Suggested Searches

A Long View of Mount Etna
Dangerous Hurricane Iota Sets Late-Season Records
Earth Observatory Banner

Natural Events

Natural Event Sub-topics

Date Range

Powerful Storms Continue to Prowl the Pacific
4 min read

Hurricanes Polo and Nolo sent destructive effects ashore amid an active season in the northeastern and central Pacific.

Sep 30, 2026
Fire Cloud With a Pileus on Top
4 min read

Scientists captured rare observations of an ephemeral pileus cloud hovering over a smoke-infused cloud that rose above a wildfire in…

Sep 29, 2026
Explosive Intensification for Hurricane Polo
5 min read

Several ingredients came together off the Pacific coast of Mexico to generate one of the strongest storms the eastern Pacific…

Sep 25, 2026
Lake Powell Drops to Record-Low Levels
4 min read

Snow drought and unusually warm temperatures in the Colorado Basin in 2026 helped drive down reservoir water storage in the…

Sep 18, 2026
Summer Goes Out With a Heat Dome
3 min read

Temperature records toppled across the central and southern U.S. as the autumnal equinox approached.

Sep 17, 2026
Dust Storm Sweeps Over Mali
2 min read

At a time of year when dust storm activity winds down, a plume of dust blanketed parts of the West…

Sep 10, 2026
Anak Krakatau Rumbles Again
3 min read

A powerful eruption from the Indonesian volcano lofted ash into the atmosphere, disrupting thousands of flights and degrading air quality.

Sep 9, 2026
A Bright Spot at Mount Michael
3 min read

With austral winter nearing its end, clouds cleared for a satellite view of volcanic activity in the remote South Atlantic.

Sep 7, 2026
A Trio of Tropical Cyclones in the Pacific
4 min read

The Pacific was buzzing with storms while the Atlantic was notably quiet.

Sep 4, 2026
Peatland Fires Darken Skies in Indonesia
6 min read

With Indonesia gripped by drought, fires are smoldering on the surface and underground.

Sep 3, 2026
Drought Intensifies Across Puerto Rico
4 min read

Rainfall deficits and high temperatures have created unusually dry conditions and have spurred water shortages on much of the tropical…

Sep 2, 2026
Rare, Widespread Snow in the Atacama Desert
4 min read

Back-to-back winter storms in August 2026 brought snowfall to northern Chile, from the Andes to near the Pacific coast.

Aug 27, 2026
Europe’s Scorching Summer
6 min read

A series of heat waves in 2026 is breaking records and taking a toll in Europe.

Aug 21, 2026
Elephant Butte Reservoir Runs Low
3 min read

Drought in the Rio Grande basin contributed to New Mexico’s largest reservoir dwindling to its lowest level in decades.

Aug 19, 2026
Lala Batters Hawaii
3 min read

The powerful storm delivered extreme rainfall and damaging winds to the state, passing the Island of Hawaiʻi as a category…

Aug 18, 2026
Chasing Fire Clouds in Utah
6 min read

NASA aircraft are sampling smoke lofted high into the atmosphere by one of the most formidable cloud types in the…

Aug 17, 2026
Cascade Volcanoes Shrouded in Smoke
3 min read

From the International Space Station, astronauts photographed Mount Hood and Mount Rainier as wildfire smoke spread across the Pacific Northwest…

Aug 13, 2026
Smoke Streams Across Eastern Washington
3 min read

Wildland fires in early August 2026 pushed air quality to unhealthy levels, destroyed hundreds of structures, and triggered mandatory evacuations…

Aug 4, 2026