Articles by Brian K. Sullivan and Mark Chediak

California Heads into its Peak Fire Season with State-Sized Burn Scar

California is poised to set an annual record it never wanted to break: the amount of earth scorched by wildfires. Blazes have already ripped through enough acres to blacken the entire state of Delaware, and what’s typically California’s worst month …

After Spate of Typhoons & Hurricanes, World’s Oceans May Take a Breather

With the remnants of Hurricane Florence wringing out heavy rain through the Appalachians and New England this week, and Typhoon Mangkhut winding down in southern China, it looks like the world’s oceans may take a breather. There are few significant …

Update: Category 1 Hurricane Florence Lands in Carolinas, Threatening Floods, Tornadoes, Power Outages

Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina, leaving more than half a million people without power and facing at least another day of heavy rain and wind. Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach Friday as a Category 1 storm, and is now …

Update: Hurricane Florence Expanding as It Moves Toward Carolinas Coast

Wed., Sept. 12, 2018, 8:08 am โ€” Florence’s track to the U.S. East Coast shifted slightly to the south and the storm is now threatening to batter the entire Carolinas coast, aiming for landfall near Myrtle Beach. While Florence, still …

Orange Blob in Gulf Following Harvey’s Path Toward Texas

While all eyes are on Hurricane Florence churning toward the North Carolina coast, a little orange blob may be much more important for energy traders later this week. A patch of showers and thunderstorms in the western Caribbean has a …

Update: ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Hurricane Florence Prompts Evacuations in Carolinas

Tuesday, Sep 11, 2018, 5:47 amโ€” Florence continued to roll toward the U.S. East Coast, poised to become the strongest hurricane in almost 30 years to hit the Carolinas as more than 1 million people began fleeing a coastline that …

East Coast Warned Hurricane Florence May Visit Next Week

As the remains of Tropical Storm Gordon soak the Mississippi Valley, forecasters are tracking a major hurricane deep in the Atlantic Ocean that could threaten the U.S. East Coast next week. Hurricane Florence, a Category 4 storm with winds of …

Record Numbers of Named Hurricanes Form in Pacific, with Much Quieter Atlantic

Hurricanes in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans follow a see-saw pattern — when one region is down, the other is usually up. And with the Atlantic quiet this year, the Pacific is setting records. There’s been a parade of 14 …

Tropical Storm Gordon to Become Hurricane, Strike Gulf Coast Tuesday; Flood Damage Expected

Tropical Storm Gordon will grow into a hurricane as it grazes offshore natural gas and oil fields, where it has already sparked evacuations, before coming ashore over the lower Mississippi Valley later on Tuesday or early Wednesday. Gordon, with top …

Calm August No Guarantee of Hurricane-Free September

Where are all the big Atlantic storms? A year ago, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, kicking off a parade of destructive storms that made 2017 the costliest Atlantic season ever. So far in 2018, the region has been oddly …