Natural Disasters News
August 5, 2025
Top Headlines
Aug. 1, 2025 A Penn State-led research team has unraveled the long-standing mystery of how lightning begins inside thunderclouds. Their findings offer the first quantitative, physics-based explanation for lightning initiation—and a glimpse into the stormy ...
Aug. 1, 2025 A jaw-dropping 515-mile lightning bolt lit up the skies from Texas to Kansas City, smashing previous records and reshaping our understanding of extreme weather. Thanks to advanced satellite tech, scientists like Randy Cerveny and Michael Peterson ...
July 23, 2025 Imagine concrete that not only survives wildfires and extreme weather, but heals itself and absorbs carbon from the air. Scientists at USC have created an AI model called Allegro-FM that simulates billions of atoms at once, helping design futuristic ...
July 21, 2025 Beneath Yellowstone’s stunning surface lies a hyperactive seismic world, now better understood thanks to machine learning. Researchers have uncovered over 86,000 earthquakes—10 times more than previously known—revealing chaotic swarms moving ...
July 19, 2025 Clear-cutting forests doesn’t just raise flood risk — it can supercharge it. UBC researchers found that in certain watersheds, floods became up to 18 times more frequent and over twice as severe after clear-cutting, with these effects lasting ...
July 16, 2025 After devastating wildfires scorched the Brazilian Pantanal, an unexpected phenomenon unfolded—more jaguars began arriving at a remote wetland already known for having the densest jaguar population on Earth. Scientists discovered that not only did ...
July 8, 2025 As glaciers melt around the world, long-dormant volcanoes may be waking up beneath the ice. New research reveals that massive ice sheets have suppressed eruptions for thousands of years, building up underground pressure. But as that icy weight ...
July 3, 2025 Tropical trees are dying faster than ever, and it's not just heat or drought to blame. Scientists have uncovered a surprising culprit: ordinary thunderstorms. These quick, fierce storms, powered by climate change, are toppling trees with intense ...
June 30, 2025 Smoke from wildfires and structural fires doesn t just irritate lungs it actually changes your immune system. Harvard scientists found that even healthy people exposed to smoke showed signs of immune system activation, genetic changes tied to ...
June 28, 2025 Parts of New Orleans are sinking at alarming rates — including some of the very floodwalls built to protect it. A new satellite-based study finds that some areas are losing nearly two inches of elevation per year, threatening the effectiveness of ...
June 27, 2025 Beneath the Afar region in Ethiopia, scientists have discovered pulsing waves of molten rock rising from deep within the Earth — a geological heartbeat that could eventually split Africa in two. ...
June 24, 2025 Wildfires don’t just leave behind scorched earth—they leave a toxic legacy in Western rivers that can linger for nearly a decade. A sweeping new study analyzed over 100,000 water samples from more than 500 U.S. watersheds and revealed that ...
Latest Headlines
updated 1:19pm EDT
July 26, 2025 What would happen if a nuclear war triggered a climate-altering catastrophe? Researchers have modeled how such a scenario could devastate global corn ...
June 30, 2025 Wildfires are becoming more intense and dangerous, but a new Stanford-led study offers hope: prescribed burns—intentionally set, controlled ...
June 15, 2025 Atmospheric rivers, while vital for replenishing water on the U.S. West Coast, are also the leading cause of floods though storm size alone doesn t dictate their danger. A groundbreaking study ...
June 10, 2025 Some volcanoes erupt with little to no warning, posing serious risks to nearby communities and air traffic. A study of Alaska's Veniaminof volcano reveals how specific internal conditions like slow ...
June 8, 2025 Beneath Earth s surface, nearly 3,000 kilometers down, lies a mysterious layer where seismic waves speed up inexplicably. For decades, scientists ...
June 7, 2025 Scientists have built a lab model that visually tracks how microscopic contact points between fault surfaces evolve during earthquake cycles, ...
June 3, 2025 A new study has finally confirmed the theory that the cause of extraordinary global tremors in September -- October 2023 was indeed two mega tsunamis in Greenland that became trapped standing waves. ...
June 2, 2025 Flooding in coastal communities is happening far more often than previously thought, according to a new study. The study also found major flaws with the widely used approach of using marine water ...
June 2, 2025 Researchers have developed a deep learning model called LSTM-SAM that predicts extreme water levels from tropical cyclones more efficiently and accurately, especially in data-scarce coastal regions, ...
May 30, 2025 A new method for predicting underwater landslides may improve the resilience of offshore ...
Earlier Headlines
May 29, 2025 Hurricane Ida wreaked an estimated $75 billion in total damages and was responsible for 112 fatalities -- including 32 in New Jersey and 16 in New York state. Yet the hurricane could have been even ...
May 29, 2025 Earthquakes create ripple effects in Earth's upper atmosphere that can disrupt satellite communications and navigation systems we rely on. Scientists have now used Japan's extensive network ...
May 29, 2025 Immediate recovery efforts receive the most attention after severe natural disasters, yet new data from researchers at Drexel University and the University of Maryland suggests these climate events ...
May 29, 2025 Researchers determined how much outdoor particulate pollution affects indoor air quality. Their study concluded pollution from inversion and dust events is kept out of buildings, but wildfire smoke ...
May 27, 2025 With wildfires increasing in frequency, severity, and size in the Western U.S., researchers are determined to better understand how smoke impacts air quality, public health, and even the weather. As ...
May 22, 2025 The risk of heavy rainfall and severe flooding increases with climate change. But property owners -- regardless of size -- often underestimate their own responsibility and are unaware of what ...
May 22, 2025 From deadly floods in Europe to intensifying tropical cyclones around the world, the climate crisis has made timely and precise forecasting more essential than ever. Yet traditional forecasting ...
May 22, 2025 Scientists found that neural networks cannot yet forecast 'gray swan' weather events, which might not appear in existing training data but could still happen -- like 200-year floods or ...
May 22, 2025 Researchers have mathematically elucidated how the presence of crystals and gas bubbles in magma affects the propagation of seismic P-waves. A novel equation was derived to describe the travel of ...
May 21, 2025 Analysis has shown a boulder weighing almost 1,200 tons in Tonga is one of the largest known wave-transported rocks in the world, providing new insights into the Pacific region's history and ...
May 21, 2025 Hurricane winds are a major contributor to storm-related losses for people living in the southeastern coastal states. As the global temperature continues to rise, scientists predict that hurricanes ...
May 21, 2025 Researchers look to extremes in the past to study how the system reacts to imbalances. They detail an overlooked mechanism for how the ocean can help stabilize massive releases of carbon into the ...
May 15, 2025 A team has created the most complete map of the world's rivers ever made offering a major leap forward for flood prediction, climate risk planning, and water resource management in a warming ...
May 14, 2025 New research demonstrates shipborne navigation systems have potential to improve tsunami detection and ...
May 14, 2025 Traditional methods of assessing damage after a disaster can take weeks or even months, delaying emergency response, insurance claims and long-term rebuilding efforts. New research might change that. ...
May 14, 2025 Using advanced technology that analyzes tiny gas bubbles trapped in crystal, a team of scientists has precisely mapped how magma storage evolves as Hawaiian volcanoes ...
May 14, 2025 When we think of earthquakes, we imagine sudden, violent shaking. But deep beneath the Earth's surface, some faults move in near silence. These slow, shuffling slips and their accompanying hum ...
May 13, 2025 Researchers report on ionospheric sporadic E layer (Es) activity during the Mother's Day geomagnetic storm. The team found that the Es layers were significantly enhanced over Southeast Asia, ...
May 8, 2025 Researchers looked at PFAS serum concentrations in health care workers for the first time and were surprised by what they ...
May 8, 2025 A new analysis of a fatal landslide that occurred on 13 February 2024 at the pler Gold Mine in Turkiye reveals that the site of the landslide had been slowly moving for at least four years prior to ...
Thursday, May 29, 2025
- 2021's Hurricane Ida Could Have Been Even Worse for NYC
- Thousands of Sensors Reveal 3D Structure of Earthquake-Triggered Sound Waves
- When Climate Disasters Hit, They Often Leave Long-Term Health Care Access Shortages
- Does Outdoor Air Pollution Affect Indoor Air Quality? It Could Depend on Buildings' HVAC
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Thursday, May 22, 2025
- How Property Owners Can Work to Prevent Flooding
- Breakthrough AI Model Could Transform How We Prepare for Natural Disasters
- AI Is Good at Weather Forecasting. Can It Predict Freak Weather Events?
- Mathematical Prediction of Seismic Wave Propagation in Magma Containing Crystals and Bubbles
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- Enormous Boulder Washed Inland a Sign of Pacific Tsunami History
- Wind-Related Hurricane Losses for Homeowners in the Southeastern U.S. Could Be Nearly 76 Percent Higher by 2060
- Fool's Gold: A Hidden Climate Stabilizer
Thursday, May 15, 2025
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
- Satellite Data from Ship Captures Landslide-Generated Tsunami
- Tech Meets Tornado Recovery
- Tiny Gas Bubbles Reveal Secrets of Hawaiian Volcanoes
- The Ripple Effect of Small Earthquakes Near Major Faults
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Thursday, May 8, 2025
- Health Care Workers, Firefighters Have Increased PFAS Levels, Study Finds
- Study of Türkiye Gold Mine Landslide Highlights Need for Future Monitoring
- All of the Biggest U.S. Cities Are Sinking
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
- Warming Climate Making Fine Particulate Matter from Wildfires More Deadly and Expensive
- Climate Change: Future of Today's Young People
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Friday, May 2, 2025
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Eruption Loading: New Approaches to Earthquake Monitoring at Ontake Volcano, Japan
- Lava Flow Jigsaw Puzzle Reveals the Secrets of Shifting Continents
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Monday, April 28, 2025
- Climate Change Increases the Risk of Simultaneous Wildfires
- Anatomy of a 'zombie' Volcano: Investigating the Cause of Unrest Inside Uturuncu
- Flood Risk Increasing in Pacific Northwest
- Noto Quake 3D Model Adds Dimension to Understand Earthquake Dynamics
Thursday, April 24, 2025
- How to Break Through Climate Apathy
- Could Seismic Signals from Earthquakes Mask the Signals of an Underground Explosion?
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
- Scientific Path to Recouping the Costs of Climate Change
- Melting Glaciers at the End of the Ice Age May Have Sped Up Continental Drift, Fueled Volcanic Eruptions
Monday, April 21, 2025
- How Activity in Earth's Mantle Led the Ancient Ancestors of Elephants, Giraffes, and Humans Into Asia and Africa
- Coastal Management Model Plays the Long Game Against the Rising Tides
Friday, April 18, 2025
- Lake Deposits Reveal Directional Shaking During Devastating 1976 Guatemala Earthquake
- Seismology: How Wide Are Faults?
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
- Climate-Related Trauma Can Have Lasting Effects on Decision-Making
- Inside Yellowstone's Fiery Heart: Researchers Map Volatile-Rich Cap, Offering Clues to Future Volcanic Activity
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Monday, April 14, 2025
- Emotions and Levels of Threat Affect Communities' Resilience During Extreme Events
- Sophisticated Pyrotechnology in the Ice Age: This Is How Humans Made Fire Tens of Thousands of Years Ago
- Deep-Sea Mining Risks Leads Study to Urge Shift to Circular Solutions
Friday, April 11, 2025
- Hundred-Year Storm Tides Will Occur Every Few Decades in Bangladesh, Scientists Report
- Crustal Brines at an Oceanic Transform Fault
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
- Sink or Swim: The Fate of Sinking Tectonic Plates Depends on Their Ancient Tectonic Histories
- Wildfire Recovery: What Victims Say They Need Most
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
- Long-Term Health Impacts of Flooding Revealed
- Smoke from US Wildfires, Prescribed Burns Caused Premature Deaths, Billions in Health Damages
Friday, April 4, 2025
- Soil Conditions Significantly Increase Rainfall in World's Megastorm Hotspots
- Exposure to Wildfire Smoke Linked With Worsening Mental Health Conditions
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Monday, March 24, 2025
- 5,700-Year Storm Archive Shows Rise in Tropical Storms and Hurricanes in the Caribbean
- How Extreme Weather Threatens Nature's Essential Services
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
- Coastal Guardians Pioneer a New Way to Protect the Florida Keys' Shorelines
- Building a Safer Future: Strengthen Haiti's Earthquake Resilience
Friday, March 14, 2025
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
- How Climate Change Affects Rain and Floods
- Researchers Forecast Shaking Damage from Crustal Earthquake Scenarios in Mexico City
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
- Technique to Manipulate Water Waves to Precisely Control Floating Objects
- Microplastics Could Be Fueling Antibiotic Resistance
Monday, March 10, 2025
Friday, March 7, 2025
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
- Flooding Expected Sooner in Hawai'i's Sinking Coastal Areas
- Seismic Study of Singapore Could Guide Urban Construction and Renewable Energy Development
- Researchers Quantify the Way Rivers Bend, Opening Up the Possibility for Identifying Origins of Channels on Other Planets
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Friday, February 28, 2025
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
- School of Rock: Properties of Rocks in Fault Zones Contribute to Earthquake Generation
- Beyond the Burn: Harvesting Dead Wood to Reduce Wildfires and Store Carbon
Friday, February 21, 2025
Thursday, February 20, 2025
- How Mosquitoes Hear May Inspire New Ways to Detect Natural Disasters
- Coastal Erosion Threatens Ancient City, and Many Others
- Housing Damage Resulting from Great East Japan Earthquake and All-Cause Mortality
Friday, February 14, 2025
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
- Fewer Forest Fires Burn in North America Today Than in the Past--and That's a Bad Thing
- Colorado Forests Are Releasing More Carbon Than They Capture Each Year
- Satellite Data Identifies Warning Signs Ahead of 2018 Volcanic Eruption, Tsunami
Monday, February 10, 2025
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Monday, February 3, 2025
Thursday, January 30, 2025
- Earth Scientists Study Sikkim Flood in India to Help Others Prepare for Similar Disasters
- Wildfire Smoke Can Carry Toxins Hundreds of Kilometers, Depositing Grime on Urban Structures, Surfaces