Natural disasters and extreme weather
The latest news and comment on natural disasters and extreme weather
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Typhoon Hagupit: More than half a million Philippines residents flee storm surgeMore than 616,000 evacuated in country’s largest peacetime evacuation as storm approaches a year after thousands were killed by typhoon Haiyan
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Adapting to a warmer climate could cost almost three times as much as thought, says UN reportRich countries need to give more to plug huge funding gap and help developing nations adapt to drought, flooding and heatwaves caused by climate change, says UN report
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Philippines braces for typoon Hagupit as evacuations begin - video
Thousands of Filipinos flee their homes as the country prepares to be hit by typhoon Hagupit on Saturday
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Thailand school emerges from shadow of Boxing Day tsunami – in picturesYaowawit school in Thailand, a positive legacy that remains 10 years on from the devastating Boxing Day tsunami
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Huge dust storm engulfs Queensland town of Bedourie – in picturesEnormous dark clouds of sand and dirt turn day into night in the small outback town on the edge of the Simpson Desert
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Philippines starts evacuations as typhoon Hagupit heads for Haiyan-hit areasArmy and coastguard braced for possible landslides and flash floods in central Philippines as storm builds strength over Pacific
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Philippe Lopez’s best photograph: a procession after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines
My best shot Philippe Lopez’s best photograph: a procession after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines
‘I didn’t want to interrupt. They were thanking God no one in their village had died’
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Cyclone Tracy: hundreds commemorate 40th anniversary of Darwin disasterIndigenous elder warns memorial gathering that disrespect for Mother Earth could rouse ancient spirit who may bring another storm soon
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Ahead of natural disasters, this foundation spends millions to spark better ideas for the government's billions
Stormproofing the city Ahead of natural disasters, this foundation spends millions to spark better ideas for the government's billions
As part of our Stormproofing the City series, Rockefeller Foundation’s Nancy Kete explains how their ability to move money fast can leverage better federal spending
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Somerset flood defences: ‘It all seems to take such a long time’Residents forced out of their homes after the River Parrett burst its banks almost a year ago express hope and despair over government help, reports Steven Morris
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Clear-up goes on 10 months after flooding on Somerset LevelsResidents are starting to move back into homes, but many are frustrated at slow progress of flood defences
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Drought-stricken California expects welcome rain but fears mudslidesPacific Coast highway near Malibu already blocked by downpour-induced mudflows from hillsides denuded of vegetation by earlier wildfires
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Damian Carrington: Ministers can at last rightly claim they are spending more than before – but only because they cut the previous budgetThe £2.3bn for flood defences in England is good news but still not enough
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Hawaii's Kilauea volcano continues to spew lava towards village – video
The lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano heads steadily toward a community of residents on Big Island
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Five dead and thousands evacuated in severe southern France floodsAmong the dead is a 73-year-old who died of heart failure while driving in the Pyrénées-Orientales region
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Children rescued from snow pile in New York stateTwo boys were found conscious and suffering from exposure after being trapped in a snow pile for several hours
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Brisbane stunned by severe storm: 'no time to evacuate, no warning'Residents are still counting the cost of Thursday’s storm, which left many without power overnight, and others without a roof
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Brisbane's massive storm damage from the air – video
Remarkable aerial footage captured by Queensland police shows the extent of the storm which lashed Brisbane on Thursday
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Brisbane storm: why was it so bad?The ‘Supercell” storm and its 140km winds was caused by a perfect confluence of meteorological events.
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Brisbane storm damage – in picturesA ‘supercell’ storm hits Brisbane during afternoon peak hour, flooding roads, smashing windows and flipping planes
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Brisbane cleans up after hailstones and high winds smash city in huge stormArmy called in to help after roofs are ripped off buildings and planes flipped over in severe thunderstorm
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Mumbai will likely flood again – and nobody's doing much about itThe 2005 flood that devastated Mumbai could just be the beginning - as more rain, more construction and more rubbish make the city even more vulnerable. So why won’t anyone act?
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Ageing population will compound deadly effects of heatwaves caused by climate changeA combination of global warming and population growth means more people will be exposed to extreme weather systems, with an ageing population particularly at risk from heatwaves, says Royal Society
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This man is ensuring future storms like Sandy won't paralyze North America's largest transit system
Stormproofing the city This man is ensuring future storms like Sandy won't paralyze North America's largest transit system
A behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to stormproof New York City Transit, the subway that never sleeps -
Reflecting sunlight into space has terrifying consequences, say scientistsBut ‘geoengineers’ say urgent nature of climate change means research must continue into controversial technology to combat rising temperatures
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Morocco hit by floods killing 32 people and leaving hundreds strandedDozens of homes swept away as heavy rain turns normally-dry riverbed into free-flowing watercourse
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Buffalo residents prepare for evacuations caused by floodingTemperatures expected to hit nearly 60F on Monday, causing likely runoff from melting snow and overflowing creeks
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Buffalo, New York recovering from four-day snowstorm – video report
Life is returning to normal in Buffalo City, New York, after its worst snowstorm in 37 years
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Flooding threatens Buffalo as area digs out from under snowy delugeRoughly six inches of rain tied up in snowpack from lake-effect storm and temperatures expected to rise to near 50F Sunday and near 60F Monday
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Four dead in China earthquakeQuake strikes western China, killing at least four people and injuring 54, including schoolchildren hurt in a stampede
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Buffalo digs out after wild week: 'We pull together when the snow flies'Buffalo solidifies reputation as the ‘city of good neighbors’ after snowstorm that was like nothing residents of snow-worn city had seen before
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Western New York braced for flooding as warmer weather follows record snowfallSnow expected to melt over the weekend after wintry blast brought 3ft extra snow and freezing temperatures
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2014 poised to be warmest year on recordMeteorologists at the NOAA say October was the hottest on record with an average temperature of 58.43F worldwide
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New York state snowstorm aftermath as seen from a drone – video
Film-maker James Grimaldi captures the aftermath of a ferocious snow storm that left hundreds of houses under a thick blanket of snow in New York State
Climate change’s first victims are always those least to blame