Hurricanes

World News

Ernesto, now a hurricane, is drenching Puerto Rico and knocking out power

2:32pm August 14, 2024

by The Associated Press

Ernesto strengthened into a hurricane as it dropped torrential rain on Puerto Rico and left nearly half of all clients in the U.S. territory without power as it threatened to become a major storm en route to Bermuda.

Hurricane Debby Heads Towards Florida's Big Bend Region

National

Tropical Storm Debby is flooding the Southeast, and it’s barely moving

5:35am August 06, 2024

Debby is expected to bring up to 25 inches of rain across parts of the Southeast. It's currently creeping over Georgia to the Atlantic Ocean, expected to return to shore this week with more strength.

National

Tropical Storm Debby is flooding the Southeast, and it’s barely moving

5:35am August 06, 2024

Debby is expected to bring up to 25 inches of rain across parts of the Southeast. It's currently creeping over Georgia to the Atlantic Ocean, expected to return to shore this week with more strength.

National

Hurricane Debby inundates northern Florida with heavy rains and flooding

5:18am August 05, 2024

Debby came ashore just west of Steinhatchee, along the state's Big Bend region. It arrived with sustained winds of 80 mph, and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of utility customers.

National

Hurricane Debby inundates northern Florida with heavy rains and flooding

5:18am August 05, 2024

Debby came ashore just west of Steinhatchee, along the state's Big Bend region. It arrived with sustained winds of 80 mph, and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of utility customers.

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.