Hurricane

Crude oil prices fall more than 1% as hurricane Rafael risk recedes

Brent crude oil futures lost 93 cents, or 1.23%, to $74.70 a barrel by 1415 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down $1.05, or 1.45%, at $71.31

Rafael makes landfall in Cuba as Category 3 hurricane, power out on island

Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, shortly after powerful winds knocked out the country's power grid. Forecasters warned Rafael could bring life-threatening storm surges, winds and flash floods to western swaths of the island after it knocked out power and dumped rain on the Cayman Islands and Jamaica the day before. The storm was located 65 kilometres south-southwest of Havana on Wednesday. It had maximum sustained winds of 185 kph and was moving northwest at 22 kph, according to the National Hurricane Centre. The storm is bad news for Cuba, which is struggling with devastating blackouts while recovering from another hurricane two weeks ago that killed at least six people in the eastern part of the island. On Wednesday, the Cuban government issued an alert for the incoming storm while crews in Havana worked to fortify buildings and clear scraps from seaside areas in anticipation of flooding. Classes and public transport were ..

Tropical storm Rafael crosses Jamaica as Cuba prepares for hurricane hit

Tropical Storm Rafael chugged past western Jamaica on Tuesday and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it headed toward Cuba. The storm was located 170 kilometres east of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands on Tuesday after passing by Jamaica, where little damage was reported. It was picking up speed with maximum sustained winds of 110 kph and was moving northwest at 24 kph, according to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami. The centre said it expected steady to rapid intensification over the next 24 hours. It was expected to pass over or by the Cayman Islands on Tuesday night and make landfall in western Cuba on Wednesday. "Rafael is expected to become a hurricane as it passes near the Cayman Islands with further strengthening before it makes landfall in Cuba," the centre said. The US State Department issued an advisory for Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, offering departure flights to non-essential staff and American citizens, and advising others to reconsider travel to Cuba

Hurricane Milton death toll rises to 14 in Florida; power outage hits life

The death toll from Hurricane Milton has risen to at least 14 after another fatality was reported in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa

Hurricane Milton destroys homes, weakens as it moves across central Florida

Eye of the storm made landfall in Siesta Key, a barrier island town of some 5,400 off Sarasota about 60 miles (100 km) south of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, home to more than 3 million people

Hurricane Milton updates: Worst storm to hit Florida

Tropical storm Milton forms in Gulf of Mexico, could intensify near Florida

Tropical Storm Milton has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. It is located 220 miles (355 kilometers) north-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said Saturday that it could intensify into a hurricane headed to Florida next week. A storm system brewing in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to reach tropical storm status later Saturday, with forecasters warning it could intensify into a hurricane headed to Florida next week. Tropical Depression 14 was about 210 miles (340 kilometers) north-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico, the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said in a 10 a.m. EST advisory. Though no coastal watches or warnings were in effect, the hurricane centre said the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys, Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and the northwestern Bahamas should monitor the system's progress. The storm is forecast to strengthen and bring the risk of life-threatening impacts to portions of Florida's West Coast next week, with hurricane and storm

Death toll from Hurricane Helene rises to 227 as bodies recovery continues

The death toll from Hurricane Helene inched up to 227 on Saturday as the grim task of recovering bodies continued more than a week after the monster storm ravaged the Southeast and killed people in six US states. Helene came ashore on September 26 as a Category-4 hurricane and carved a wide swath of destruction as it moved northward from Florida, washing away homes, destroying roads and knocking out electricity and cellphone service for millions. The number of deaths stood at 225 on Friday; two more were recorded in South Carolina the following day. It was still unclear how many people were unaccounted for or missing, and the toll could rise even higher. Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland US since Katrina in 2005. About half the victims were in North Carolina, while dozens more were killed in Georgia and South Carolina. The city of Asheville, in the western mountains of North Carolina, was particularly battered. A week later, workers used brooms and heavy machine

Helene's death toll reaches 200 as crews try to reach areas hit by storm

Hurricane Helene's death toll reached 200 on Thursday and could rise higher still, as searchers made their way toward the hardest to reach places in the mountains of western North Carolina, where the storm washed out roads and knocked out electricity, water and cellular service. Officials in Georgia and North Carolina added to their states' grim tallies, padding an overall count that has already made Helene the deadliest storm to hit the US mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A week after the storm came ashore in Florida before carving a path of destruction through the Southeast, connections between friends, neighbours and even strangers have provided hope in the worst-affected areas. While government cargo planes brought food and water to these areas and rescue crews waded through creeks searching for survivors, those who made it through the storm leaned on one another for support. Sarah Vekasi, who makes and sells pottery out of her Sarah Sunshine Pottery store in Black ...

Hurricane Kirk strengthens into Category 3 storm in Atlantic Ocean

Hurricane Kirk strengthened into a Category 3 storm in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday and was expected to grow rapidly into a major hurricane, forecasters said. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, and the storm system was not yet deemed a threat to land. Kirk reached Category 3 status on Wednesday, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center said. The storm was about 1,855 kilometres east-northeast of the Lesser Antilles with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometres per hour. It was moving northwest at 19 kilometres per hour. A gradual turn toward north-northwest and northward was expected this week. Swells generated by the storm could affect portions of the Leeward Islands and Bermuda by the weekend, likely causing "life-threatening" surf and rip current conditions, the center said. Kirk grew as many people in the US Southeast still lacked running water, mobile phone service and electricity as rescuers searched for people unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene

Harris surveys Hurricane havoc; gives meals, consoles families in Georgia

Vice-President Kamala Harris handed out meals, embraced a shaken family and surveyed Hurricane Helene's "extraordinary" path of destruction through Georgia on Wednesday as she left the campaign trail to pledge federal help and personally take in scenes of toppled trees, damaged homes and lives upended. She visited Augusta, where power lines stretched along the sidewalk and utility poles lay cracked and broken. The vice-president spoke from a lectern erected in front of a house with a fallen tree teetering on its roof, acknowledging those who had died in the disaster while also trying to project a tone of unity and hope for communities now facing long and expensive rebuilds. Harris and President Joe Biden, who visited the Carolinas on Wednesday, were seeking to demonstrate commitment and competence in helping devastated communities after Republican former president Donald Trump's false claims about their administration's response. Harris said she wanted to "personally take a look at

Thousands in North Carolina without water days after Helene's destruction

The powerful storm inundated the western part of the state with catastrophic flooding, destroying pipes, damaging water plants and cutting off power

Helene's toll passes 100, Biden to visit North Carolina for aerial survey

A crisis unfolded in Asheville, North Carolina, as officials pledged to get more water, food and other supplies to flood-stricken areas without power and cellular service Monday, days after Hurricane Helene ripped across the US Southeast. The death toll from the storm surpassed 100. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said during a news conference Monday that the death toll in that state had risen from 17 to 25. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed there. President Joe Biden said Monday he will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday to get a first-hand look at the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Biden said he will travel to Raleigh to get a briefing from state and local officials and take an aerial tour of Asheville. He announced plans for the trip following an operational briefing on the hurricane response and recovery efforts from federal government officials and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who took an aerial tour o

Hurricane Francine threatens Louisiana's coast with strong winds, flooding

Hurricane Francine barrelled toward Louisiana on Wednesday as residents made last-minute trips to stock up on supplies and forecasters warned of potentially deadly storm surge, widespread flooding and destructive winds on the northern US Gulf coast. In Morgan City, gas stations had already put plywood on the windows and moved trash cans inside, with a few pumps still serving the trickle of cars passing through shortly after dawn. Retired boat captain Pat Simon, 75, and his wife, Ruth, had loaded all their possessions in garbage bags and tied them down in the back of a rented U-Haul pickup truck as they evacuated their home near the banks of the Atchafalaya River near Morgan City. Hurricane season typically peaks around this time of year, but Pat Simon wasn't overly concerned about Francine. I don't think it's going to be that bad, like some of the other ones like Ida and Katrina, he said. I mean, we've had some bad ones. Morgan City, home to around 11,500 people, sits on the banks

What is Atlantic Nina? How La Nina's cousin could affect hurricane season

This cooling comes from two climate phenomena with similar names: La Nina, which forms in the tropical Pacific, and the less well-known Atlantic Nina

Hurricane Ernesto pounds Bermuda as wealthy British territory closes down

Hurricane Ernesto began to pound Bermuda late Friday with heavy winds and rain after officials in the tiny British territory in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean opened shelters and closed government offices. The Category 2 storm located 95 miles (150 kilometres) south-southwest of Bermuda was packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph). It was moving northeast at 13 mph (20 kph). Ernesto's large eye will likely be very near or over Bermuda early Saturday morning, with significant coastal flooding expected, according to the National Hurricane Centre. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion, the centre said. The storm was forecast to dump between 6 to 9 inches of rain. Forecasters noted that Ernesto was a large hurricane, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 75 miles (120 kilometres) from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 275 miles (445 kilometres). In preparation for the storm, officials in the wealthy British

Category 1 Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Texas, disrupts power supply

Beryl made landfall on the Texas coast near Matagorda early Monday with a dangerous storm surge and strong winds, knocking out power to more than half a million homes and businesses. The storm's centre hit land as a Category 1 hurricane around 4 am Central Standard Time about 85 miles southwest of Houston with top sustained winds of 80 mph (128.7 kph) while moving north at 12 mph (19.3 kph), the National Weather Service reported. High waters quickly began closing roads around Houston, which was again under flood warnings after heavy storms in recent months washed out neighbourhoods and knocked out power across the nation's fourth-largest city. More than 750,000 customers were without power, many of them around Houston, before daybreak Monday, according to CenterPoint Energy in Houston. More than 1,000 flights have been canceled at Houston's two airports, according to tracking data from FlightAware Beryl dumped soaking rains across Houston after coming ashore and was expected to bri

Beryl batters Mexico as Texas officials urge coastal residents to prepare

Beryl battered Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday after hitting near the resort town of Tulum, whipping trees and knocking out power, while officials in Texas urged coastal residents to prepare as the storm moves toward the Gulf of Mexico. Beryl hit Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane but weakened to a tropical storm as it moved across the peninsula. The US National Hurricane Center expects Beryl to regain hurricane strength once it emerges into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where it is forecast to head toward northeastern Mexico and southern Texas, an area soaked by Tropical Storm Alberto just a couple of weeks ago. Beryl spread destruction in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados this week after becoming the earliest storm to develop into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic. Three people have been reported dead in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica, officials said. Mexican authorities had moved some ..

Mexico on 'red alert' as Category 3 Hurricane Beryl nears landfall

US National Hurricane Centre said Beryl, which was the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, now had winds of 115 mph (185 kph ) after weakening earlier

Team India's return journey: Barbados PM expects airport to open in few hrs

The T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team might be able to fly home on Tuesday evening after Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said she expects the airport here to become operational in the "next six to 12 hours", ending the shutdown forced by a category 4 hurricane. The Rohit Sharma-led squad, its support staff, some BCCI officials, and the players' families have been stranded here for the past two days due to hurricane Beryl. The team won the title on Saturday after defeating South Africa by seven runs in the final. "We hope, and we're working towards later today. I don't want to speak in advance of it, but I've literally been in touch with the airport personnel and they're doing their last checks now and we want to resume to normal operations as a matter of urgency," Mottley, who has been overseeing relief operations on the ground, told PTI. "There are a number of people who were due to leave yet last night late or today or tomorrow morning. And we want to make sure that we