We’re thrilled to report that the herds of wild horses that roam North Carolina’s Outer Banks have emerged from Hurricane Florence unscathed. Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Corolla Wild Horse Fund both confirmed on social media over the weekend that their equine populations are safe and sound following Hurricane Florence’s lashing last week. Corolla Wild Horse Fund herd manager Meg Puckett told The News & Observer that the wild herd found higher ground and grouped together against the wind and rain. People on the island also kept an eye on them.

As Hurricane Florence barreled toward the Carolina coast, Tammie Hedges took action to protect pets that might have otherwise been caught in the storm – a decision that led to her arrest. Hedges, a resident of Waynes County, North Carolina, was taken into custody Friday after providing care to more than two dozen animals – 17 cats and 10 dogs – for owners who had to evacuate before the storm hit. "The owners got to evacuate. They got to save themselves. But who’s going to save those animals? That’s what we did," Hedges said. "We saved them."

A North Carolina 1-year-old boy was found dead Monday after being swept away by rushing floodwaters from Florence when his mother lost her grip on the child. The body of Kaiden Lee-Welch was found by police Monday morning after search and rescue teams spent hours looking for him overnight. Kaiden went missing after water from the deadly storm flooded the highway his mother was driving on as she headed east to Wadesboro, North Carolina.

The Weather Channel defended a widely-criticized video that showed reporter Mike Seidel appear to struggle against winds from Florence while others strolled by behind him. The channel said he was on wet grass.

There is no such thing as a category 6 hurricane or tropical storm – yet. The highest level – the top of the scale for the most powerful, most devastating hurricane or tropical storm capable of destroying entire cities like New Orleans or New York – is a category 5 storm. Meteorologists and scientists never imagined that there would be a need for a category 6 storm, with winds that exceed 200 miles per hour on a sustained basis, sweeping away everything in its path. Until now, such a storm wasn’t possible, so there was no need for a new category above category 5.

"Ever stared down the gaping eye of a category 4 hurricane? It's chilling, even from space," says European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, who is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station as a member of the Expedition 56 crew.

Hurricane Florence has been upgraded for the second time Monday and is now a Category 4 storm, the National Hurricane Center said. Florence has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and is expected to continue growing as it heads toward the US East Coast.

A super typhoon roared toward the Philippines on Thursday (Sept 13), prompting thousands to evacuate ahead of its heavy rains and fierce winds that are set to strike at the weekend before moving on to China. Typhoon Mangkhut, which has already blasted through the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, is speeding across the Pacific with winds that can gust as high as 255km per hour. Authorities said some 10 million people in the Philippines are in the storm’s path, not including millions more in heavily-populated coastal China.

When North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Florence, the state's price gouging law went into effect. The law mandates that businesses in the state aren't allowed to spike prices during any natural disaster for necessary items like food, water and hotel rooms. But so far, the North Carolina Attorney General's office has received more than 500 complaints.

Hurricane Florence made landfall just east of Wilmington, North Carolina, on Friday morning, lashing the coast with a record-setting storm surge and an onslaught of heavy rain and winds. As of Sunday morning, at least 14 deaths have been blamed on the storm, almost a million people were without power across North and South Carolina, and hundreds of people have had to be rescued from flooded areas along the coast

Florence, the tropical storm churning in the Atlantic Ocean since late last week, is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by Monday en route to the southeastern U.S. coast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Sunday. The NOAA said that Florence currently has maximum sustained winds to near 75 miles per hour with strong gusts, and is likely to remain "an extremely dangerous major hurricane through Thursday," when it is expected to make landfall in the U.S.

Five people have been killed as Florence mauls the US East Coast, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of homes and downing trees. The weather event has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm but forecasters still warn of life-threatening storm surges. Winds of up to 70mph (110km/h) are also expected for several days as the weather system slowly grinds over. Evacuation warnings have been in place for 1.7 million people in the area.

Traditionally, fall is low season for food banks across the country. They usually see a surge in demand during the summer months, which depletes their stocks. But then, when they have to deal with a monster storm like Hurricane Florence, it really strains them. "We're in that down mode and (then) we get hit with a storm like this," said Shari Waters, who works with Harvest Hope Food Bank.

As Florence made landfall on the coast of North Carolina Friday, a city about a hundred miles north was among the worst hit areas so far, with about 150 people stranded and 200 already rescued, officials said. "People surrounding me are under water. They have been trapped in their attics,” said Tonya Moore, a New Bern resident, who was awaiting rescue with her mother, husband and five children ranging in age from 6 to 16. Their home had not yet flooded but was impossible to flee, and officials told her the area could expect up to 30 feet of water.

Snapped/edited by by Jason Weingart.

The typhoon prompted officials to urge the evacuation of more than a million people. By Tuesday night at least six deaths had been reported.

Communities along the Carolina coast buttoned up against the onslaught of Hurricane Florence as forecasters Wednesday warned that the monstrous storm could hesitate just offshore for days — punishing a longer stretch of coastline harder than previously feared — before pushing inland over the weekend. In a videotaped message from the White House, President Donald Trump said the government is fully prepared for Florence but urged people to "get out of its way."

Thousands of people flock to the Alps each year to ski tour high-elevation routes, spending comfortable nights in a string of huts that serve wine and hot meals. This spring, a group of experienced skiers and their guide were trapped in a storm overnight on an exposed saddle. By morning, nearly all were dead or dying.

With in less than 15 years more than one third of Bangkok will be inundated, because of extreme rainfalls and changes in weather patterns, according to a World Bank report. Tara Buakamrsi of Greenpeace said, that Bangkok is sinking each year between half and one inch.

Lane is the second category five storm in recorded history to come within 350 miles of Hawaii.

Taken on August 22, 2018.

Tropical Storm Florence's relentless rain is flooding parts of the Carolinas and promises even more for days, officials said Saturday, a day after it landed as a hurricane and left at least 11 people dead -- including a baby. The issues prompted North Carolina to tell drivers coming down Interstate 95 from Virginia to go around -- the entire state. The state wants motorists to go west to Tennessee and take Interstate 75 into Georgia.

Colombians have been warned not to have sex because it is too hot. Health officials in a coastal city issued the recommendation for people trying to remain cool during an intense heatwave. Santa Marta city health secretary Julio Salas’s comments have been keenly debated after he called for residents of the Caribbean tourist hotspot to forego sex during the daytime.

Too early to predict if ‘strongest storm ever to threaten city’ will be a direct hit, Observatory says, but authorities are taking no chances

The rain turned sideways Thursday, rivers swelled and floodwaters began to fill streets as massive Hurricane Florence trudged toward North Carolina. The Category 2 storm's outer bands lashed towns on the barrier islands and on some of the Tar Heel State's rivers while the center of the cyclone was looking at a possible Friday afternoon landfall.

Fire tsunamis? Those aren’t normal. By Eric Holthaus.

A longtime U.S. postal carrier was found dead in her mail truck in Woodland Hills on Friday afternoon amid blistering summer temperatures, authorities confirmed Monday.

Ever feel during one of these recent sweltering days that it’s just so hot you can’t think straight? Well, maybe you can’t.

The small group of Iranian farmers gathered around their tractors — long idle, parked at the town entrance next to a canal that once irrigated their fields but has been dry for years — and they protested, pleading for help from the government. “We are the people,” shouted Mostafa Benvidi. “Help the people. At night they go to bed hungry!” They held signs addressing officials they blame for their dried-up fields. “How long will you eat your bread made with our blood?” one sign read.

The Mediterranean country is now calling for international help battling the flames.

Climate change resulting from human activities made the current Europe-wide heatwave more than twice as likely to occur, say scientists. Researchers compared the current high temperatures with historical records from seven weather stations, in different parts of Europe. Their preliminary report found that the "signal of climate change is unambiguous," in this summer's heat.

As Europe bakes in another heatwave, forecasters say the all-time temperature record could be broken in the coming days. The current European record is 48C (118.4F) set in Athens in July 1977. Temperatures are rising in Spain and Portugal, aided by a surge of hot air sweeping in from Africa. Forecasters say the heat in some parts could keep rising, breaking national records and even the 41-year-old European record.

Freshwater fish are suffocating in rivers across Europe during the heatwave. In West Germany where temperatures have reached around 39 degree's celcius, there's hardly been any rain in the last few months, leaving the Rhine river in Cologne very low. Germans and tourists as well as pets will have to be careful when thinking about taking a dip in rivers or lakes to cool off because of an increase of harmful bacteria and algae in stagnant waters.

Citizens are urged to "join the struggle" to save precious crops from drought.