Here We Go Again...

(NEWSER) - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the 2009 hurricane season will see nine to 14 tropical storms, of which four to seven will develop into full-fledged hurricanes, the Tampa Tribune reports. As many as three could become Category 3 storms, with winds above 111 mph. The prediction jibes with one from the respected Colorado State University team, which expects 12 storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. More»

Scientists propose techniques to modify the weather

(NEWSER) - The Department of Homeland Security is hoping that weather-altering techniques can lessen the devastation caused by hurricanes, the Daily Telegraph reports. A hurricane reduction program likely to begin in October will devote $64 million to efforts such as spreading tiny salt particles in the storms to drain them of much of their rain before they hit land. More»

Nate expected to hit Mexico, while Maria churns in Caribbean

(NEWSER) - Irene, Katia, and Lee all made not-so-nice headlines, and unfortunately there’s more where they came from: Tropical Storms Nate and Maria are currently taking shape in the Caribbean and Atlantic. Nate, formed in the southern Gulf of Mexico, is expected to drop anywhere from 2 to 8 inches of rain on parts of Mexico, and could start moving north by tomorrow—by which point it could also strengthen into a hurricane. More»

But no prediction of where she'll make landfall

(NEWSER) - Adding insult to the East Coast's injury, there's a new hurricane in town: Tropical Storm Katia (ahem, another of those infamous K-hurricanes) has strengthened overnight into a Category 1 hurricane, reports the LA Times . “Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours and Katia could become a major hurricane by the weekend," says the National Hurricane Center. More»

Residents begin returning to NYC, other areas

(NEWSER) - Hours after Hurricane (or Tropical Storm, depending on your location) Irene hit New York , the worst appears to be over: NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the 370,000 residents he ordered to evacuate from their homes in low-lying parts of the city can now return. Some people had already begun making their way back early, and others never left to begin with, the AP notes. Though water submerged parts of a Manhattan promenade and a marina in front of the New York Mercantile Exchange, and some floodwater reached the streets of Manhattan and Queens, some cabbies continued offering taxi service and the city escaped the widespread damage it had feared. The evacuation orders for Atlantic City and other parts of the New Jersey shore , Delaware , and parts of Virginia and Maryland were also being lifted today. More»