Windstorm Insurance Bills Signed by Governor in 2021
Jul 5 2021 // In previous legislative years, Texas lawmakers have attempted to tackle the problems of funding for and management of Texas’ insurer of last resort for wind and hail for seacoast properties. This year, numerous...
PG&E in California Seeks $3.6B in Rate Hikes for Wildfire Safety
Jul 2 2021 // Pacific Gas & Electric asked regulators Wednesday to grant a $3.6 billion rate hike to help it pay for hardening its power systems to prevent deadly wildfires. The nation’s largest electric utility requested the...
Governor Signs 4 Bills Impacting Texas Windstorm Insurer
Jul 2 2021 // Numerous measures relating to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association were filed in the Texas Legislature in 2021 and four made it to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. One, House Bill 769, has only two provisions. Authored...
California Firefighters Battling Growing Wildfires
Jul 1 2021 // Hundreds of firefighters labored this week in high heat on the lines of big wildfires in the forests of far northern California as many communities remained under lengthening evacuation orders. Mount Shasta, the volcano...
Researchers Use Drones to Help Forecast Fires as Wildfires Hit Western U.S.
Jul 1 2021 // In a grassy meadow outside Missoula, Montana, Jennifer Fowler eyes two drones high in the sky with weather instruments — part of a program to see how drones can help to fight and monitor wildfires. Missoula is a...
Some Scientists See More Intense, Wetter Hurricane Season Storms
Jul 1 2021 // Like death and taxes, the annual hurricane season can be counted on as a sure thing. The number and intensity of named storms may vary each year, as well as where they occur and whether or not they make landfall. But...
3.9M Earthquake Confirmed in San Francisco Bay Area
Jun 30 2021 // A magnitude 3.9 earthquake rattled the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake’s epicenter was in San Lorenzo, an East Bay community in Alameda County 13 miles...
