Natural Disasters

Air temperatures in Joshua Tree, California, exceeded triple-digits on June 5, 2024.

Extreme Heat and Wildfire Smoke Should Be Considered 'Major Disasters' by FEMA Amid Climate Crisis, Advocates Say

Despite killing more people in the U.S. each year than hurricanes, floods or tornadoes, heat waves aren’t currently eligible for emergency funding from the disaster relief agency

Wombats are stocky marsupials that can weigh up to 85 pounds.

Don't Call Wombats Heroes, but Their Burrows Do Provide Food, Water and Shelter for Other Animals

During Australia’s devastating bushfires in 2019 and 2020, misinformation spread about wombats welcoming animals into their underground homes—but a new study finds a kernel of truth in the viral story

Val Castor, a veteran storm chaser for KWTV in Oklahoma City, saw the huge chunk of ice in a ditch on the side of the road.

Pineapple-Sized Hail Stone Falls in Texas—and It Might Set a New State Record

Veteran storm chaser Val Castor spotted the behemoth ice chunk in a ditch near Vigo Park in the Texas panhandle

Archaeologists found amphorae, bronze jugs, bronze lamps and construction materials inside the room.

See the Stunning Shrine With Rare Blue-Painted Walls Unearthed at Pompeii

The 86-square-foot space is adorned with artworks depicting female figures and agricultural imagery

An aerial image of Kilauea volcano erupting, June 3, 2024.

Hawaii's Kilauea, One of the World's Most Active Volcanoes, Erupts Again

The short-lived eruption occurred in an area of the volcano that had not erupted since December 1974

A helicopter photographs lava and ash from the May 29 eruption in Iceland. The surrounding area has been evacuated.

Another Volcanic Eruption Hits Iceland, Launching Lava More Than 160 Feet Into the Air

It's the fifth eruption near the town of Grindavik since December, signaling a new era of volcanic activity for the region

The popular chapel has been closed since February because of damage caused by land movement.

A Historical Glass-Enclosed Chapel Overlooking the Pacific Ocean Must Be Dismantled Before Nature Can Destroy It

The one-of-a-kind sculpture in California, designed by the son of famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is at the mercy of shifting grounds

The tornadoes uprooted and snapped some trees, but fortunately, no injuries or deaths have been reported.

Rare Tornado Spinning the 'Wrong' Direction Forms Over Oklahoma

A powerful anticyclonic tornado uprooted trees and damaged some buildings on the night of April 30, and a second unusual twister changed direction, doubling back on its path

A multi-vortex tornado touches down on the town of Patricia, Texas.

Ten Amazing Facts About Tornadoes, Explained

To prepare you for the movie “Twisters,” we’ve compiled some jaw-dropping details about the powerful phenomenon

The earthquake on March 27, 1964, dropped Anchorage’s Fourth Avenue and some cars on it roughly 20 feet below normal.

How the Great Alaska Earthquake Shook Up Science

Sixty years ago, the largest earthquake in U.S. history shocked geologists. It’s still driving scientific discoveries today

Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, spews ash on April 19, 2024, after a series of eruptions earlier this week launched molten rocks into the sky.

Volcano Erupts Amid Lightning Storm in Indonesia, as Residents Evacuate Potential Tsunami Threat

Plumes of ash from Mount Ruang forced the closure of an international airport, after a series of at least five eruptions this week

Researchers uncovered this fresco of Helen of Troy and Paris in a newly excavated Pompeii dining room.

'Spectacular' Frescoes of Helen of Troy, Apollo and Zeus Unearthed Among the Ruins of Pompeii

Found in an ancient dining hall, the artworks depict characters associated with the Trojan War

The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests atop of a container ship following the bridge's collapse on March 26, 2024.

Seven of the Worst Bridge Disasters in World History

The collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge is shocking—but not unprecedented

Lava erupts from a nearly two-mile-long fissure on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula in the fourth eruption for the region since December.

Iceland Volcano Spews Lava in Fourth and Most Powerful Eruption in Three Months

Officials detected signs of an eruption only 40 minutes before fountains of lava burst from the ground

The Smokehouse Creek Fire has become the largest wildfire in Texas history.

The Largest Wildfire in Texas History Is Raging. Here's What You Need to Know

More than one million acres of land have been engulfed in the Smokehouse Creek Fire, placing it among the largest blazes to ever strike the U.S.

A volcanic eruption moves toward the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula.

Iceland's Recent Volcanic Eruptions Are Unleashing Deep Secrets

Each dramatic episode over the past few years has led to fresh geologic revelations, and researchers think another bout is on the way

People watch Thursday's volcanic eruption in Iceland. The Icelandic Meteorological Office said Friday afternoon local time that there were no more signs of eruptive activity.

Iceland Volcano Erupts Again, Cutting Off Hot Water From Towns and Spewing Fountains of Lava

This marks the third eruption since December in a region that, prior to 2021, hadn't seen volcanic activity for centuries

A house in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles was pushed off its foundation by a mudslide on Monday morning. No one was in the house when the mudslide occurred. Recent storms caused at least 475 mudslides in the Los Angeles area.

California Hammered by Heavy Rains, Mudslides in Devastating Atmospheric River Storms

Some areas received as much as 13 to 15 inches of rain over a five-day period as storms felled trees, destroyed homes and killed nine people

The lavish first-century C.E. villa was located in the Roman military port city of Misenum.

Was This Villa Pliny the Elder’s Front-Row Seat to Mount Vesuvius' Eruption?

Researchers are wondering whether a newly discovered villa in southern Italy could be linked to the celebrated scholar

An entire neighborhood in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. More than 6,500 people died during the storm, which had maximum sustained winds of 195 miles per hour. Winds of those speeds would be above the threshold for a hypothetical Category 6 for tropical cyclones proposed by researchers.

Do We Need a Category 6 Designation for Hurricanes?

Global warming is leading to more intense storms well above the threshold for Category 5 hurricanes, scientists write in a new paper

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