Natural Disasters

Find out everything there is to know about natural disasters and stay updated on the latest weather news with the comprehensive articles, interactive features and natural disaster pictures at LiveScience. Learn more about devastation caused by weather as scientists continue to make amazing discoveries about natural disasters.

Latest about natural disasters

Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, can cause widespread destruction.

13 of the biggest natural disasters in history

By Stephanie Pappas, Scott Dutfield last updated

Reference Earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanoes have taken countless lives and caused immeasurable damage throughout history.

Reference
Meteor crater in Arizona is one of the most well-preserved impact craters on Earth, with an estimated age of about 50,000 years. A new study of larger, less pristine craters raises new questions about how many large impacts Earth experiences in a given timeframe.

Extinction-level asteroid impacts could be far more common than we thought, controversial study suggests

By Stephanie Pappas published

New research claims that giant space rocks hit Earth far more often than has been estimated. But some scientists are skeptical.

Asteroids
The Great East Japan Earthquake in Iwate. Here we see the remains of a house amongst a lot of rubble after an earthquake.

The 20 largest recorded earthquakes in history

By Tia Ghose published

A handful of regions around the world regularly unleash terrifyingly large earthquakes. Here are the 20 largest earthquakes on record.

Earthquakes
Still from the movie Deep Impact, showing a huge wave crashing into a city with tall buildings

Best disaster movies: volcanoes, asteroids, and human-made calamities

By Fran Ruiz published

Earth can still be saved, but we've seen plenty of cautionary tales and worst-case scenarios on the big screen. Here are our picks for the best disaster movies.

Tech
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Forget the Mayan Apocalypse: 6 Real Threats Facing the US

By Megan Gannon last updated

Here are six real and sometimes unpredictable threats that Americans should be prepared for.

Human Behavior
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Frequent Fires? New Tool Reveals Climate Impact by ZIP Code (Op-Ed)

By Frances Beinecke last updated

From fires to floods, tool reveals climate hazards by ZIP Code.

Climate Change
Astronaut Bob Hines captured this image of Hurricane Ian's massive eye on Sept. 28 while aboard the International Space Station.

Peer into Hurricane Ian’s 'eye' in this photo that an astronaut snapped from space

By Elizabeth Howell published

An International Space Station astronaut photographed Hurricane Ian as the powerful storm battered Florida. NASA, SpaceX and others have postponed launches from the Space Coast.

Hurricanes
satellite photo shows hurricane ian as it moves towards cuba in the Caribbean Sea east of Belize

Hurricane Ian stayed strong after smashing into Cuba. Why?

By Nicoletta Lanese published

How did Hurricane Ian remain so monstrous even after hitting Cuba?

Hurricanes
A home destroyed by Hurricane Katrina seen on Jan. 7, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Which hurricane caused the most damage?

By Michael Dhar published

Hurricane Katrina was the most expensive hurricane in history, while a 1780 storm killed the most people of any hurricane.

Hurricanes
Nanmadol, seen here on Sept. 18, is one of the strongest typhoons to ever make landfall in Japan.

9 million told to evacuate after super typhoon Nanmadol slams southern Japan, heads toward Tokyo

By Mindy Weisberger published

Tens of thousands of people in Japan have already sought shelter from powerful storm Nanmadol, which could be the most destructive in decades.

Wildfires
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