NATIONAL WEATHER

Federal meteorologists say this hurricane season may not be quite as busy as they initially thought, but it should still be more active than normal.

Ninety-seven years ago, the single worst tornado in United States history occurred.

A line of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that swept across the north-central U.S. last week has been classified by the National Weather Service as a serial derecho — the first on record December.

Strengthening off of the Gulf Coast Monday, Tropical Storm Nicholas is threatening to soon make landfall in Texas, possibly as a hurricane.

Tropical Storm Ida was downgraded from a hurricane overnight Sunday and was one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever make landfall in the mainland U.S.

Tropical Storm Ida was downgraded from a hurricane overnight Sunday and was one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever make landfall in the mainland U.S.

Tropical Storm Henri, which was downgraded from a hurricane over the weekend, is moving inland along the East Coast Monday after making landfall on Sunday in Rhode Island.

Tropical Storm Fred is strengthening off of the northwest Florida coast, and could make landfall by Monday evening.

Tropical Storm Elsa has since carved a destructive path up the East Coast after killing one person in Florida and injuring several others in Georgia.

Officials in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are warning people to plan for possible evacuations as the tiny islands hit recently by massive volcanic eruptions prepares for potential flooding and landslides from Tropical Storm Elsa, which was whirling toward the eastern Caribbean.

Forecasters expect yet another busy Atlantic hurricane season this year, but they say it won't be as crazy as 2020.

Watch a live tracker of Hurricane Delta as it approaches the Gulf Coast of the United States. Forecasters said Delta — the 25th named storm of an unprecedented Atlantic hurricane season — would likely crash ashore Friday evening somewhere on southwest Louisiana’s coast. The question was whether it would remain at devastating Category 3 strength, with top winds of 120 mph (195 kph) early Friday, or drop just before landfall to a still extremely dangerous Category 2 storm. Either way, Delta is such a large hurricane that the storm surge risk remains high even if it becomes less intense just before striking land, the National Hurricane Center said. Live Hurricane Delta tracking below:

Today is a Global Climate Action Day. Many youth groups will be taking to the streets to bring awareness to the dangers of climate change for future generations. A New York Times feature this week quoted leading climate scientists who believe we’re already past the point of return, that we’re “locked into the global ecosystem” on climate change. A Pew Research poll in 2019 found Americans are less likely to be concerned about climate change, with 59% seeing it as a serious threat, yet two-thirds of U.S. adults said the federal government is doing too little to reduce the effects of global climate change. Meanwhile, states are taking climate change action into their own hands.

More than 4,500 buildings remained threatened by the wildfire, which was burning toward thick, dry brush in the Angeles National Forest. The Lake Fire was just 12% contained as of Sunday morning and has burned nearly 28 square miles (72 square kilometers) of brush and trees. Air quality may reach unhealthy to very unhealthy levels in several regions of Southern California on Sunday and Monday afternoons, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said. Wind gusts reached 75 mph (121 kph), according to the National Weather Service. The fire has burned at least 31 square miles (80 square kilometers) and triggered evacuation orders for sparsely populated portions of Plumas, Lassen and Sierra County, said Tahoe National Forest spokesman Joe Flannery.

SAN JUAN Forecasters declared a hurricane warning for parts of the Florida coast Friday as Hurricane Isaias drenched the Bahamas on a track for the U.S. East Coast. But authorities in North Carolina ordered the evacuation of Oracoke Island, which was slammed by last year's Hurricane Dorian, starting Saturday evening. The Bahamas has reported more than 570 confirmed COVID-19 cases and at least 14 deaths. Isaias was expected to produce 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. ___Associated Press writer Dnica Coto reported this story in San Juan and AP writer Adriana Gmez Licn reported from Miami.

So it is with a great deal of concern that I share with you this years Atlantic hurricane outlook, and its bad news. Broken down into simple statistics, the NHC outlook calls for a 60% chance for an above average season, a 30% chance for an average season, and only a 10% chance for a below average season. If this outlook pans out, then the 2020 hurricane season will set a record as our fifth consecutive season with above-average hurricane activity. More specifically, the 2020 outlook suggests:13-19 names storms (average is 12)6-10 hurricanes (average is 6)3-6 major hurricanes (average is 3)It is important to emphasize that the outlook only predicts actual storms, and not WHERE they will go. Since wind shear is detrimental to tropical cyclones, neutral or La Nina conditions favor Atlantic hurricane development.

For the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered to leave home. The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland County. Dow Michigan Operations is working with its tenants and Midland County officials and will continue to closely monitor the water levels on the Tittabawassee River, Schikorra said. The Sanford Dam, which was built in 1925, received a fair condition rating. The Tittabawassee River was at 30.5 feet (9.3 meters) and rising Tuesday night - flood stage is 24 feet (7.3 meters).

The Russian River rose to more than 45 feet high in this most recent deluge. The Russian River crested over flood stage after floodwaters inundated the town (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images). The town was for some time under mandatory evacuation orders after roads leading into the town flooded over (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images). A home is shown in floodwaters from the Russian River (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images). Here’s a view over downtown Guerneville (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images).