News on Hurricanes and Cyclones

Whale Sushi Sting

2010-03-10T19:17:52Z

The Hump Restaurant, located on the floor above the Typhoon Restaurant, is seen in Santa Monica, Calif., Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Federal prosecutors Wednesday filed a criminal complaint that charges Typhoon Restaurant, Inc. – the parent company of The Hump restaurant – and Hurricane Katrina are seeking to sue carbon gas-emitting multinationals for helping fuel global warming and boosting the devastating 2005 storm, legal documents showed.</p><p>The class action suit brought by residents from southern Mississippi, which was ravaged by hurricane-force winds and driving rains, was first filed just weeks aft...

Global warming raises Taiwan typhoon danger

2010-03-01T05:16:31Z

<div><p>Global warming is raising the danger from typhoons, Taiwan experts warned Monday, saying the island may be hit in a year or two by a powerful storm like the one which killed more than 700 last August.</p><p>Typhoon Morakot dumped a record 3,000 millimetres (120 inches) of rainfall and caused massive mudslides in the south of the island, and the government shou...

NH hotel fire fanned by strong wind destroys block

2010-02-26T19:00:06Z

<div id="subtitle">NH oceanfront hotel fire fanned by winds near hurricane force destroys block of 5 businesses</div><div><p>A fire that started in an unoccupied oceanfront hotel was fanned by hurricane-force winds and spread to several nearby buildings, engulfing and destroying an entire block of businesses on a stretch of Hampton Beach popular with summer tourists. No injuries were reported.</p><p>The...

Tropical storms to be more intense but less frequent: climate study

2010-02-21T16:16:01Z

<div><p>Tropical cyclones may become less frequent this century but pack a stronger punch as a result of global warming, a paper published on Sunday said.</p><p>The study is an overview of work into one of the scariest yet also one of the least understood aspects of climate change.</p><p>Known in the Atlantic as hurricanes and in eastern Asia as typhoons, tropical storms are driven by the raw fuel of warm seas, which rai...

Study: Warming to bring stronger hurricanes

2010-02-21T10:45:17Z

<div id="subtitle">Experts settle hurricane and global warming feud; predict bigger storms, but fewer ones</div><div><p>Top researchers now agree that the world is likely to get stronger but fewer hurricanes in the future because of global warming, seeming to settle a scientific debate on the subject. But they say there's not enough evidence yet to tell whether that effect has already begun.</p><p>Since just before Superdome in New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina left much of the city under water. Top researchers now agree that the world is likely to get stronger, but fewer, hurricanes in the future because of global warming, seeming to settle a scientific debate on the subject...

Cyclone Rene pounds Tonga, major damage in capital

2010-02-22T09:28:49Z

<div id="subtitle">Cyclone Rene batters Tonga, tearing off roofs, cutting power, phone service in capital</div><div><p>Tropical Cyclone Rene pounded Tonga with powerful winds overnight, causing major damage to buildings in the capital city, tearing off roofs, downing trees and cutting power and phone lines in the Tonga takes direct hit from cyclone, though no serious injuries, damage yet reported</div><div><p>Northern and central Tonga were being slammed by Cyclone Rene on Monday, with powerful winds ripping off roofs, tearing down trees and power lines and cutting communications with the capital in the south of the country, officials...

Cyclone misses American Samoa, turns toward Tonga

2010-02-22T09:57:17Z

<div id="subtitle">Tropical Cyclone Rene brings rain, wind but misses American Samoa, turns toward Tonga</div><div><p>A powerful tropical storm missed American Samoa early Saturday morning, causing heavy rains and high winds but sparing more devastation to the

American Samoa Cyclone

2010-02-13T03:45:18Z

A teenager walks around the town area with his umbrella during a drizzling rain as Tropical Cyclone Rene approaches American Samoa on Friday Feb. 12, 2010. In the background are vessels docked at the Port of Pago Pago. The storm packing hurricane-force winds slammed into American Samoa Friday even as residents recovered from last ye...

Strong quake near Tonga; no injuries reported

2010-02-22T09:43:47Z

<div id="subtitle">Strong 6.3 quake hits near Tonga; no injuries or damage reported</div><div><p>A strong magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit near the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, but no tsunami alert was issued and there w...

Why Haiti keeps getting hammered by disasters

2010-02-22T20:28:33Z

<div id="subtitle">Poverty, social ills, weak building standards and location create Haiti's disastrous history</div><div><p>When it comes to natural disasters, Haiti seems to have a bull's-eye on it. That's because of a killer combination of geography, poverty, social problems, slipshod building standards and bad luck, experts say.</p><p>The list of catastrophes is mind-...

Haiti Disasters

2010-01-13T15:33:32Z

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2002 file photo, the streets are flooded in Les Cayes, on Haiti's south coast, after torrential rains from Tropical Storm Lili Saturday, Sept. 28, 2002. Lili appeared to be strengthening and could become a hurricane by Monday, said Martin Nelson, lead forecaster at the UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 11: Prince William climbs into the cockpit of a Typhoon Jet during a visit to RAF Coningsby on January 11, 2010 in Lincolnshire. During his visit to RAF Coningsby, the Prince got the opportunity to sit in the coc...

Government forecaster to give earlier storm alerts

2010-02-23T00:59:09Z

<div><p>MIAMI (Reuters) - The U.S. National Hurricane Center, citing increases in population and infrastructure along the U.S. coastline, said on Tuesday it would warn 12 hours earlier of approaching storms during this year'...

US forecasters to send hurricane warnings earlier

2010-02-23T01:03:18Z

<div id="subtitle">National Hurricane Center to send storm warnings about 12 hours earlier thanks to better data</div><div><p>The National Hurricane Center said Tuesday it will begin issuing storm watches and warnings about half a day sooner in the biggest change to its warning system in decades.</p><p>When a storm is approaching la...

Cyclone Laurence lashes western Australia

2010-02-23T12:43:58Z

<div><p>Tropical Cyclone Laurence ripped up trees and damaged buildings as winds of up to 215 kilometres (133 miles) an hour tore into the Western Australian coast, according to officials.</p><p>The storm had been at the highest rating of Category 5 when it smashed inland late Monday, battering the small communities of Eighty Mile Beach and Wallal in the resource-rich

Australian northwest on red alert as cyclone upgraded

2010-02-23T13:09:03Z

<div><p>Tropical Cyclone Laurence intensified Monday, moving towards Australia's west coast as residents were urged to take shelter from winds expected to reach up to 285 kilometres (177 miles) an hour.</p><p>The cyclone, which formed in the Timor Sea last week, was about 75 kilo...

Australian northwest on red alert as cyclone looms

2010-02-23T13:13:09Z

<div><p>Australia's remote northwest was on alert on Monday as Cyclone Laurence was expected to bring destructive winds of up to 260 kilometres (160 miles) an hour and flooding to some areas, officials said.</p><p>The cyclone, which formed in the Timor Sea last week, was moving s...