Articles by Brian K. Sullivan

Hurricane Otis Makes Landfall Near Acapulco as Category 5 Storm

Hurricane Otis made landfall near the tourist hotspot of Acapulco on Mexico’s Pacific Coast as a deadly Category 5 hurricane with winds capable of collapsing homes, ripping apart power lines and tossing trees. The storm made landfall around 2:25 a.m. …

Record Heat Unleashes Deadly Floods – From US to Libya

Extreme heat is usually associated with drought and wildfires. But across five continents this year, it’s also unleashed a different kind of disaster: deadly flooding. Cities around the world have seen record rainfall 139 times in 2023. A rare hurricane-like …

Hurricane Lee to Push Unusual Cape Cod Bay Surge: Weather Watch

Hurricane Lee’s winds are dropping but its size continues to swell as it comes north toward New England and the Canadian Maritimes where the storm will bring coastal flooding and possible widespread power outages through the weekend. Lee’s top winds …

Hurricane Lee Strengthens to Category 5 Storm

Hurricane Lee has become the strongest Atlantic storm since 2019 with winds of 165 miles (266 kilometers) per hour, and the US National Hurricane Center said the Category 5 system isn’t done growing yet. While the storm is far from …

Atlantic Storm Lee Set to Explode in Strength

Tropical Storm Lee is on track to tie Hurricane Franklin to become 2023’s strongest Atlantic storm with winds of 150 miles per hour by this weekend as it plows through the ocean north of Puerto Rico, the US National Hurricane …

Unusually Warm Atlantic Ocean Is Supercharging Hurricane Idalia

Hurricane Idalia, now a Category 1 storm, is expected to make landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday. The hurricane’s likely transformation between now and then will be due in part to the unusually warm waters on its path. As …

3 Tropical Storms Churn Across Atlantic as Most Active Part of Hurricane Season Begins

Three tropical storms are currently churning across the Atlantic Ocean in a dazzling start to the most active part of hurricane season. Traditionally, the basin starts to spin up its most powerful storm after Aug. 20 with the statistical peak …

What Sparks US Wildfires: Power Lines, Burning Trash and Lightning

The fast-moving fire that ripped through Maui’s historic town of Lahaina killed more than 90 people, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but power equipment in …

Ocean Temperatures Hit 90 Degrees, Fueling Weather Disasters

Heat searing enough to knock out mobile phones. Wildfire smoke that turns the skies an apocalyptic orange. Flash floods submerging towns in upstate New York and Vermont. This grim procession of recent disasters is being driven in part by climate …

Slow-Moving Storm Puts New York City, East Coast Under Flood Threat

New York City and the eastern US braced Sunday for severe thunderstorms as a creeping weather front drags across the region and raises the risk of flooding from Vermont to North Carolina. The slow-moving line of showers was crossing the …