Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alaska Volcano Spews Ash Cloud High Enough to Draw Weather Service Warning for Pilots
Jul 17 2023 // An erupting volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands sent a towering cloud of ash into the air Friday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an inflight warning to pilots. The Shishaldin Volcano began erupting...
Canada’s Wildfires Burn Record 25 Million Acres With No End in Sight
Jul 17 2023 // Canadian wildfires have scorched more than 10 million hectares (25 million acres) this summer, an area about the size of Iceland, with no end to the burning expected anytime soon. About 900 active fires were reported as of...
Deadly Storms Across US Northeast Bring Floods, Tornado Alerts
Jul 17 2023 // A cluster of severe thunderstorms pounded the US Northeast including New York City on Sunday, unleashing deadly flooding in Pennsylvania, halting operations at several airports, and prompting tornado watches across New...
Update: Typhoon Talim Makes Landfall in Southern China; Flights and Trains Canceled
Jul 17 2023 // Typhoon Talim became the first typhoon to make landfall in China this year on Monday evening, prompting authorities to issue flood warnings, cancel flights and trains, and order people to stay at home. Talim, the fourth...
US Insurance Market Forecast to Withstand Losses From Large Hurricane This Year: Fitch Report
Jul 17 2023 // With ample capital, Fitch Ratings’ latest annual ‘U.S. Hurricane Season’ report indicates U.S. property and casualty (P/C) and reinsurers can absorb losses if a large hurricane makes landfall this...
Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places
Jul 17 2023 // Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees...
Tornado Touches Down Near Chicago`s O`Hare Airport
Jul 14 2023 // CHICAGO (AP) – A tornado touched down Wednesday evening near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, prompting passengers to take shelter and disrupting hundreds of flights. There were no immediate reports of...
Insurers Sue Energy Corporation Blamed for Helping Start Colorado Wildfire
Jul 12 2023 // Dozens of insurance companies are suing Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy to recoup money paid out to homes and businesses lost in Colorado`s most destructive wildfire in 2021. The lawsuit was filed Thursday, a few weeks after...
Wisconsin Wildfire Consumes Nearly 1,000 Acres, Forces Evacuations
Jul 12 2023 // MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A wildfire in central Wisconsin has consumed almost 1000 acres (405 hectares) and forced evacuations of scores of properties. State Department of Natural Resources officials said at a news...
Delos to Insurers Shedding Wildfire Risk: Send the Homes to Us
Jul 12 2023 // About 6 million homes in the U.S. are considered uninsurable due to wildfire risk. The models at Delos Insurance say about half of those homes are absolutely insurable. “Delos sees a lot more insurable homes in...
Artificial Weatherman? AI Could Better Predict Hurricanes, Research Paper Says
Jul 10 2023 // Artificial Intelligence may be the key to more accurate and more timely hurricane predictions, China-based researchers have reported in the scientific journal Nature. In two papers in the journal, the researchers,...
California Utility Pays $22M to Settle Claims in 2016 Wildfire
Jul 10 2023 // Southern California Edison and two other companies have paid $22 million to settle U.S. government claims that they caused a 2016 wildfire that burned thousands of acres of national forest, it was announced. The money...
Canada’s Record Wildfire Season Set to Worsen as Heat Builds
Jul 7 2023 // Canada is bracing for higher-than-normal wildfire activity to continue into August, as soaring temperatures and drought turn much of the country’s vast forests into kindling. The Canada fire season, which normally...
CSU: Above Average Atlantic Hurricane Season Now Expected
Jul 7 2023 // Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane researchers have upped their hurricane season forecast. An above average Atlantic hurricane season is now expected for 2023, though there is a greater level of uncertainty than...
Help Arrives to Battle Growing Wildfire in Washington
Jul 5 2023 // Authorities have more than doubled the number of people battling a wildfire that has burned structures and forced the evacuation of homes in southwestern Washington near the Columbia River Gorge. The blaze that began...
Colorado’s Most Destructive Wildfire Caused by Embers From Old Fire, Sparks From Power Line
Jul 3 2023 // Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire outside a home days earlier and a sparking power line caused a Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities...
Canadian Wildfires Are Causing Unhealthy Air Quality Again in Chicago, Other Parts of the US
Jun 29 2023 // CHICAGO (AP) – Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada is creating curtains of haze and raising air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region, and in parts of the central and eastern United...
Italy’s Insurance Protection Gap Exposes State Finances to Natural Disasters
Jun 29 2023 // Lamberto Mongardi, a farm owner in the northern Italian town of Lugo, was hit twice when torrential rain lashed the area last month: not only was much of his property washed away, but he also discovered his insurance cover...
Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Causes Unhealthy Air Quality in Minnesota
Jun 28 2023 // ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Wildfire smoke from Canada promoted officials on Tuesday to issue a record 23rd air quality alert for much of Minnesota through late Wednesday night as smoky skies obscure the Minneapolis and...
Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places
Jun 28 2023 // Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees...
