Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lee’s Rapid Growth Rewriting Hurricane Rule Book
Sep 11 2023 // Hurricane Lee is rewriting old rules of meteorology, leaving experts astonished at how rapidly it grew into a goliath Category 5 hurricane. Lee – which just as quickly dropped to a still-dangerous Category 3 and held...
Hurricane Lee Strengthens to Category 5 Storm
Sep 8 2023 // Hurricane Lee has become the strongest Atlantic storm since 2019 with winds of 165 miles (266 kilometers) per hour, and the US National Hurricane Center said the Category 5 system isn’t done growing yet. While the...
Maui Wildfires Portend Unprecedented Shift in What It Means to Mitigate Risk
Sep 8 2023 // The Maui wildfires portend a grand and incalculable reality for every single one of us living on this spinning blue globe we call Earth. Understanding the risks associated with where we live, work and play may be reaching...
‘Eyewall Replacement’ Led to Weakening of Hurricane – This Time, NHC Says
Sep 6 2023 // In the final hours before Hurricane Idalia struck Florida the storm had grown into a Category 4 beast lurking off the state’s west coast, and the forecast called for it to continue intensifying up until landfall. An...
Report: Climate Change Boosts Risk of Extreme Wildfires 25%
Sep 5 2023 // A group of scientists used machine learning to quantify empirical relationships between temperature and the risk of extreme daily wildfire growth in California to show the influence of temperature on the risk – and they...
Wildfires Cost Europe €4.1 Billion as Temperatures Hit Records
Sep 5 2023 // Wildfires have cost Europe an estimated €4.1 billion ($4.43 billion) in damages so far this year, as extreme heat seared the Mediterranean from Greece to Spain this summer. Nearly 400,000 hectares (988,420 acres) of land...
About $2.2B Insured Losses From Hurricane Idalia, Says KCC
Sep 1 2023 // Though it made landfall as a Category 3 storm, Hurricane Idalia impacted an area of low population and is expected to cause private insured losses of about $2.2 billion, according to catastrophe modeler Karen Clark &...
Hong Kong Braces for Biggest Typhoon Since 2018
Sep 1 2023 // Hong Kong was starting to feel the impact of Super Typhoon Saola as winds reached hurricane force and rain lashed the city. The government said it will raise the No. 9 storm signal — the second highest — at 6:20 p.m....
Wildfire Risk Score: A Complete Tool for Insurance Risk Management
Sep 1 2023 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Welcome to the first installment of our four-part series on wildfire hazard and risk management, where we will explore CoreLogic’s wildfire risk models and their...
Unprecedented Wildfire Season Ravages Louisiana as Drought and Heat Persist
Aug 31 2023 // BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – One of the largest wildfires in Louisiana history continues to burn through land and threaten rural communities, which are used to flooding and hurricanes this time of year rather than drought and...
Cleanup Begins After Hurricane Idalia Hits Gulf Coast
Aug 31 2023 // Cleanup and recovery from Hurricane Idalia began on Thursday along Florida’s Gulf Coast, where property damage, loss of life and power disruptions paled in comparison to the last major hurricane that struck the state...
Warren Buffett’s Bet on Mild Florida Storm Season Faces Test With Hurricane Idalia
Aug 30 2023 // Berkshire Hathaway Inc. bet big earlier this year that Florida’s reinsurance market would deliver huge premiums with minimal losses. Hurricane Idalia is about to offer a test of that calculus, with months of...
Super Typhoon Saola Lashes Taiwan Before Heading to Hong Kong
Aug 30 2023 // Super Typhoon Saola pummeled the south of Taiwan early Wednesday with strong winds and heavy rain, shutting offices and canceling some flights before heading to Hong Kong. Authorities in Taiwan, where no typhoon has made...
Unusually Warm Atlantic Ocean Is Supercharging Hurricane Idalia
Aug 29 2023 // Hurricane Idalia, now a Category 1 storm, is expected to make landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday. The hurricane’s likely transformation between now and then will be due in part to the unusually...
Citizens Suspends Binding, Could Be Most Affected as Hurricane Aims for Big Bend
Aug 29 2023 // Florida property insurers were keeping their fingers crossed Tuesday as the latest projections indicated that the worst of Hurricane Idalia may miss some of the most heavily populated parts of the state’s west...
Hawaiian Electric Calls Maui County’s Wildfire Lawsuit ‘Irresponsible’
Aug 29 2023 // Hawaiian Electric HE.N said the lawsuit filed against it by the county of Maui was “factually and legally irresponsible,” pointing to the county’s responsibility in the Hawaii wildfires. The...
Severe Storms and Tornado Cause Damage and Power Outages in Michigan, Leaving 5 Dead
Aug 28 2023 // CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) – At least one tornado touched down in Michigan as part of severe storms powered by winds of up to 75 mph (121 kph) that downed trees, tore roofs off buildings and killed five people while...
More Than 600 Firefighters, Water-Dropping Planes Struggle to Control Greece Wildfires
Aug 28 2023 // More than 600 firefighters, including reinforcements from several European countries and backed by a fleet of water-dropping planes and helicopters, were battling three major wildfires in Greece Sunday, two of which have...
Washington Commissioner’s Orders Insurers to Extend Policyholders Protections for Wildfires
Aug 25 2023 // Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued an emergency order requiring all property/casualty insurers to provide additional protections for policyholders impacted by the Gray and Oregon Road fires. The...
Wildfires Ravage Louisiana Amidst Record Heat and Drought
Aug 25 2023 // BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Hundreds of wildfires are burning in Louisiana, as triple-digit temperatures continue to scorch parts of the state amid little chance of relief because of the lack of rain in the forecast. While...
