Severe Weather

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The outer bands of Hurricane Humberto are lashing Bermuda ahead of a more direct pass from the stronger Hurricane Imelda on the tiny British territory. Humberto is passing well north of the island in the north Atlantic, but wind gusts and some rain were forecast into Wednesday. Imelda had 85 mph winds late Tuesday and is forecast to strengthen. Its center is expected to be near the island Wednesday evening. A hurricane warning was in effect. The island’s international airport, schools and government offices were to close Wednesday. Both hurricanes were creating ocean swells that were likely to cause dangerous surf conditions on Bermuda, the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the Bahamas have closed a majority of schools following mandatory evacuations for some islands in the archipelago as Tropical Storm Imelda drops heavy rain and unleashes flooding in the northern Caribbean, with two people killed in Cuba. A tropical storm warning was in effect Monday for parts of the extreme northwestern Bahamas, including Great Abaco, Grand Bahama Island and the surrounding keys Heavy rains also were forecast along the coastline of North and South Carolina. Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto churned in open waters nearby, which forecasters said would cause Imelda to abruptly turn to the east-northeast, away from the southeastern United States coast.

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Imelda has formed near the Bahamas and is forecast to become a hurricane curving away from the southeast U.S. seacoast early this week. Imelda was churning up rough seas, wind and rain on Sunday around the Bahamas and nearby islands, just over 350 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto remains a dangerous Category 4 storm farther out in the Atlantic on a forecast track that could threaten Bermuda. In the Southeast U.S., South Carolina’s governor urged residents Sunday to remain alert, while North Carolina declared a state of emergency for any impacts from Imelda even though forecasters say the storm should spin away from the East Coast in coming days.

MIAMI (AP) — Crews have been preparing for a weather system forecast to hit South Carolina as a hurricane early next week. South Carolina’s governor urged residents to stay alert. North Carolina’s governor declared a state of emergency for Tropical Depression Nine. Forecasters said it could become Tropical Storm Imelda. Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto strengthened to a Category 5 storm on Saturday, threatening the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda with dangerous surf and rip currents. The Bahamas and Cuba faced heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Florida officials are also monitoring the system closely.

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — From Florida to New England, people trying to enjoy some of the last hurrahs of summer along the East Coast have been met with rip-current warnings, closed beaches and in some cases already treacherous waves as Hurricane Erin inches closer. Forecasters expect the center of the monster storm to remain far offshore. But the outer edges are likely to bring high winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents. The biggest swells along the East Coast could come as early as Wednesday. Authorities are prohibiting people from swimming in beaches in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Delaware.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Forecasters say Erin has exploded into a major hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean just north of the Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center says Erin reached Category 5 strength before weakening somewhat and becoming a Category 4 with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The hurricane center said that while Erin was “undergoing structural changes,” it remained “formidable.” The storm’s center was north-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Saturday night. And its rains and winds were buffeting Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Forecasters warned that flooding and slides were possible. Powerful rip currents could affect the U.S. East Coast next week.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Residents in the Southeast U.S. are no strangers to hot weather in the summertime, but the sweltering heat this week set at least one record, and forecasters urged residents to limit being outside if possible and to hydrate. The all-time high temperature record at Tampa International Airport was broken on Sunday when the thermometer hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The previous record had been 99 degrees Fahrenheit set in June 2020. The National Weather Service said Tuesday that the prolonged heat wave was expected to peak in the southeast U.S. at mid-week.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina election officials are taking steps to tighten up voter registration records in a pivotal swing state. On Thursday, the State Board of Elections launched an online database of 103,000 voters who need to add their driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers to the state records. Requirements for the numerical identifiers have been in place since 2004, but an outdated voter registration form helped lead to missing information. The state board is seeking to collect the ID information in part to address a lawsuit by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. Critics worry the process could disenfranchise voters.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Snowy roads led to hundreds of crashes throughout Virginia and North Carolina, including a series of crashes on an interstate highway involving more than 50 vehicles. Officials continued to ask people to avoid travel on Thursday to allow crews to work on the roads. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol says it responded to nearly 1,200 collisions statewide on Wednesday. Virginia State Police reported early Thursday that there had been nearly 500 crashes statewide since the storm began, including at least 45 involving injuries. An Arctic air mass is bringing widespread, record-breaking cold to the central United States and forecasters expected some locations to experience their coldest temperatures on record this late in the season.

A new study says hurricanes in the United States are hundreds of times deadlier in the long run than the government calculates. In fact, the researchers say they contribute to more American deaths than car accidents or all the nation’s wars. Wednesday’s study says the average storm hitting the U.S. contributes to the early deaths of 7,000 to 11,000 people over a 15-year period. That dwarfs the average of 24 immediate and direct deaths that the government counts in a hurricane’s aftermath. Study authors said even with Hurricane Helene’s growing triple digit direct death count, far more people will die in future years in part because of Helene’s effects.