Hurricanes

Hurricane Humberto, as captured by a NOAA satellite September 15, 2019.

We're in for a brutal hurricane season, according to predictions

6:39am June 21, 2024

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a record number of hurricanes this season, which began on June 1 and runs through Nov. They're forecasting anywhere from 17 to 25 storms in the Atlantic basin, including at least four major hurricanes. Scientists think this storm activity could be due to strong winds, warmer ocean temperatures and a scientific mystery unfolding in the Atlantic.

Questions about hurricanes or other weather disasters? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to consider it for a future episode!

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A flooded parking lot on the campus of Rice University after it was inundated with water from Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.

Debt, missed classes and anxiety: How climate-driven disasters hurt college students

4:28pm February 28, 2024

by Rebecca Hersher

Floods, wildfires and hurricanes can have long-term financial consequences for college-age people. As climate change makes disasters more common, more and more students are struggling.

People take items from stores in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023.

World News

Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43 while searchers comb through debris in Acapulco

3:10pm October 29, 2023

by The Associated Press

At least 36 people are still missing as aid slowly continues to flow into the region. Otis rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm before crashing ashore last week.

A river carried mud and downed trees in the Zapata neighborhood on the outskirts of the city of Acapulco, Mexico, after Hurricane Otis swept through the area.

World News

Mexico's Acapulco grows desperate for help after Hurricane Otis ravaged the area

1:46pm October 27, 2023

by James Fredrick

The Category 5 storm slammed into Mexico's Pacific coast early Wednesday, killing at least 27 people, with at least four still missing.

A street is strewn with debris on Wednesday after Hurricane Otis ripped through Acapulco, Mexico.

World News

At least 27 people are dead after Hurricane Otis plowed into Mexico's Pacific coast

12:01pm October 26, 2023

by The Associated Press

Four people were missing as tens of thousands of residents in damaged homes without electricity awaited help more than a day after Otis roared ashore in Acapulco.

Mexican soldiers and rescue teams remove mud and sludge from a avenue flooded by the rains of Hurricane Norma in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on Saturday.

A weakened Norma crosses Mexico, while Hurricane Tammy threatens Caribbean islands

10:35pm October 21, 2023

by Willem Marx

Barbuda and the Leeward Islands are in the crosshairs of Hurricane Tammy and as Tropical Storm Norma bears down the northern Mexico coastline.

Workers pull a boat out the water at York Harbor Marine in York, Maine. As Hurricane Lee heads to the area, many boat owners are putting their vessels in storage earlier than usual to avoid risking damage from the large storm.

National

Hurricane Lee puts parts of Massachusetts under a tropical storm warning

3:37pm September 14, 2023

by Bill Chappell

Winds on Cape Cod could gust as high as 50-60 mph, forecasters said on Thursday. The area is now under a tropical storm warning.

Makatla Ritchter and her mother, Keiphra Line, wade through flood waters after evacuating their home in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Flood waters from Hurricane Idalia inundated it on August 30, 2023. Climate change is making storm surge and intense rainfall during hurricanes like Idalia more dangerous.

What's the connection between climate change and hurricanes?

4:43pm August 30, 2023

by Alejandra Borunda

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida. Here are some ways climate change is reshaping tropical cyclones like it

After a relatively quiet start to the Atlantic hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center was monitoring multiple storm systems in the Atlantic on Sunday.

Tropical Storm Emily takes shape in the Atlantic, as storm activity starts to warm up

3:22pm August 20, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

As the season is nearing its peak, the Atlantic Ocean has suddenly become very active with several storms that meteorologists and weather forecasters are watching.

A row of mailboxes tagged with evacuation notices during the Oak Fire in Mariposa, Calif., in July 2022. Many residents in the area are losing their home insurance because of rising wildfire risk.

How climate change could cause a home insurance meltdown

4:29pm July 24, 2023

It's increasingly expensive and difficult to get home insurance, as losses rise from climate-driven disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes. And the solutions aren't always politically popular.