Climate change is causing hurricanes to get more powerful and dangerous. Scientists weigh in on what that means for forecasts, emergency officials and you.
Ken Graham -- who navigated the Hurricane Center through record-setting hurricane seasons and the weather controversy known as Sharpiegate -- was named director of the National Weather Service Tuesday.
Short, distinctive names are assigned to storms to raise awareness about their dangers. Some experts argue for doing the same for heat waves, which can be even deadlier.
The storm, the second hurricane to strike Central America in less than two weeks, was expected to produce catastrophic winds and up to 30 inches of rain all week.
The storm, which had battered South Florida and parts of Cuba and Central America, brought high winds and tidal surge to the Tampa area as it headed north to make landfall.
The arrival of Theta broke the annual record for the number of storms strong enough to be given names. That benchmark was set in 2005, the year Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
