Natural Disasters

High, rocky peaks are no longer an insurmountable hurdle for ever fiercer flames fueled by heat and drought

Proposed legislation includes funding to redo badly out-of-date flood risk maps

Extremely dry conditions could help the blaze overtake last year’s August Complex fire as the record holder

Like Katrina before it, the storm may make living conditions untenable in hard-hit areas

Caused by wildfires, they can trigger lightning, create fire tornadoes and turbocharge winds that accelerate the spread of a conflagration

An eddy in the Gulf of Mexico and some heavy vapor played key roles

Rising temperatures are increasing the hurricane risks to New Orleans and other coastal area

A volunteer network helps to monitor aftershocks and illuminate the country’s earthquake hazards

Tropical cyclones are wandering farther north and maintaining high intensity

The moon, wind direction, atmospheric pressure and seafloor shape all help determine how high a surge will be

A tool built by the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that the number of fatalities may range from 10,000 to 100,000 or more

California firefighters are updating evacuation maps and keeping routes free