cnn-weather/environment

By Aya Elamroussi and Holly Yan, CNN (CNN) — Idalia, now a post-tropical cyclone, is moving farther away from North Carolina’s coast after unleashing heavy rains and powerful winds across the Southeast this week and leaving parts of Florida’s west coast with “significant damage.” It was the most powerful hurricane to slam its Big Bend

By Mary Gilbert and Brandon Miller, CNN (CNN) — Hurricane Idalia has left its mark on history, proving to be a once-in-a-lifetime storm for parts of Florida. Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained wind speeds of 125 mph Wednesday morning in Florida’s Big Bend region – where the panhandle meets the

CNN By Jordan Valinsky, CNN New York (CNN) — Flights across Florida continue to be disrupted Wednesday as Hurricane Idalia churns through the state. Several airports are currently closed, including Tampa, St. Pete-Clearwater and Tallahassee, according to the Federal Aviation Authority. Tampa’s airport is reopening to inbound flights at 4 pm ET and full reopen

By Christina Maxouris, Holly Yan and Nouran Salahieh, CNN (CNN) — Idalia weakened to a tropical storm Wednesday evening as it dumped heavy rain, unleashed strong winds and knocked out power in parts of southern Georgia and the Carolinas, just hours after pummeling Florida’s west coast and inundating communities there with floodwater. As the storm

By Jennifer Gray, CNN Meteorologist (CNN) — Once a tropical storm strengthens into a hurricane, it earns a category designation on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: 1 through 5. Knowing about each category can help predict what damage an incoming storm may inflict – and how best to prepare. The categories are defined by wind

CNN By Jordan Valinsky and Gregory Wallace, CNN New York (CNN) — All flights from Tampa International Airport have been canceled Tuesday as Hurricane Idalia barrels toward the Florida’s Gulf Coast. So far, that’s the only major airport significantly affected by the storm, which strengthened into a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph

CNN By Nouran Salahieh, Joe Sutton and Rachel Ramirez, CNN (CNN) — Idalia has strengthened into a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and stronger gusts and is expected to intensify considerably into a powerful Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Florida on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm

By Christina Maxouris and Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN (CNN) — Hurricane Idalia could hit Florida’s west coast as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center warned as Idalia continued to intensify and churn toward the state late Tuesday. Officials across coastal communities repeatedly pleaded with residents Tuesday to immediately evacuate, stressing

By Mary Gilbert, Robert Shackelford, Nouran Salahieh and Joe Sutton, CNN (CNN) — Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to strengthen into a powerful Category 3 hurricane Monday and could bring potentially catastrophic winds, heavy rain and flooding to Florida’s Gulf Coast later this week, prompting evacuations and school closures in parts of the state. By

By Mary Gilbert, Caitlin Kaiser and Brandon Miller, CNN (CNN) — A hurricane watch has been issued for portions of Florida’s Gulf Coast as the state braces for Tropical Storm Idalia, which is expected to strengthen to a hurricane and make landfall this week. The hurricane watch stretches from Englewood to Indian Pass, including Tampa

By Mary Gilbert, Caitlin Kaiser and Brandon Miller, CNN (CNN) — Tropical Depression Ten has formed near the Yucatan Peninsula in the western Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center, and it could become a hurricane by Tuesday afternoon that would make landfall in Florida as early as Wednesday. A tropical storm warning has been

By Mary Gilbert and Holly Yan, CNN (CNN) — Nearly two dozen cattle died in Nebraska, more than 100 Missouri nursing home residents were evacuated and an ice cream shop in Iowa was forced to close as record-shattering heat engulfs more than 20 states. Excessive heat warnings, the most severe form of heat alert, spanned

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March of 2011. March 11, 2011 – At 2:46 p.m., a 9.1 magnitude earthquake takes place 231 miles northeast of Tokyo at a depth of 15.2 miles. The earthquake causes a tsunami with 30-foot waves that damage several