Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Atlantic Hurricane Season Could Intensify in Coming Weeks, Meteorologists Say

Aug 28 2024 // AccuWeather meteorologists are warning that the Atlantic hurricane season could intensify in the coming weeks as less wind shear and less dry air create conducive conditions for storm development.AccuWeather is forecasting...

Insured Losses From Canada’s Jasper Wildfire Surpass C$880 Million

Aug 28 2024 // This summer’s devastating wildfire in Jasper, Canada resulted in more than C$880 million (US$653.4 million) in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), quoting data provided by Catastrophe...

Update: Japan Issues Emergency Warning as Powerful Typhoon Shanshan Approaches

Aug 28 2024 // Southwestern Japan braced on Wednesday for what officials say could be one of the strongest storms to ever hit the region, as some residents in the path of Typhoon Shanshan were ordered to evacuate and major firms like...

Tropical Storm Hone Sweeps Past Hawaii; Rain Amounts Ease Wildfire Fears

Aug 27 2024 // Hone passed south of Hawaii and weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Sunday, dumping so much rain that the National Weather Service called off its red flag warnings that strong winds could lead to wildfires on...

Wildfire Risk Harms California Home Values, San Francisco Fed Study Finds

Aug 27 2024 // California’s wildfires are weighing on home prices more than in the past, and insurance availability does little to help in areas considered to be at higher risk, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco...

Louisiana Insurers Required to Submit Hurricane Season Data by Aug. 30 Deadline

Aug 26 2024 // Insurers in Louisiana have until Friday, Aug. 30 to compete a data call relating to property and casualty homeowners’ insurance policies and commercial lines property policies during the 2024 hurricane...

Hawaiian Electric Raises Going Concern Doubts on Uncertainties Over Wildfire Settlement Financing

Aug 26 2024 // Utility firm Hawaiian Electric raised going concern doubts on Friday after disclosing that it did not have a financing plan in place for the $1.99 billion Maui wildfire settlement it reached earlier this month.The company...

Typhoon Shanshan Headed for Japan Threatens Transport Links

Aug 26 2024 // Typhoon Shanshan is expected to approach Japan’s southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday or Wednesday, with railway operators warning of service disruptions and an airline canceling flights.The storm is packing maximum...

FBI: From Cybercrime to Terrorism, America Faces Many Elevated Threats ‘All at Once’

Aug 23 2024 // The country is facing heightened threats from many corners at a time when law enforcement agencies are struggling, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an exclusive interview, adding that he is “hard pressed to...

Tornado-Like Waterspouts Are ‘More Likely’ as the Mediterranean Warms

Aug 23 2024 // The type of weather phenomenon that may have led billionaire Mike Lynch’s yacht to sink in the Mediterranean this week is now more likely to happen as global warming has raised sea temperatures, according to climate...

Update: Greece Battles Wildfires While Storm Lilian Crosses UK

Aug 23 2024 // Greek wildfire risks increased as temperatures climb and near gale force winds blow across the Aegean Sea, while Storm Lilian is battering parts of the UK.Firefighters, supported by helicopters, are trying to control an...

Frequency of Deadly Hurricanes Has Jumped 300%

Aug 23 2024 // New research indicates that what used to be the 100-year hurricane will now happen every 25 years, according to Deep Sky Research, a Montreal-based carbon removal project developer.The new report analyzes data within the...

Remnants of Hurricane Ernesto Trigger Wind and Rain Warnings in Scotland

Aug 22 2024 // Yellow weather warnings are in place for Scotland on Thursday, as the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto bring strong winds and heavy rain.There’s an alert for rain across western Scotland, with more than 100 millimeters...

Unseasonal Winter Heat Across Australia Raises Wildfire Risks

Aug 22 2024 // Australia is facing elevated wildfire risks months ahead of the summer fire season, as an unusually warm winter scorches parts of the continent and threatens to set temperature records.Heat is forecast to bake vast areas...

Swiss Re First-Half Profit Beats Estimates on Lower Catastrophe Claims

Aug 22 2024 // Swiss Re AG’s first-half net income beat estimates, as the re-insurer avoided higher claims from natural catastrophes that have impacted the broader insurance industry.Profit for the second quarter was $996 million,...

Compounding Disasters in Lake Charles Highlight Need for Disaster Preparedness

Aug 21 2024 // Most Americans will remember 2020 as the year when the pandemic changed everything. But for Lake Charles, Louisiana, and its neighbors along the Gulf Coast, it was also the year of record-setting disasters, when...

Puerto Rico Insurers to Absorb Hurricane Ernesto Losses: AM Best

Aug 21 2024 // Losses in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Ernesto are expected to be absorbed by the island’s domiciled insurers, according to industry rating AM Best.Initial feedback from AM Best-rated insurers—though it is early in...

Beryl-Battered Grenada Becomes 1st Country to Use Government Bond Hurricane Clause

Aug 20 2024 // Grenada has become the first country in the world to use a so-called hurricane clause in a government bond – a special feature that allows authorities to postpone debt payments in the wake of a major natural...

California Pot Farmers Feel the Heat from Low Pricing, Wildfires

Aug 20 2024 // Small-scale cannabis farmers in California are calling it quits, crushed by crop damage from devastating wildfires and sliding prices, and industry experts expect the exodus to continue near-term in the largest pot market...

California Commissioner Invites Input on Final Phase of Wildfire Modeling Regulation

Aug 19 2024 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has invited public input as he begins the final phase of approving a “first of its kind” catastrophe modeling and ratemaking regulation that “will help...