Thousands in the dark as Hurricane Francine strikes Louisiana, raising flood fears
Hurricane Francine has slammed into Louisiana as a dangerous Category 2 storm, knocking out power to more than a quarter million customers and threatening a large stretch of the Gulf Coast with flooding and destructive winds.
Tropical system expected to strengthen near Mexico and Texas and bring heavy rains, forecasters say
The National Weather Service says a tropical system in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico was expected to strengthen this week into a tropical storm and dump heavy rains onto Mexico and Texas before reaching the U.S. as a potential hurricane.
Beryl moves into the Gulf of Mexico after battering Mexicoโs Yucatan Peninsula, takes aim at Texas
Beryl has moved into the the Gulf of Mexico and is taking aim at the south Texas coast, after battering Mexicoโs Yucatan Peninsula.
Tropical Storm Alberto dissipates over central Mexico after heavy rains killed 4
Tropical Storm Alberto, the seasonโs first named storm, has weakened as it moves inland over northeast Mexico โ but not before bringing heavy rains to the parched region and leaving at least three dead.
Alberto, season's first named tropical storm, dumps rain on Texas and Mexico, which reports 3 deaths
Tropical Storm Alberto is rumbling toward northeast Mexico as the first named storm of the season, carrying heavy rains that left three people dead but also brought hope to a region suffering under a prolonged, severe drought.
'Heat dome' leads to sweltering temperatures in Mexico, Central America and US South
Extreme heat in Mexico, Central America and parts of the US South has left millions sweltering, strained energy grids and resulted in iconic Howler monkeys in Mexico dropping dead from trees.
Experts say coral reef bleaching near record level globally because of 'crazy' ocean heat
Scientists say temperatures that have gone โcrazy haywireโ hot, especially in the Atlantic, are close to making the current global coral bleaching event the worst in history.
Scientists say coral reefs around the world are experiencing mass bleaching in warming oceans
Reef scientists say coral reefs around the world are experiencing global bleaching for the fourth time due to prolonged warming of the oceans.
Dial it up to Category 6? As warming stokes storms, some want a bigger hurricane category
A handful of super powerful tropical cyclones in the last decade has a couple of experts proposing a new category of whopper hurricanes: Category 6.
Lots of sunshine kicks off the workweek, but warmer temperatures and rain are on the way
Wind chill lasts through the afternoon Monday. Over the next few days, temperatures warm up significantly.
Oil companies offer $382M for drilling rights in Gulf of Mexico in last offshore sale before 2025
Oil companies have offered $382 million for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico after courts rejected the Biden administrationโs plans to scale back the sale to protect an endangered whale species.
Search is on for pipeline leak after as much as 1.1 million gallons of oil sullies Gulf of Mexico
As much as 1.1 million gallons of oil may have been discharged into the Gulf of Mexico from a pipeline system off Louisianaโs southeast coast.
Climate change is hurting coral worldwide. But these reefs off the Texas coast are thriving
Far off the Texas coast there is a beautiful surprise in the Gulf of Mexico that draws divers from around the world: a stunning amount of coral coverage on undersea mountains.
Lease of Gulf waters delayed by whale protection debate must continue, court rules
A federal appeals court has ordered the Biden administration to carry on with an auction of oil and gas drilling leases for Gulf of Mexico waters in 37 days โ rejecting arguments by environmentalists.
Four tracts of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico are designated for wind power development
The Biden administration has designated four tracts of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas and Louisiana coasts for development of wind energy.
Reprieve for New Orleans as salt water creeping up the Mississippi River slows its march inland
Salt water inching up the Mississippi River is progressing more slowly than once projected โ buying time for water systems in metropolitan New Orleans that draw drinking water from the river.
Biden backs new offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Scaled-back plan disappoints all sides
President Joe Biden's administration has proposed up to three oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico over the next five years but none in Alaska.
Louisiana's struggle with influx of salt water prompts a request for Biden to declare an emergency
Salt water flowing from the Gulf of Mexico into the drought-stricken Mississippi River is prompting Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards to ask President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency.
Judge blocks government plan to scale back Gulf oil lease sale to protect whale species
The Biden administration is appealing a federal judge's order requiring the Interior Department to expand next weekโs scheduled sale of Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases by millions of acres.
What makes Idalia so potent? It's feeding on intensely warm water that acts like rocket fuel
Feeding on some of the hottest water on the planet, Hurricane Idalia is rapidly strengthening as it bears down on Florida.
US tightens some offshore oil rig safety rules that had been loosened under Trump
The Biden administration has tightened offshore oil drilling safety regulations, including rules regarding the use of โblowout preventerโ devices on offshore oil and gas drilling rigs.
Sweltering temperatures bring misery to large portion of central US, setting heat records
Sweltering temperatures are lingering in a large swath of the central U.S., causing misery from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.
First U.S. auction of Gulf of Mexico tracts for wind power set for Aug. 29
The Biden administration has announced plans for the first sale of offshore wind power leases in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
Private flight with 2 Saudi astronauts returns from space station with Gulf of Mexico splashdown
A private crew is back on Earth after a nine-day trip to the International Space Station.
Oil drilling in Gulf safer, but concerns linger, report says
A new National Academy of Science study says that 13 years after a massive BP oil spill fouled the Gulf of Mexico, regulators and industry have reduced some risks in deep water exploration in the gulf but some troublesome safety issues persist.
Dangerous storms, tornadoes may target Midwest, South
Meteorologists are warning of a series of severe storms that could rip across America's Midwest and South over the next couple of weeks, with the first and perhaps most dangerous outbreak forecast to strike Friday.
Companies bid $264M in Gulf oil sale mandated by climate law
Oil companies including Chevron and ExxonMobil offered a combined $264 million for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico in a sale mandated by last yearโs climate bill compromise.
Biden considers 1st offshore wind auction in Gulf of Mexico
The Biden administration said Wednesday it is considering the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico, a key part of a push to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 to help fight climate change.
EXPLAINER: What came together to make deadly Alabama tornado
Experts say a natural La Nina weather pattern, unusually warm moist air juiced by climate change, and long-term shift in where tornadoes hit all are factors in Thursday's devastating tornado in Alabama.
NTSB: Communications outage a factor in lift boat disaster
A federal agency says an outage involving a Coast Guard marine warning system and โdata gapsโ in radar systems were factors in last year's deadly capsize of an oil industry lift boat off Louisiana's coast.
Study finds that climate change added 10% to Ian's rainfall
A quick study by two scientists calculates that climate change made Hurricane Ian 10% rainier than it would have been if there were no such thing as global warming.
Hurricane Ian gets nasty quickly, turbocharged by warm water
Hurricane Ian is quickly gaining monstrous strength as it moves over oceans partly heated up by climate change, just like 30 other Atlantic tropical storms since 2017 that became much more powerful in less than a day.
Gov't OKs nearly $190M in bids from offshore oil lease sale
The Biden administration has accepted nearly $190 million in bids from an offshore oil and gas lease sale that was held nearly a year ago but rejected by a federal judge.
Trump plane makes emergency landing after engine failure
A plane carrying former President Donald Trump was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans last weekend after suffering engine failure over the Gulf of Mexico.
Protecting critical habitat: Proposal aims to expand coral reef off Texas coast
If youโre familiar with the Texas coast, which isnโt known for having crystal clear water, you probably never would have suspected that a mere 100 miles off of Galveston is a 56 square mile marine sanctuary complete.
Companies bid $192 million in 1st Gulf oil sale under Biden
Energy companies have offered a combined $192 million for drilling rights on federal oil and gas reserves in the Gulf of Mexico in the first government lease sale under President Joe Biden.
Mexico allows limited return of activists to help porpoise
The Mexican government is allowing the environmentalist group Sea Shepherd to return to the Gulf of Mexico to help efforts to save the critically endangered vaquita marina porpoise, but won't let the group remove illegal gill nets.
After Ida, energy facilities in Gulf inching back to life
Oil companies began gradually to restart some of their refineries in Louisiana, and key fuel pipelines fully reopened, providing hopeful signs that the regionโs crucial energy industry can soon recover from the blow of Hurricane Ida.
A Hurricane Ida unknown: Economic impact on region and US
Companies evacuated oil and gas platforms south of Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Ida but a far greater worry was potential damage to refineries and petrochemical plants in its projected path from flooding and storm surge.
Coast Guard: Seacor Power never received weather warnings
A U.S. Coast Guard commander says a technical issue prevented it from relaying severe thunderstorm and marine warnings one day last April when a Seacor Power lift boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving 13 dead in hurricane-force winds.
Remembering the last time a hurricane struck the Tampa Bay region
Given its location next to the Gulf of Mexico, one would think that the Tampa Bay region would have an extensive history with hurricanes. On the contrary, that's not the case.
Tropical weather lashes Gulf Coast with brisk winds, rain
High winds and heavy rains are striking coastal Louisiana and Mississippi as a disorganized and unpredictable tropical weather system churns through the Gulf of Mexico.
โWe welcome you back to planet Earthโ: SpaceX brings four astronauts home with rare night splashdown
SpaceX has delivered four astronauts back to Earth, making the first U.S. crew splashdown in darkness since the Apollo 8 moonshot.
Search for survivors of capsized lift boat ends
As the search for survivors of a capsized lift boat ends, attentions turn to comforting the loved ones of the dead and missing, a grim hunt for bodies and a painstaking investigation that could take as long as two years.
Interior postpones March oil leases onshore and offshore
The Interior Department said Friday, Feb. 12, 2021 that it is postponing onshore and offshore oil lease sales planned for next month in line with President Joe Biden's executive order on climate change. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)NEW ORLEANS โ The Interior Department said Friday that it is postponing onshore and offshore oil lease sales planned for next month in line with President Joe Biden's executive order on climate change. The onshore sales were postponed to confirm the adequacy of underlying environmental analyses, said Interior spokesperson Melissa Schwartz. AdLow interest and small attendance at offshore lease sales covering different parts of the Gulf of Mexico prompted President Barack Obama's administration to combine them. โCanceling this huge offshore Gulf oil auction helps protect our climate and life on Earth," said Kristen Monsell of the Center for Biological Diversity.
Biden halts oil and gas leases, permits on US land and water
In the closing months of the Trump administration, energy companies stockpiled enough drilling permits for western public lands to keep pumping oil for years. Its effect could be further blunted by companies that stockpiled enough drilling permits in Trump's final months to allow them to keep pumping oil and gas for years. But Bidenโs move could be the first step in an eventual goal to ban all leases and permits to drill on federal land. Oil and gas extracted from public lands and waters account for about a quarter of annual U.S. production. But there are other ways an ambitious Biden administration could make it harder for permit holders to extract oil and gas.
Eta races off to sea from Carolinas after soaking Florida
That came amid a combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico being carried up by a cold front that had pushed Eta across Florida earlier. Earlier Thursday, Eta was in the Gulf of Mexico when it slogged ashore near Cedar Key, Florida. It then moved northeast across Florida in a matter of hours before crossing over into the Atlantic, forecasters said. Before that first brush with Florida, Eta first hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane and killed at least 120 people in Central America and Mexico, with scores more missing. A 29th named system, Tropical Storm Theta, was centered early Friday about 445 miles (715 kilometers) south-southeast of the Azores and moving east.
Tropical Storm Eta races off Carolinas after soaking Florida
One death in Florida was linked to the storm, along with some scattered flooding and forecasters said the tropical storm was on a path offshore of South Carolina that would eventually take it further out to sea. That came amid a combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico being carried up by a cold front that had pushed Eta across Florida earlier. Earlier Thursday, Eta was in the Gulf of Mexico when it slogged ashore near Cedar Key, Florida. Before that first brush with Florida, Eta first hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane and killed at least 120 people in Central America and Mexico, with scores more missing. A 29th named system, Tropical Storm Theta, was centered late Thursday about 440 miles (705 kilometers) south of the Azores and moving east.
Eta remains a tropical storm as Florida prepares for 2nd hit
Residents clear debris from a flooded street in the Driftwood Acres Mobile Home Park, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, in Davie, Fla. Tropical Storm Eta was squatting off western Cuba on Tuesday after drifting away from South Florida, where it unleashed a deluge that flooded entire neighborhoods and covered the floors of some homes and businesses. Subsequently, a tropical storm warning was issued for the same general area. The storm has been in the Gulf of Mexico since crossing over South Florida on Sunday. Ron DeSantis issued an expanded emergency declaration to include 13 counties along or near the Gulf coast, adding them to South Florida counties.
At least 3 dead as Hurricane Zeta hammers Gulf Coast
Hurricane Zeta passed through Wednesday leaving much of the city and metro area without power. Even as Zeta battered the south, the upcoming election was still on the mind of some residents. โGuys, we received the brunt of Zeta, and Zeta gave us a good punch,โ McInnis told WDSU-TV. More than 875,000 customers were without electricity in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including about 350,000 in metro New Orleans. Zeta had top sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph) as a Category 2 hurricane at landfall and is the 27th named storm of a historically busy Atlantic hurricane season โ with over a month left to go.
Tropical Storm Warning issued for parts of Virginia with Zeta expected to make landfall Wednesday evening
ROANOKE, Va. โ 5 p.m. Wednesday updateA Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for many along and south of U.S. 460. Hurricane Zeta has continued to gain strength this afternoon and itโs now a category 2 hurricane with winds of 110 mph. 5 a.m. Tuesday updateZeta made its first landfall along the Yucatan Peninsula and is now emerging into the Gulf of Mexico as a strong tropical storm. Hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been posted in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and western Cuba ahead of the stormโs arrival. On the forecast track, Zeta will move into the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall late Wednesday along the Gulf Coast.
Winds and rain whip Yucatan resorts as Hurricane Zeta nears
Clouds gather over Playa Gaviota Azul as Tropical Storm Zeta approaches Cancun, Mexico, early Monday morning, Oct. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia)MIAMI โ Hurricane Zeta lashed Mexico's Caribbean coast resorts around Tulum with high winds and rain Monday night as it headed toward the Yucatan Peninsula and then a possible landfall on the central U.S. Gulf Coast at midweek. It was the second time this month that boat captain Francisco Sosa Rosado had to perform the same maneuver, after Hurricane Delta hit the resort in early October. Trees felled by Hurricane Delta barely three weeks earlier still littered parts of Cancun, stacked along roadsides and in parks. There was also a Tropical Storm Zeta in 2005, but that year had 28 storms because meteorologists later went back and found they missed one, which then became an โunnamed named storm."
Suit: Feds ignore risk of huge spills to endangered species
Environmental groups have asked a federal court to toss out the government's assessment of oil and gas activity's likely effects on endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico. A lawsuit filed Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, says the report doesnt consider the likelihood of another catastrophic oil spill like BP's Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010. He predicted the litigation will be lengthy because both the report and suit cover a huge area and many species. It will be largely a battle of experts, he said, but allegations about ignoring large spills are a strength of the suit. The suit said NOAA underestimated the largest spill likely.
Delta inflicts new damage on storm-weary Louisiana
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, and provided by NOAA, shows Hurricane Delta in the Gulf of Mexico. โ Delta has been downgraded from a once powerful hurricane to a tropical storm as it moves inland across the U.S. South. Delta's reach stretched as far west as Galveston, Texas, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where the storm struck Louisiana. Tropical Storm Marco fizzled as it hit the southeast Louisiana tip just three days before Laura struck. And Tropical Storm Cristobal caused damage in southeast Louisiana in June.
Hurricane Delta inflicts new damage on storm-weary Louisiana
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, and provided by NOAA, shows Hurricane Delta in the Gulf of Mexico. โ Ripping tarps from already damaged roofs and scattering debris piled by roadsides, Hurricane Delta inflicted a new round of destruction on Louisiana as it struck communities still reeling after Hurricane Laura took a similar path just six weeks earlier. Delta's reach stretched as far west as Galveston, Texas, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where the storm struck Louisiana. Tropical Storm Marco fizzled as it hit the southeast Louisiana tip just three days before Laura struck. โThe wind is much worse than what Hurricane Laura brought,โ Gove said in a message on Twitter.
Experts: Warming makes Delta, other storms power up faster
This Oct. 8, 2020 photo made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Delta in the Gulf of Mexico at 12:41 p.m. EDT. Delta is the sixth storm this year and the second in a week to reach the threshold, Lillo calculated. Hurricanes Hannah, Laura, Sally and Teddy and tropical storm Gamma all gained at least 35 mph (56 kph) in strength in 24 hours. This year is particularly nasty and Delta is a good example, said study co-author Gabriel Vecchi, a Princeton climate scientist. โThis season has given a lot of examples of these rapidly intensifying storms that we expect to be more common,โ Princetonโs Vecchi said.
Can we retire a Greek hurricane name? Delta made us wonder.
Louisiana residents who are still recovering from the devastation of a powerful hurricane less than two months ago braced for another hit as Hurricane Delta steamed north through the Gulf on Thursday after swiping Mexicoโs Yucatan Peninsula, the Associated Press reported. โThey do not retire Greek alphabet storm names -- at least so far,โ Gross said. The last time we went through all the letters of the alphabet and moved on to the Greek alphabet was 2005. In 2005, a record-breaking year of devastating hurricanes, we made it through six Greek letters. The Committee also agreed that it was not practical to retire into hurricane history a letter in the Greek alphabet.
'This is not a bad dream': New hurricane menaces Louisiana
Louisiana residents still recovering from the devastation of a powerful hurricane less than two months ago braced for another hit as Hurricane Delta steamed north through the Gulf on Thursday after swiping Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula. The projected path included the southwest area of Louisiana where Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall less than two months ago. Randazzo watched pieces of one of his restaurants, Panorama Music House, fly past a meteorologistโs car on a Facebook Live video during Hurricane Laura. The most recent forecast for Hurricane Delta has the storm making landfall โalmost preciselyโ where Hurricane Laura struck โ a region where homes and electrical infrastructure are still damaged, Edwards said in a radio interview. New Orleans, well to the east of the projected landfall area, was expected to escape the worst of Hurricane Delta.
Delta weakens to a post-tropical cyclone
5:00 a.m. Sunday UpdateROANOKE, Va. โ The National Hurricane Center says Delta has become a post-tropical cyclone, but itโs still a heavy rainfall threat. 5:00 p.m. Friday UpdateHurricane Delta is expected to make landfall on the southwestern Louisiana coast within the next few hours. Delta is expected to bring hurricane conditions and life-threatening storm surge to portions of the northern gulf coast on Friday. 11:00 p.m. Wednesday UpdateAs of 11 p.m., Hurricane Delta has maximum sustained winds near 90 mph with higher gusts. 5 p.m. Tuesday UpdateCategory 4 Hurricane Delta continues to strengthen as it approaches the Yucatan Peninsula.
Dangerous Hurricane Delta closing in on Mexico's Yucatan
Fishermen pull in a boat before the arrival of Hurricane Delta in Puerto Juarez, Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane Tuesday on a course to hammer southeastern Mexico and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf coast this week. (AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia)MEXICO CITY โ Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a dangerous Category 4 storm Tuesday while on a course to hammer Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf Coast later in the week. From Tulum to Cancun, tourism-dependent communities still soaked by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gamma could bear the brunt of Delta. Delta increased in strength 80 mph, more than doubling from a 60 mph storm at 2 pm EDT Monday to 140 mph at 2 pm EDT Tuesday.
Post-Tropical Remnants Of Delta Continue Weaken, As The Heavy Rainfall Threat Diminishes Late Sunday Night
Location 90 miles S of Knoxville Tennessee Wind 15 mph Heading E at 15 mph Pressure 29.77 Coordinates 84.1W, 34.5NDiscussionAt 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Delta was located near latitude 34.5 North, longitude 84.1 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the east near 15 mph, and this motion is expected to continue tonight and Monday morning. Maximum sustained winds are near 15 mph (30 km/h) with higher gusts. Some further weakening is possible tonight as a new surface low develops in the Carolinas, and Delta's surface low is expected to be absorbed by this new low pressure area on Monday. Moderate to major river flooring will continue across the Calcasieu and Mermentau river basins in Louisiana through much of next week
$215M in BP oil spill money to restore Louisiana marshes
โ Louisiana will get nearly $215 million in BP oil spill money for two projects planned to restore more than 4,600 acres of marsh and other habitat in the New Orleans area, Gov. The money is from BPโs $8.8 billion settlement for natural resources damage caused by the blowout that killed 11 men and spewed more than 100 million gallons (380 million liters) of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, leaving long-lasting effects. โThe Mississippi River created our parish and the many historic ridges of our landscape,โ said Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine. It was based partly on the judgeโs estimate that the 87-day Deepwater Horizon spill spewed nearly 134 million gallons (507 million liters) of crude into the Gulf โ enough to fill the U.S. Capitol rotunda 13 times. Federal experts estimated the total at more than 176 million gallons (666 million liters), while BP estimated 102 million gallons (386 million liters).
Tropical Storm Beta spurs hurricane worries for Texas
MIAMI โ An exceptionally busy Atlantic hurricane season was churning along Saturday as the Texas coast prepared for a tropical storm that could strengthen into a hurricane before breaching its shores in the week ahead. Both the city of Galveston and Galveston County on Saturday issued voluntary evacuation orders ahead of Tropical Storm Beta, as did the city of Seabrook to the north of Galveston. Forecasters issued a tropical storm warning from Port Aransas, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana. Beta had maximum sustained winds at 60 mph (95 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 2 mph (4 kph) Saturday night. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Bermuda.
Get Him to the Greek! Alpha, Beta both form
ROANOKE, Va. โ 5 p.m. UpdateTropical Depression 22 is now Tropical Storm Beta in the Gulf of Mexico. Beta will likely form Friday as well in the Gulf of Mexico. Friday Morning UpdateJust a day after Sallyโs remnants dumped rain on our region, the Atlantic hurricane season strikes again. Tropical Storm Wilfred forms in the open AtlanticThis is the last name on the list for the 2020 season. 2020 hurricane namesItโs remarkable to run out of names, but itโs especially remarkable considering hurricane season doesnโt end until November 30th.