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As Florida recovers from Hurricane Ian, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a moral plea against looting that appears to have some firepower behind it. Speaking near Fort Myers in the leveled community of Matlacha on Friday, the Republican Governor relayed one sight he saw in Punta Gorda in neighboring Charlotte County the day prior. “They boarded up all the businesses, and there are people that wrote on their plywood, ‘you loot, we shoot,'” DeSantis said. “At the end of the day, we are not going to allow lawlessness to take advantage of this situation. We are a law-and-order state, and this...

Hurricane season began on June 1st and more often than not it is a month that doesn’t feature too much tropical storm activity, but back in early June 1966 it was a different story. On June 4th, the first tropical depression of the young season formed near Nicaragua. The tropical depression moved north into the already warm waters of the Western Caribbean and strengthened rapidly into Hurricane Alma as it made landfall on the western tip of Cuba. Typically, when tropical systems make landfall they weaken, but Alma only got stronger as it continued to make its way to the...

Hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled as Hurricane Idalia wreaks havoc across the Sunshine State, causing a handful of airports to shutter Wednesday ahead of the destructive storm’s impact. Several major airports were closed, including Tampa International, St. Pete-Clearwater International, Boca Raton, Gainesville Regional and Tallahassee International. They may reopen Thursday depending on damage, officials said. Over 700 flights in and out of Tampa International Airport were canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

Idalia's forecast landfall strength and storm surge levels could reach once-in-a-lifetime levels along parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Idalia is forecast to make landfall as a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger), bringing a potential storm surge of 10 to 15 feet to the Big Bend area and 4 to 7 feet to the Tampa Bay area. Anything greater than 4 feet of storm surge inundation in the Tampa Bay area would set a new record there. Six feet of surge inundation would set a record in Cedar Key on the southern side of the Big Bend. While other storms,...

Aug 29, 2023 #NBCNews #Hurricane #Florida Florida is preparing for Hurricane Idalia as the state is threatened with record-setting storm surge and significant flooding. NBC News’ Al Roker, Tom Llamas and Gabe Gutierrez have the latest weather updates.

Hurricane Idalia is barrelling towards Florida and forecasters warn it is extremely dangerous. This rare footage of St Elmo's Fire was captured by the pilots from MacDill Air Force Base. The Air Force Base said on X (formerly Twitter): "During the evacuation, the 50th ARS recorded St. Elmo’s fire, a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created in an atmospheric electric field."

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is warning of storm surges of 10–15 feet in some areas of Florida as hurricane Idalia makes landfall, warning residents of “destructive life-threatening winds” across the state. “Catastrophic impacts from storm surge inundation of 10 to 15 feet above ground level and destructive waves are expected somewhere between Aucilla River and Yankeetown, Florida,” the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) 11 a.m. update of the storm reads, warning that “life-threatening storm surge inundation” is likely for portions of the Gulf Coast. Further, the NHC warns of the potential for “destructive life-threatening winds where the core of Idalia...

Tropical Depression 10 has formed between the Yucatan Peninsula and the Western Tip of Cuba. Governor DeSantis issued a state of emergency for 33 Florida counties in advance of the system. Mash graphics to enlarge. All graphics and links are self-updating NHC Public AdvisoriesNHC Discussions

Visible satellite view on Hurricane Idalia intensifying over the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 29. Image: CIRA/RAMMB Hurricane Idalia is rapidly intensifying Tuesday as it moves over record-warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Threat level: The storm will bring "catastrophic impacts from storm surge inundation" into Florida's Big Bend, with a "life threatening" surge southward to Tampa Bay, the National Hurricane Center warns. Idalia was expected to strike Florida's Gulf coast on Wednesday as an "extremely dangerous" major Category 3 storm. According to the NWS forecast office in Tallahassee, no storm since reliable records began in 1851 has tracked...

This is for accurate up to the minute tracking information on Hurricane Idalia. Right now, and I'm still trying to verify this, the latest tracking info has the storm rolling in over Cedar Key, Fl tonight and tomorrow. Since I'm in Chiefland, 25 miles or so from Cedar Key, in a 5th wheel, I'm vitally interested in where this storm is actually headed. In looking for info, I find stuff that references Monday, and even this past Sunday. I understand that the track shifted West yesterday a little but can find nothing to confirm that. My initial plan was to...

I am writing this column on a beautiful sunny day in Southern California. It is a Monday in mid-August, so it is not a national holiday, yet in Los Angeles County, where I live, all the schools and all government offices are closed. Why? Because, for the past week, the National Weather Service, state and local authorities, and national and local media have been ceaselessly warning that a tropical storm would hit Southern California on Sunday night and Monday with a "life-threatening" intensity not seen since the last tropical storm hit California in 1939, 84 years ago. On Saturday, CNN...

CALIFORNIA — Hurricane Hilary made landfall today in California, quickly destroying tens of thousands of emails upon her arrival. "My house is fine, but my email server -- annihilated," said San Diego resident Jim McKay. "Nature is so weird like that." Despite weakening to a category one hurricane, Hilary still packed a vicious punch upon making landfall. "I'm ok, but the storm somehow crushed my cell phone," said local woman Alicia Gonzales. "I mean, it's like someone took a hammer to this thing. People are letting down their guard because Hilary has weakened, but she's still got power where it...

Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency as California braces for Hurricane Hilary to hit today. Residents in the south of the state have been given evacuation orders ahead of the historic storm making landfall around 1pm. The governor's office has tried to reassure them extensive preparations are underway, including the deploying of 'more than 7,500 boots on the ground'. But panic buying has set in and some supermarket shelves in San Diego and Los Angeles were stripped bare of essentials such as water and tinned food. The tropical storm, the first set to make landfall in California since...

In September 1939, Southern Californians were pummeled by four tropical cyclones that hit the region within weeks of each other. Each of the four made landfall at varying stages of cyclone development. [T]he first three storms were remnants of hurricanes with tropical storm-level winds, moving into the area after making landfall in Baja California — a similar path that Hurricane Hilary appears to be taking. The most notable of the bunch was the fourth storm to make landfall in the region, touching down in Southern California on Sept. 25. The unnamed storm hit near San Pedro...becoming the first and only...

Southern California is bracing for heavy rain as Hurricane Hilary continues to barrel up the Pacific coast, prompting many communities to prepare for severe flooding. Hilary, currently a category 4 hurricane, is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reaches our area, but we're still expecting significant weather impacts through the weekend. A tropical storm watch from Hurricane Hilary has been upgraded to a tropical storm warning, the first such event in Southern California.

Major Hurricane Hilary is moving along the Eastern Pacific coastline toward the SW US. Tropical storm conditions are possible by late Sunday in portions of southern California where a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect. Heavy rainfall in association with Hilary is expected to impact the Southwestern United States through next Wednesday, peaking on Sunday and Monday. Meanwhile, the Atlantic tropical season is heating up. Click to enlarge images. All graphics and links are self-updatingNHC Public Advisory HilaryNHC Discussion Hilary

Hurricane Hilary reached Category 4 status on Friday morning, and the National Hurricane Center issued its first-ever tropical storm watch for Southern California, as the entire southwestern region braces for heavy rains, high surf, and flash flooding. The storm, off the west coast of Mexico and moving northwards as of midday Friday, has maximum sustained winds of 145 mlles per hour. Hurricane watches have been issued for Baja California, and a tropical storm watch for San Diego and Orange counties. BC News noted: A tropical storm watch is now in effect from the California-Mexico border to the county lines between...

LOS ANGELES, CA — As Hurricane Hilary prepares to make landfall in Southern California, the World Meteorological Organization has announced that all deaths resulting from the storm will be ruled as suicides. "We are seeing Hilary continue to weaken as it approaches the West Coast, so we have high hopes that it will not cause any, um... suicides," said meteorologist Fritz McBeely to reporters. "But we must be aware, this storm is highly unpredictable and could potentially suicide anyone foolish enough to stand in its way." Local authorities in Los Angeles have warned their people to board up windows, stack...

...HILARY CONTINUES STRENGTHENING RAPIDLY... ...LIKELY TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE LATER TODAY...

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two systems in the Atlantic with chances of tropical cyclone formation. In the central tropical Atlantic, one system — named Invest 96L — is expected to see favorable conditions for development as it makes its way northwest. As of its 8 a.m. update, the NHC gives the system a 70% chance to develop into a tropical depression in the next seven