In 2024, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters. These events caused 16,753 fatalities and affected 167.2 million people. Economic losses totaled US$241.95 billion. The year 2024 was marked by extreme temperature events in Asia that caused thousands of deaths, severe droughts in Africa affecting over 25 …
Several tornadoes lashed southern Louisiana and Mississippi on Tuesday, killing at least three people and injuring more than 30 as the storms destroyed dozens of homes and businesses and toppled a water tower, weather and emergency officials said. Hardest hit in Louisiana was the Mississippi River hamlet of Convent, where …
The number of people killed in the cyclone that hit Fiji at the weekend has risen to 29, with officials warning the clear-up could take months. About 8,500 people are still sheltering in evacuation centres. Cyclone Winston has flattened many buildings in parts of the main Viti Levu island and …
A deadly storm has killed five people and injured 39 others in Boane district, about 30 kilometres south-west of the Mozambican capital Maputo, an official said Sunday.Boane district administrator Teresa Mahuai told APA that the catastrophic incident occurred after a prolonged severe drought devastating Maputo province and many parts of …
Scientists are coming to grips with how weather in Antarctica is influencing climate as far away as the tropics. For example, researchers at Ohio State's Byrd Polar Research Center have discovered an influence of atmospheric circulation in the Wilkes Land and Ross Sea regions of Antarctica on precipitation from the …
Fiji has become the first country in the world to formally approve the UN climate deal agreed by 195 nations in Paris in December. The island nation’s parliament unanimously agreed to ratify the Paris agreement on Friday, according to local news reports. The motion was proposed by the country’s attorney …
A winter storm that struck the eastern seaboard of the United States in January caused around $2 billion in economic losses, and hundreds of millions of dollars in insured losses, reinsurance broker Aon Benfield said on Tuesday. The storm brought "prodigious snowfall, high winds, coastal flooding, freezing rain, ice, sleet …
45 people have died in the storms and floods which have hit parts of northern Mozambique since the start of the current rainy season in October. Speaking at a Maputo press conference on 5 February, the director of the National Operational Emergency Centre (CENOE), Mauricio Xerinda, said that the deaths …
A handful of tornadoes were spotted in the U.S. Southeast on Wednesday as a storm system brought high winds, rain and threats of flooding to the East Coast, according to the National Weather Service. Tornadoes were suspected or confirmed in Georgia and South Carolina about 5:30 p.m. ET, according to …
The January 2014 flooding in the south-west and north-east of England was due to man-made climate change, say scientists from Oxford University. They say the stormiest period of weather the UK has experienced over the past 20 years occurred as greenhouse gases increased the risk of adverse weather. The study, …
A succession of storms reaching southern England in the winter of 2013/2014 caused severe floods and £451 million insured losses. In a large ensemble of climate model simulations, we find that, as well as increasing the amount of moisture the atmosphere can hold, anthropogenic warming caused a small but significant …
A tropical cyclone that crossed Australia's northwest coast early on Sunday weakened, although several small inland communities were on red alert and the risk of heavy swells, flooding and storm surges remained. Category 2 cyclone Stan made landfall some 120 km (75 miles) north east of the world’s largest iron …
This study unravels the physical link between the weakening of the monsoon circulation and the decreasing trend in the frequency of monsoon depressions over the Bay of Bengal. Based on the analysis of the terms of Genesis Potential Index, an empirical index to quantify the relative contribution of large scale …
Washington, D.C and another five U.S. states along the U.S. East Coast on Thursday declared state of emergency as the region was bracing itself for a historic snowstorm over the weekend that was expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow. As authorities in Washington, D.C., and the states …
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Hurricanes in the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans will grow more than twice as powerful and damaging as ocean temperatures rise from global warming, a new study says. Warming seas could produce more rainfall and far more destructive storm surges of water along the ocean …
Icy roads and freezing temperatures prompted school closings and emergency preparations in several states in the U.S. South on Wednesday, as snow began to fall on some areas ahead of a major storm expected to blast snow across the Northeast later this week. Winter weather advisories and watches were in …
The first hurricane to form in the Atlantic in January since 1938 has added to the list of recent extreme weather events including the hottest global average temperatures by far for December. Hurricane Alex on Friday was heading for the Azores islands after forming over sea-surface temperatures much cooler than …
Residents of Vanuatu are taking shelter as a category four cyclone brings heavy rain and strong winds to the same area devastated by the largest cyclone in the South Pacific island nation’s history last year, aid workers said on Sunday. Disaster management authorities have issued a red alert for islands …
Insurance claims for damage caused by floods so far this winter will reach £1.3bn, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said. The figure is the value of claims for those affected by storms Desmond, Eva and Frank for damage to homes, businesses and vehicles. The ABI said that around …
Coastal cities are vulnerable to increasing flood risks caused by the combination of sea-level rise (SLR) and storm tides (STs), due to their low-lying topography and densely distributed assets. Faced with this challenge, comprehensive and integrated flood risk information is vital and fundamental for the planning, implementation and optimization of …
About 16,000 houses in England were flooded during the wettest December in a century, Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss has told MPs. Defending the government's response to the crisis, she said flood defences had protected more than 20,000 homes. Financial aid was provided in "record time", and there are plans to …
