Weather

The New York Times reports: With Tropical Storm Ophelia’s transition to Hurricane Ophelia on Thursday, 2017 became the first year in more than a century — and only the fourth on record — in which 10 Atlantic storms in a row reached hurricane strength. Franklin. Gert. Harvey. Irma. Jose. Katia. Lee. Maria. Nate. Ophelia. Ophelia, far out in the Atlantic, …

USA Today reports: A swiftly moving Hurricane Nate strengthened in its race toward the U.S. mainland Saturday and is expected to be a Category 2 hurricane when it strikes the U.S. Gulf Coast between southeast Louisiana and Florida around midnight. States of emergency were declared in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as Nate — which has already killed at least 21 …

CNN reports: New Orleans, and states from Louisiana to Florida, braced Friday as forecasters predicted Tropical Storm Nate would pound the Gulf Coast this weekend as a hurricane. The center of the storm was expected to pass late Saturday or early Sunday about 50 miles east of New Orleans, which was devastated 12 years ago by Hurricane Katrina, according to …

NPR reports: A tropical cyclone in the northwestern Caribbean Sea has been upgraded to a named storm, Tropical Storm Nate. The system is likely to become a hurricane in the next three days and could hit the northern Gulf Coast on Sunday morning, forecasters say. “Residents along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana through the Florida Panhandle should monitor the progress …

USA Today reports: Two weeks after Hurricane Irma devastated the Florida Keys, the first cruise ship docked Sunday in this southernmost city, providing the first boost of tourist dollars to the storm-ravaged area. Key West Mayor Craig Cates said he agonized over the appropriate time to welcome tourists against to his city, which was spared from the worst of Irma’s …

The Associated Press reports: One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit Puerto Rico pummeled the island Wednesday, tearing off roofs and sending doors flying from hinges as officials warned Hurricane Maria would decimate the power company’s crumbling infrastructure and force the government to rebuild dozens of communities. Maria, which has killed at least nine in the Caribbean, made landfall …

NBC News reports: Hurricane Maria left a trail of destruction as it hit the Caribbean island of Dominica as a Category 5 storm and then battered Guadeloupe with powerful winds early Tuesday. Forecasters warned that the storm could leave some parts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands uninhabitable for months. NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins highlighted that Maria …

ABC News reports: Maria was upgraded to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm this afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said, as islands including Puerto Rico brace for the impact. Maria is expected to approach Puerto Rico — which is under a hurricane warning — late Wednesday morning. Maria might make landfall on the eastern side of Puerto Rico and could …

CNN reports: Hurricane Maria is forecast to rapidly strengthen over the next two days as it takes aim at Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma just days ago. “Significant strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Maria is expected to become a dangerous major hurricane before it moves through the Leeward Islands,” according to the National Hurricane Center’s …

The Miami Herald reports: All Monroe County residents will be able to return to the Keys Sunday. This includes those who live in severely hard-hit areas of the Lower Keys between Key West and Marathon. Residents of the Middle Keys will be allowed to return Saturday morning, said Roman Gastesi, county administrator, during a Saturday morning conference call with other …

Bloomberg reports: Hurricane Jose may threaten New York City and other areas of the East Coast by next week, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm, about 550 miles (885 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Friday as it churned through the Atlantic Ocean. Jose’s path could put it near New Jersey …

The Palm Beach Post reports: After 25 years in Key West, Jim Gilleran knows residents need a cold beer, a hot meal and a place to reconnect after a hurricane. While most bars and restaurants remain shuttered on Duval Street, Gilleran opened his 801 Bar hours after Hurricane Irma smashed past the island. He’s kept his generator operating since, serving …

The Palm Beach Post reports: As life returns to a small semblance of normal in the Upper Keys, normal is still far off for residents living in the Middle and Lower Keys, where the usually raucous town of Key West was boarded up and shut down. The Marathon Airport took on the look of a disaster on foreign soil as …

CBS News reports: Five people are dead at a Florida nursing home that was evacuated early Wednesday after several days without power. Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief said about 100 patients were evacuated from the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills early Wednesday and officials are working to relocate them to safety. Three people were found dead at the nursing home …

The Washington Post reports: Millions of Floridians grappled with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Wednesday, confronting a sweltering reality: More than 40 percent of Florida still lacked electricity, and for some of them, the lights might not come back on for days or even weeks. “We understand what it means to be in the dark,” said Robert Gould, vice …

CNN reports: Initial estimates indicate 25% of the houses in the Florida Keys have been destroyed, and 65% have major damage, said Brock Long, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s administrator. Basically, every house in the Keys was impacted some way,” Long said Tuesday. He said the numbers are early estimates and could change. Irma left a trail of devastation throughout …

Reuters reports: Residents who fled the Florida Keys in anticipation of Hurricane Irma’s wrath were told they could not return to their island homes on Monday, news that angered evacuees anxious to get back to assess the damage. Authorities reported widespread damage on the archipelago off the tip of southern Florida. At the White House, U.S. Homeland Security Adviser Tom …

The Independent reports: Milo Yiannopoulos says his house in Miami has been destroyed by Hurricane Irma. Posting a picture of the roof having been torn off a building in the city’s West Brickell area, he commented: “MY HOUSE IS GONE”. Mr Yiannopoulos, a former Breitbart News writer and editor and a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, had earlier appeared to …

The Washington Post reports: Flight cancellations are now in the thousands following Irma’s destructive path over the weekend, and more air traffic disruptions await as now tropical storm Irma treks toward Atlanta, home of the world’s busiest airport. Delta Air Lines, said Monday that it has canceled about 900 flights, more than a third from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International. The airline, …

The Miami Herald reports: As the waves and winds began easing Sunday, residents of Old Town emerged not knowing exactly what to expect from the most powerful hurricane to strike the Florida Keys in more than a half century. But all in all, many in Key West seemed relieved that the damage from a Category 4 Irma was not much, …