Friday, December 20News That Matters

Tag: Hurricane

Death Toll from Hurricane Helene Rises to 33 as Storm Devastates Southeastern US

Death Toll from Hurricane Helene Rises to 33 as Storm Devastates Southeastern US

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
The death toll from Hurricane Helene climbed to at least 33 on Friday as the southeastern United States grappled with widespread flooding and destruction caused by the massive storm. After making landfall near Florida’s capital, Tallahassee, Helene wreaked havoc across multiple states, leaving millions without power and prompting large-scale rescue operations. The storm, which began as a Category 4 hurricane with winds reaching 140 mph (225 kph), has weakened to a tropical depression but continues to batter states with life-threatening rain and winds. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of catastrophic flooding across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Some regions of the Appalachian Mountains were forecast to receive up to 20 inches of rain. Widespread Da...
NASA Shares Stunning Image of Hurricane Idalia Captured from Space

NASA Shares Stunning Image of Hurricane Idalia Captured from Space

Breaking News, Disasters
NASA's Instagram account recently showcased a breathtaking image of Hurricane Idalia, taken from the International Space Station (ISS). This image, posted by NASA Earth, highlights the agency's efforts in observing and studying hurricanes from space to better understand the impacts of climate change and improve community preparedness for tropical cyclones. In the image, part of the ISS is visible on the left, framing the large white spiral of Hurricane Idalia. The photograph was captured on August 23, 2023, by the ISS's external high-definition camera. At the time, Idalia was a Category 1 storm over the Gulf of Mexico, with sustained winds of 140 kilometers (85 miles) per hour. As the storm progressed northward, it rapidly intensified and made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region on Au...
Study Calls for New Category 6 Classification as Hurricanes Grow Stronger Amid Climate Crisis

Study Calls for New Category 6 Classification as Hurricanes Grow Stronger Amid Climate Crisis

Breaking News, Disasters
As hurricanes become increasingly powerful due to the climate crisis, scientists are urging for the expansion of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale to include a new category 6 designation, capable of encompassing storms with sustained winds exceeding 192mph. Researchers, led by Michael Wehner of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and James Kossin of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have proposed this new classification in response to the escalating intensity of hurricanes fueled by global heating. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study argues that the existing scale, developed in the 1970s, fails to adequately capture the extreme ferocity of these mega-hurricanes, which pose unprecedented threats to life and property. While hurricanes ha...