Latest Catastrophe Headlines

All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

North Texas Wildfires Continue to Erupt

Aug 5 2022 // One firefighter was injured and two others were treated for heat exhaustion while fighting a wildfire in North Texas that burned almost half a square mile Wednesday, officials said.The fire near Tolar, about 40 miles (65...

CSU Team Slightly Lowers Forecast for Still Above-Average Hurricane Season

Aug 5 2022 // The hurricane research team at Colorado State University has slightly lowered its outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season but is still calling for above-average action.The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project team is now...

California’s Largest Wildfire Got Very Little Help from Rainfall

Aug 4 2022 // California’s largest wildfire so far this year has so far charred nearly 90 square miles, getting only a little help from rainfall in the area this week.The wildfire, which is now listed as 10% contained, broke out...

Utah Man Accused of Causing Wildfire by Burning Spider

Aug 4 2022 // A Utah man has been arrested on accusations he started a wildfire while trying to burn a spider with his lighter.Cory Allan Martin, 26, told deputies that he spotted the spider Monday while he was in a hiking area in the...

Slow Recovery From Bama Twister Could be Harbinger for Hurricane-Prone South

Aug 4 2022 // There’s not much in Greene County, a place that stands out even in impoverished west Alabama for its neediness. So the April tornado that settled down upon a housing community full of seniors and low-income families...

Western Nebraska Wildfire Forces Evacuations, Destroys Homes

Aug 3 2022 // A wildfire that has forced evacuations and destroyed some homes in the Nebraska Panhandle grew to about 25000 square miles (64749.77 square kilometers) Monday, but firefighters were managing to limit the spread of the...

California Commissioner Orders Cancellation Moratorium for Wildfires

Aug 2 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara this week ordered insurers to preserve residential insurance coverage for the county of Mariposa following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency declaration.Lara’s order...

2 Bodies Found Inside Vehicle in Path of Big California Wildfire

Aug 2 2022 // Authorities said two bodies were found inside a burned vehicle in the path of a raging Northern California wildfire that is one of several major blazes burning across the U.S. West amid hot, dry, gusty conditions.The...

Floods, Storms Drive Global Insured Catastrophe Losses of US$38B in H1 2022: Swiss Re

Aug 2 2022 // A series of winter storms in Europe, record floods in Australia and South Africa as well as a high number of thunderstorms in the U.S. and Europe resulted in US$35 billion of insured losses from natural catastrophes in the...

California Seeing Largest Wildfire of 2022 at 80 Square Miles

Aug 1 2022 // A wildfire in Northern California was burning out of control on Monday amid exacerbating conditions that pose the dangers of thunderstorms, and hot, windy conditions.The McKinney Fire grew rapidly to more than 80 square...

Western U.S. Wildfires Explode in Size Amid Hot, Windy Conditions

Aug 1 2022 // Wildfires in California and Montana exploded in size overnight amid windy, hot conditions and were quickly encroaching on neighborhoods, forcing evacuation orders for over 100 homes Saturday, while an Idaho blaze was...

United P&C Completes Florida Restructuring Amid Catastrophe Losses

Jul 28 2022 // United Insurance Holdings, parent of United Property & Casualty Insurance, said it has completed most of its major reorganization plan, consolidating its four Florida-based carriers into two.The news was accompanied by...

Alaska Experiencing Wildfires It’s Never Seen Before

Jul 26 2022 // Alaska is burning this year in ways rarely or ever seen, from the largest wildfire in a typically mainly fireproof southwest region to a pair of blazes that ripped through forests and produced smoke that blew hundreds of...

Record Temperatures, Wildfires Wreak Havoc on Europe’s Wineries and Vineyards

Jul 26 2022 // In Portugal’s Douro Valley on July 7, a wildfire burned close to Oscar Quevedo’s Quinta da Alegria vineyard. By the middle of the night, flames surrounded it. The vines around the edges, amounting to about a...

Crews Protect Homes as California Wildfire Burns Near Yosemite

Jul 25 2022 // A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park burned out of control through tinder-dry forest on Sunday and had grown into one of California’s biggest blazes of the year, forcing thousands of residents to flee...

Four Years After Hurricane Michael, Florida City Rebuilding, Recovering

Jul 25 2022 // MEXICO BEACH, Fla. — Standing on the deck of the new Driftwood Inn, 31/2 years after Hurricane Michael obliterated the old one, Tom Wood spoke of the months after the storm.One of his daughters had urged him and his...

Illinois Tornado Snaps Trees, Damages Roofs

Jul 25 2022 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that a small tornado touched down in suburban Chicago Saturday.Snapped trees and minor damage to roofs in Naperville were reported Saturday, meteorologist Todd Kluber said. The...

Europe Wildfire Damage Jumps 75%; Models Need More Development: Chaucer

Jul 22 2022 // Damage from large wildfires in Europe has jumped dramatically, with a 75% increase in the amount of land burned in the latest year, according to analysis by Chaucer, the specialty re/insurer, which warns that modeling for...

Wildfire Burning in Southwest South Dakota 40% Contained

Jul 22 2022 // A wildfire that started earlier this week west of Oglala, South Dakota has burned about 11 square miles and is 40% contained, according to officials.The fire began near Prairie Wind Casino on Tuesday evening and moved...

Evacuation Order for Alaska Wildfire Lifted Near Anderson

Jul 22 2022 // An evacuation order for about 65 residents of a subdivision near the community of Anderson has been lifted, Denali Borough Mayor Clay Walker said.The evacuation order went into place June 28 because of the Clear wildfire...