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CNN - The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season isn’t here yet, but is already shaping up to be one for the books, with more hurricanes and named storms predicted in a pre-season forecast from Colorado State University than ever before. This June through November could see 23 named storms in all, including 11 hurricanes and five Category 3 or higher “major” hurricanes, according to the university’s Atlantic hurricane season forecast, released Thursday. “This is the most active April forecast that we have ever issued,” lead forecaster Phil Klotzbach told CNN. “Our prior highest hurricane forecast in April was 9 hurricanes, which...

The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers battered California on Sunday, prompting the first-ever warning for hurricane-force winds in the state's history. California is bracing for what could be days of heavy rains, flooding on roads and knocking out power to nearly 800,000 people, with 97 percent of the state's population under flood warning. The current 'bomb cyclone' - a term denoting a storm that rapidly intensifies over 24 hours - could dump more than 8 trillion gallons of precipitation on the state. The storm inundated streets and brought down trees and electrical lines across the San Francisco Bay Area, where...

A tropical depression to the west of Central America could be the next storm to strengthen quickly in the eastern Pacific before threatening land later this week. AccuWeather meteorologists are keeping their eyes on what was a tropical depression that developed in the western Caribbean and crossed over Central America earlier this week. The moisture associated with that system has now emerged in the eastern Pacific and may not only become the next named tropical storm of the 2023 season, but conditions could allow it to intensify rapidly, similar to Otis and Norma earlier this month. On Saturday afternoon, Tropical...

NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL EP182023 1000 PM CDT Tue Oct 24 2023 A nightmare scenario is unfolding for southern Mexico this evening with rapidly intensifying Otis approaching the coastline. Satellite images show that Otis has continued to intensify, with Dvorak Data-T estimates between 130-145 kt during the past few hours. The initial wind speed is set to 140 kt as a blend of these values, making Otis a Category 5 hurricane. Otis has explosively intensified 95 kt during the past 24 hours, a mark only exceeded in modern times by Patricia in 2015. Otis should maintain category 5...

Hurricane Lee was barreling towards New England and eastern Canada as a powerful Category 1 storm early Saturday, forcing fishermen to flee from its path and retreat back to their harbors. Lee was packing 80 mph winds and creating 20-feet ocean swells in the northern Atlantic as it churned up the coast, where it’s supposed to weaken slightly to a tropical storm before smashing into Nova Scotia sometime Saturday afternoon.

Maine does have a history of landfalling hurricanes, but they don't happen often. Hurricane Lee could become the newest addition to that history as it eyes the state's coastline later this week. Gerda was the last hurricane to make landfall in Maine. The storm was a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 80 mph when it hit near the town of Eastport in far southeastern Maine on Sept. 10, 1969. "In Maine, hurricanes don't happen often, but they can be devastating when they do," the Maine Emergency Management Agency said on its website. As a tropical depression, Gerda first made...

Hurricane Lee is moving toward New England. Currently Category 2, Hurricane Lee is a large storm. Mash the graphics below to enlarge. All links and images are self-updating. Mash image to enlarge Public Advisories NHC Discussion NHC Local Advisories Buoy Data Tropical Tidbits

Shaped like a sailboat and stretching 23 feet long, the unmanned research vehicle, dubbed a saildrone, was a long way from its home in St. Petersburg. Roughly 200 nautical miles from Idalia’s eye on Aug. 29, as an angry sea tossed and toiled, the vehicle began recording video. ...What happens at the surface, where the wind meets water? Saildrone is now working directly with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to answer that question.

One legitimate measurement of the readiness and capability of a candidate to be president is how he or she responds to a crisis. In a moment of crisis, the core of human beings is on display. Some people wither; others shine. Either way, it is always a peek into the foundation of the person — his or her value system. We had two examples of this recently, as both President Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had the opportunity to respond to crises, in the wake of the devastating fire on Maui and Hurricane Idalia, respectively. How did they do?...

Models show Hurricane Lee could slam into the East Coast next week, bringing deadly storm surge and heavy rains to Boston and New York City, as it conjures memories of Superstorm Sandy's catastrophic impact on the region. On Thursday, Hurricane Lee was churning in the open waters to the northeast of the Caribbean as a Category 4 storm and heading toward the Leeward Islands. The storm has picked up steam in the last day and now has winds in excess of 130mph. 'Lee continues to strengthen at an exceptional rate,' the National Hurricane Center stated. The European model of the...

Two people were charged with looting a home damaged by Hurricane Idalia in Florida’s Big Bend region, as residents’ concerns grew that burglars could be tempted to hit other hurricane-ravaged homes since law enforcement is stretched thin in the remote, wooded area along the Gulf Coast. Some residents of Horseshoe Beach, Florida, one of the communities hardest hit after Idalia made landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane, urged law enforcement to set up checkpoints where people would have to show identification in order to get into the town. Marina worker Kerry Ford had high praise for local law enforcement’s...

Screen shot: Townhall Media It is hard to criticize Governor Ron DeSantis when the world is watching such a stellar response to Hurricane Idalia. He left the campaign trail to head back to Florida to lead the state through a mass shooting and a hurricane. DeSantis shines in a crisis. He’s a take charge kind of guy and he goes into Energizer Bunny mode. He went into a predominantly black community, likely hostile political territory, and comforted them when a mass shooting occurred in a Jacksonville Dollar General store. He prepared the state for the hurricane coming its way. Hurricane...

White House officials said Saturday they were caught flat-footed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' decision not to meet with President Biden when Biden visits the state later today. Biden had said earlier he would meet with the governor as he tours areas of Florida damaged by Hurricane Idalia, but the DeSantis team contradicted the president. "In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts," said DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern. ... "The president spoke with the governor. It was an understanding that...

In the wake of Hurricane Idalia’s landfall in Florida’s Big Bend near Keaton Beach on Wednesday, a local fire and rescue department has warned owners of electric-powered vehicles — including golf carts and scooters — that exposure to salt water can cause the vehicles’ batteries to catch fire. Palm Harbor Fire Rescue on Florida’s Gulf Coast issued the warning on Facebook Wednesday afternoon, telling owners to move their battery-powered vehicles out of their garages if they had come in contact with salt water, to prevent the fire spreading to the structure. The warning was apparently triggered by a fire in...

President Biden called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday about the major disaster declaration he signed for the state in response to Hurricane Idalia. On the call, Biden also conveyed that he “ordered all available federal resources to help with the continued response to Tropical Storm Idalia,” according to the White House. And, it added, “the president reiterated that the people of Florida have his full support as they recover from the storm.” The major disaster declaration allows for federal funding to be available to affected individuals in the counties of Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee and Taylor...

President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned that Hurricane Idalia was continuing to wreak havoc on the southeast United States but lauded the work of emergency responders and state officials, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Democratic president said he and the Republican governor — himself a 2024 presidential candidate — have put aside politics to focus on protecting Florida’s residents, just as he says they did during recovery efforts last year after Hurricane Ian. “I think he trusts my judgment and my desire to help, and I trust him to be able to suggest this is not about politics, this...

(WHTM) — It was the most costly natural disaster in American history, and it hit Pennsylvania the hardest. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Agnes. The story of Agnes begins on June 11, 1972, when ripples in the atmosphere appear in the western Caribbean sea. It ends on July 6, when the last vestiges of the storm are absorbed by another weather system out in the Atlantic, south of Iceland. When Agnes eventually sputtered out, it left behind an estimated death toll of 128, of whom 50 were from Pennsylvania. The storm also caused around 3.1 billion dollars...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the wake of Hurricane Idalia making landfall in Florida, President Joe Biden offered suffering victims in the Sunshine State comfort by telling them about the time he was in the bathroom and the urinal splashed back on him a little bit. "I've been in the same situation, folks," Biden said as he made remarks to the media regarding ongoing disaster relief efforts in Hawaii and Florida. "These hurricanes and storms flooding everything remind me of my own challenges. There was this one time, at a state dinner with the Pope, and I had to go see...

On Wednesday, leading Republican presidential candidate and 45th President Donald Trump issued a statement as Hurrican Idalia made landfall as a Category One storm in northwestern Florida. "Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by Hurricane Idalia," Trump began. "I urge everyone to listen to your local officials, heed all warnings, and prioritize the safety of yourself and your loved ones." "I’ve witnessed the courage, strength, and spirit of the great people of Florida many times over the years!" Trump remarked. "Together, they will recover and rebuild, but in the meantime, be safe. Love and respect to everyone. God bless...

Florida's first lady, Casey DeSantis, posted an image online of a fallen tree at the governor's mansion in Tallahassee after Hurricane Idalia blew through the area. DeSantis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she and her three children were at home when the tree fell, but weren't injured.