Natural Disasters

In 2023, wildfires ravaged communities in Canada, Hawaii and elsewhere across the globe.

Why Wildfires Are Burning Hotter and Longer

As conflagrations become more difficult to contain, a citizen movement to try to manage them through “prescribed burns” is growing

The small fishing village of Grindavík, which officials evacuated late last week as a precaution in advance of a likely volcanic eruption in the area.

Iceland Braces for a Likely Volcanic Eruption as Earthquakes Increase

The country's Reykjanes Peninsula has been experiencing swarms of seismic activity for weeks, as magma accumulates beneath the surface

The inscription suggests the home belonged to one of the candidate's friends or supporters.

Archaeologists Discover Electoral Campaign Inscription Inside Pompeii House

The text urged voters to elect a candidate named Aulus Rustius Verus to a position of political power

A tornado churns up dust at dusk near Traer, Iowa.

How and Why Do Violent Tornadoes Form?

Scientists hope new technology and computing power will help them understand destructive twisters

Dust from the Chicxulub impact may have plunged the planet into a cold, dark winter and halted photosynthesis.

Dust May Have Triggered the Global Winter That Killed the Dinosaurs

A new study, based on modeling, suggests fine silicate particles could have blocked sunlight and shut down photosynthesis across the globe

Hurricane Otis caused major damage in Acapulco, Mexico.

Hurricane Otis Slams Mexico in 'Nightmare Scenario' That Shocked Meteorologists

The storm rapidly intensified in just 24 hours before it hit Acapulco as a category 5, killing at least 27 people and destroying infrastructure

A shot of Hurricane Ian, taken from the International Space Station on September 28, 2022

Atlantic Hurricanes Are Getting More Dangerous, More Quickly

If such changes are in response to climate change, the future may feature more sudden, daunting storms

Researchers studied tree rings to determine that a single earthquake along two fault zones may have occured near Seattle around 1,100 years ago.

A Massive, Two-Fault Earthquake May Have Struck the Pacific Northwest 1,100 Years Ago

The region needs to be prepared for the possibility of more intense quakes than previously thought, a new study of tree rings finds

An advertisement for California citrus, circa 1920

When California and Florida Attracted Settlers With Promises of a Perfect Climate

Today, they rank at the top of lists of U.S. states most at risk from climate change

People gather around the damaged Kharbouch Mosque on September 9, 2023 in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Ancient Mosques Damaged in Morocco Earthquake

A UNESCO representative says the country has suffered an "inestimable loss"

Bears are a fairly common sight near Yellowknife at this time of year, however, they seem to be moving deeper into town during recent wildfires.

Black Bears Move Into Abandoned Canada Town Evacuated Due to Wildfires

Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, has been largely empty for the last two weeks amid Canada's worst fire season on record

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is trying to keep ‘akikiki from going extinct.

How Maui's Wildfires Threatened Endangered Birds

Conservationists battled back flames to prevent them from reaching roughly 40 ‘akikiki in captivity

On August 10, homes, buildings and the harbor in Lahaina are burned to the ground after wildfires swept through Maui.

How Swaths of Invasive Grass Made Maui's Fires So Devastating

Scientists have long warned that Hawaii's cover of nonnative shrubs is kindling waiting to burn

An aerial image of the banyan tree taken on August 10, 2023

Will Maui's Beloved 150-Year-Old Banyan Tree Survive the Scorching Wildfires?

Amidst the devastation of Lahaina, a coastal town in Maui, the tree is burned but still standing

A house collapses into the Mendenhall River.

Two Buildings Collapse, Others Damaged in Record-Setting Glacial Floods in Alaska

Floodwaters discharged from a basin behind Mendenhall Glacier at about 25,000 cubic feet per second, shocking meteorologists

Satellite imagery shows the destruction wildfires have caused in the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.

Deadly Maui Wildfires Raze Landscape, Destroy Historic Coastal Town

At least 36 people have been reported dead and thousands were displaced by the fast-moving flames that ignited on Tuesday

Flames reach the Greek village of Gennadi, where residents stand on roofs to try to save their homes with water hoses.

Greece Is on Fire, Forcing Its Largest-Ever Evacuation From Flames

Blazes on three popular vacation islands have led thousands of people to flee the area amid a massive heat wave

A recently unearthed fresco at a house in Pompeii shows a flatbread that could have been a precursor to pizza.

Does This Pompeii Painting Depict a 2,000-Year-Old Pizza?

The fresco features a flatbread with a variety of toppings—but no tomato and mozzarella

A photo of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption taken on December 24, 2021, before the biggest eruption on January 15, 2022. Tsunamis caused by the eruption killed at six people in Tonga and Peru and displaced more than 1,500 people on Tongan islands.

Tonga Volcano Sparked the Most Intense Lightning Storm Ever Recorded

Last year's eruption produced a raging storm at unprecedented altitudes, with 2,600 lightning flashes per minute at its peak

Mount Etna erupts in July 2021.

Secrets Still Smolder at One of the World's Most Active Volcanoes

A century after one of Mount Etna's many notable eruptions, scientists are more eager than ever to study the peak's frequent bursts of fiery fury

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