Ike Strengthens, Heads for Texas

Flood warnings issued as tropical storm moves north

(NEWSER) - Flood warnings have been issued as Tropical Storm Hermine today made landfall in northeastern Mexico, where heavy rains triggered landslides that cut off small communities and destroyed dozens of dwellings, the AP reports. The storm crossed the Rio Grande and roared into the border region, reeling from Hurricane Alex earlier this summer, where it was to dump up to a foot of rain in places. It's expected to head north through Oklahoma and Kansas. More»

Hermine likely to hit hurricane status before making landfall

(AP) - A hurricane watch has been issued today for the coasts of Texas and Mexico in the Gulf as Tropical Storm Hermine approaches. The hurricane watch covers the area from Rio San Fernando, Mexico, northward to Baffin Bay, Texas. Hermine's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 50mph. Additional strengthening is expected and the storm could approach hurricane strength before making landfall. More»

Spill has now affected every Gulf state

(NEWSER) - Oil from the BP spill has now reached the shores of every Gulf state. Tar balls from the spill were found over the weekend on a Texas beach 400 miles from the Gulf gusher, AP reports. Authorities—who rapidly dispatched cleanup crews and sent BP the bill—believe the tar balls may have dropped off a passing ship instead of drifting all the way from the Deepwater Horizon. More»

Loop current would carry oil to Florida Keys and up coast

(AP) - BP is now siphoning more than one-fifth of the oil that has been spewing into the Gulf for almost a month, the company said this morning, as worries escalated that the ooze may have reached a major ocean current that could carry it through the Florida Keys and up the East Coast. BP PLC chief operating officer Doug Suttles said on the Today show that a mile-long tube was funneling a little more than 1,000 barrels—42,000 gallons—of crude a day from a blown well into a tanker ship. More»

(NEWSER) - Officials in the coastal Texas town of Galveston are baffled by a series of arson fires targeting palm trees, the Houston Chronicle reports. “This is strange,” the town’s fire marshal says of the spree, which has hit 30 trees since May. “It’s the first case in my experience dealing with a tree arsonist.” More»