Hurricane Milton is a Category 5. Florida orders evacuations and scrambles to clear Helene's debris

BELLEAIR BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Milton rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane Monday in the Gulf of Mexico on a path toward Florida, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay, leading to evacuation orders and long gas lines, and lending more urgency to the cleanup from Hurricane...

Minnesota ranger dies during water rescue at Voyageurs National Park

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A park ranger died while trying to save three people during a water rescue at a national park in Minnesota. The National Park Service said the ranger responded Sunday to a call for assistance on Namakan Lake in Voyageurs National Park near the...

Hurricane Milton strengthens into a Category 4 storm, and Florida could see dangerous storm surge, forecasters say

Central Thailand braces for inundation as rain stops in flooded Chiang Mai

CHIANG MAI, Thailand (AP) — Several provinces in central Thailand braced for floods Sunday after the Irrigation Department announced it was releasing water from a major dam after weeks of frequent heavy rain. The rain stopped in the northern city of Chiang Mai, but many people,...

Well-known Asheville music tradition returns in a sign of hopefulness after Helene

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A well-known Asheville musical tradition returned Friday night, in a sign of hopefulness a week after Helene battered the mountain city. The Asheville Drum Circle had its first regular Friday night session since the powerful storm blew in. The wind and...

Flooding from seasonal rains threatens residents in northern Thailand, including elephants

BANGKOK (AP) — Flooding in northern Thailand forced many residents of the city of Chiang Mai and its outskirts to seek safety on higher ground on Friday, with members of the animal world under similar threat. Evacuations were underway at the Elephant Nature Park, which houses...

Rainstorms and heavy floods hit large parts of Bosnia, killing at least 16 people

KISELJAK, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — A severe rainstorm struck Bosnia overnight Friday, killing at least 16 people in floods and landslides in several towns and villages in central and southern parts of the country, with surging waters rushing into people's homes as they were sleeping. ...

Solar flares may cause faint auroras across top of Northern Hemisphere

NEW YORK (AP) — Solar storms may cause faint northern lights across fringes of the northern United States over the weekend as forecasters monitor for possible disruptions to power and communications. The sun’s magnetic field is currently at the peak of its 11-year cycle, making...

Work and travel resume across Taiwan after Typhoon Krathon finally dissipates

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) — Work, classes and flights resumed across Taiwan on Friday after Typhoon Krathon brought torrential rainfall to the island but finally dissipated over a mountain range. A heavy rain advisory remained in place for the northern coast and mountainous areas,...

Soul-searching and regret over unheeded warnings follow Helene's destruction

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Before Hurricane Helene’s landfall last week, the National Weather Service began an all-out blitz to alert emergency planners, first responders and residents across the Southeast that the storm’s heavy rains and high winds could bring disaster hundreds of miles from the...