Winter storms are major public safety hazards that kill hundreds of Americans each year and cause billions of dollars in property damage. From blizzards that bury communities in several feet of snow, to ice storms that coat power lines and roads in inches of ice, to...

Wildfires have emerged as one of the most devastating and rapidly growing hazards in the United States. Driven by drought, warming temperatures, decades of fire suppression, and expanding urban development into fire-prone wildland areas, wildfires now burn millions of...

The United States is home to more active volcanoes than most people realize. The U.S. Geological Survey monitors more than 160 potentially active volcanoes in the United States and its territories, including in Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California....

Tsunamis are series of ocean waves generated by large, sudden disturbances that displace massive amounts of seawater — typically undersea earthquakes, but also submarine landslides, volcanic eruptions, and even large meteorite impacts. In the deep ocean, tsunami waves...

Tornadoes are among the most violent and terrifying atmospheric phenomena on Earth. These rapidly rotating columns of air connect thunderstorm clouds to the ground and can carry winds exceeding 300 mph at their most intense. The United States experiences more...

Hail is one of the most damaging and costly weather hazards in the United States, causing more than $15 billion in property damage in peak years. Unlike many weather hazards that are confined to specific regions, hail can occur anywhere that thunderstorms form —...

Thunderstorms are among the most common severe weather events in the United States, occurring in every state and causing billions of dollars in damage each year. The National Severe Storms Laboratory estimates there are about 100,000 thunderstorms annually in the...

Power outages are one of the most common disruptions Americans face. From brief weather-related outages to extended blackouts caused by major storms, infrastructure failures, or cyberattacks on the electrical grid, losing power can quickly become a serious safety...

The COVID-19 pandemic was a stark reminder that biological threats can disrupt society as profoundly as any natural disaster. But pandemics are not unprecedented — throughout history, novel pathogens have emerged and spread globally, killing millions and disrupting...