Tag Archives: Disasters
Supertyphoons to Strike Japan Due to Global Warming
Increasingly powerful “supertyphoons” will strike Japan if global warming continues to affect weather patterns in the western Pacific Ocean, scientists say.
Supercomputer simulations show there will be more typhoons with winds of...
Lahar
A lahar is a type of mudflow or landslide composed of pyroclastic material and water that flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term “lahar” originated in the Javanese language of Indonesia. In Hindi “lahar”...
Tsunamis
The most infamous tsunami of modern times hit Indian Ocean shorelines on the day after Christmas 2004. That tsunami is believed to have packed the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. Some 150,000 people were killed in a single day.
A...
Lightning
Contrary to the common expression, lightning can and often does strike the same place twice, especially tall buildings or exposed mountaintops. Cloud-to-ground lightning bolts are a common phenomenon—about 100 strike Earth’s surface every...
Earthquakes
Some 80 percent of all the planet’s earthquakes occur along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, called the “Ring of Fire” because of the preponderance of volcanic activity there as well. Most earthquakes occur at fault zones, where...
Tornadoes
Tornadoes are vertical funnels of rapidly spinning air. Their winds may top 250 miles (400 kilometers) an hour and can clear-cut a pathway a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide and 50 miles (80 kilometers) long.
Twisters are born in thunderstorms and...
Tornado Safety Tips
Tornadoes are one of nature’s most powerful and destructive forces. Here’s some advice on how to prepare for a tornado and what to do if you’re caught in a twister’s path.
Safety Tips
Prepare for tornadoes by gathering...
Hurricane Warning: In Hot Water
Last year was no fluke. The mighty Atlantic conveyor belt is in high gear, and sea-surface temperatures are up. That means we could be in for decades of coast-crushing hurricanes.
At midday the barrier island in Vero Beach has the weird feel...
Hurricanes
Hurricanes are giant, spiraling tropical storms that can pack wind speeds of over 160 miles (257 kilometers) an hour and unleash more than 2.4 trillion gallons (9 trillion liters) of rain a day. These same tropical storms are known as cyclones...
Avalanches Facts, Avalanches Information, Avalanches Photos, Avalanches Video
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, from either natural triggers or human activity. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the descending snow. Powerful avalanches have the capability...