Rain, Flooding Now Dean's Biggest Threat

Category 5 storm packs severe winds, but leaves no immediate deaths, damage

(NEWSER) - Tearing into history as the most intense Atlantic storm to make landfall in two decades, Hurricane Dean today pounded the Yucatan peninsula, battering Mayan ruins and swinging toward oil rigs, the AP reports. Pummeling homes and trees in sparsely populated, mostly evacuated areas, the fierce Category 5 storm shrunk to a Category 3, and left no immediate deaths or major damage. More»

Thousands flee as Category 5 storm approaches resorts

(NEWSER) - The Mayan Riviera emptied today as tens of thousands fled before Hurricane Dean, which has already killed nine and will likely be a Category 5 by the time it hits the Yucatan Peninsula tomorrow. Tourist destinations in the area are still recovering from 2005’s Hurricane Wilma, and beach resorts could see even worse damage this time, Reuters reports. More»

Oil prices spike over worries that storm will disrupt gas output

(NEWSER) - National Guard teams are hunkering down on the Texas coast as Tropical Storm Erin moves in, carrying a “high risk of dangerous flash flooding,” the governor has warned. CNN reports that Erin intensified in the Gulf of Mexico today and will strike the Lone Star State tomorrow morning with 40 mph winds and 8 inches of rain. But it will not reach hurricane strength before hitting the shore. More»

(NEWSER) - With a tropical storm bearing down on the Northeast, President Obama and Michelle Obama will leave Martha's Vineyard tomorrow, a day ahead of schedule, to ensure he arrives in Boston in time to deliver a eulogy at Ted Kennedy's funeral Saturday. If possible, they'll return to the Vineyard afterward; if they can't, they'll travel directly to Washington, Politico reports. More»

Ana is the season's first named system; Bill could morph into a hurricane

(NEWSER) - Ana and Bill are on the move, but meteorologists aren't worried just yet, the Miami Herald reports. Both tropical storms formed in the Atlantic today and are moving westward, but a possible US landing is 5 or more days away. The National Hurricane Center says they could strike anywhere from South Carolina to Cuba. “We want people to watch the tropics, but we don't want them to push the panic button,” said one official. More»