.png&w=3840&q=100)
Five ways storms changed Florida during the 2024 hurricane season
The 2024 hurricane season tested Florida.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton brought catastrophic storm surges, record-breaking rainfall and widespread inland flooding.
Communities grappled with evacuation and failures. Unprepared college students and inland residents reflected on the need for better planning and education.
Let's take a look at the 2024 hurricane season before the next one starts.
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
Hurricane Helene is now a Category 3 storm.
NO. 1: HURRICANE HELENE MAKES FLORIDA LANDFALL. GULF COAST BATTERED AND FLOODED, AT LEAST 1 DEAD
Hurricane Helene has killed at least one person so far. | Published September 26, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alex Harris
A truck treads the water in Suwannee, Fla., as seen from the air Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, following Hurricane Helene's landfall as a category 4 storm Thursday night. (Diego Perdomo/WUFT News)
NO. 2: 'GET THE HECK OUT OF THERE': OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGE STUDENTS SCRAMBLED TO AVOID HELENE
Where do you go when home is thousands of miles away? | Published October 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Sophia Bailly
NBC-6 Hurricane Specialist John Morales
NO. 3: MIAMI METEOROLOGIST CHOKES UP AFTER SEEING HURRICANE MILTON ON RADAR: 'JUST HORRIFIC'
John Morales has been covering storms for decades | Published October 7, 2024 | Read Full Story by Madeleine Marr
Brian Zoller and Cristie Caseman had water intrusion in their garage and pantry from Hurricane Idalia in their home along Riverside Drive East in Bradenton. By Tiffany Tompkins
NO. 4: WHAT CAN A CAT 3 HURRICANE DO TO FLORIDA? TAKE A LOOK AS MILTON TARGETS THE GULF COAST
What to know about what can happen from Milton. | Published October 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jason Dill
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers ride a flats boat through the flooded N 12th St in North Tampa, on Thursday, October 10, 2024, a day after Hurricane Milton crossed Florida's Gulf Coast. By Pedro Portal
NO. 5: HURRICANE MILTON BROUGHT A SHOCKING DELUGE. THE REASON WHY DOESN'T BODE WELL FOR FLORIDA
'Hurricanes are more intense, they're wetter and seem to be moving at a slower pace.' | Published October 18, 2024 | Read Full Story by Ashley Miznazi Ana Claudia Chacin
This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane Erin remains Category 3 as track shifts south; new system on Erin's tail
Hurricane Erin, after strengthening into a Category 5 storm early Saturday, weakened to Category 3 by Sunday morning and has taken a track slightly more south than originally forecast, the National Hurricane Center said. Meanwhile forecasters are tracking another possible system close on Erin's heels that could develop near the Caribbean this week. Despite recent wobbling, Hurricane Erin is still on a track to turn away from the U.S. East Coast over the next few days. As of 11 a.m. Sunday, Erin was about 200 miles north-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. It was moving west-northwest at 14 mph. Erin's forecast track will take it to the east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas, and it will be several hundred miles off the coast of North Carolina by late in the week. Beachgoers along the U.S. coast from South Florida to Virginia are being warned of life-threatening rip currents this week as Erin passes to the east. 'While the threat of direct impacts in the Bahamas and along the east coast of the United States appears to be gradually decreasing, there will still be a significant risk of dangerous surf and rip currents along western Atlantic beaches next week,' the hurricane center said. NOAA Hurricane Hunters found maximum sustained winds had increased to nearly 160 mph during a pass through the storm just after 11 a.m. Saturday morning, making it a Category 5 hurricane. The storm joins last year's Hurricane Milton as one of the fastest-intensifying Atlantic hurricanes. Like Erin, Milton also went from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm in around 24 hours before making landfall as a Category 3 in Siesta Key in October. Erin's arrival earlier in the season makes it unique by comparison. The steep drop in the storm's central pressure over the last 24 hours makes it the 'fastest deepening Atlantic hurricane' before September, beating Hurricane Emily's 2005 record, according to Sam Lillo, a meteorologist and software engineer for DTN Weather. Most of Erin's intensification occurred during a 12- to 15-hour window overnight, according to Dan Pydynowski, a meteorologist at AccuWeather. By 5 p.m. Friday, Erin's winds had remained only 75 mph. The hurricane 'had all of the ingredients' necessary to rapidly intensify, Pydynowski said. Erin has continued moving west into increasingly warm waters and it faces little to no wind shear, which tears apart storms. The dry air that hindered it earlier this week has moved away, and it's far enough northeast of the Caribbean islands that there are no land masses interfering with its circulation. Several islands along the northeast border of the Caribbean Sea remained under tropical storm watches. Erin is expected to bring heavy rain up to 6 inches through Monday across Puerto Rico, and in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the southeastern Bahamas through Tuesday, the hurricane center said. Elsewhere in the tropics Hours after forecasters began tracking a new system in the western Atlantic Saturday, a westerly moving tropical wave arose off Africa. Regarding the latter disturbance, the National Hurricane Center said, 'An area of low pressure could form over the central tropical Atlantic during the middle to latter portion of next week from a westward moving tropical wave. Some subsequent development could occur as the system moves westward to west-northwestward at around 15 mph.' It has a 20% chance of development over the next seven days. Finally, an area of showers and thunderstorms off the coast of North Carolina could develop some over the next 24 hours, but conditions are expected to hinder any further development by Monday. As of 8 a.m., Sunday it had a 10% chance of developing in the next two to seven days. _____


USA Today
14 hours ago
- USA Today
BMW Championship live leaderboard updates, tee times, how to watch Sunday's final round
NBC, Golf Channel, Peacock, ESPN+ are teaming up for Sunday coverage of the BMW Championship There's just 18 holes left at the 2025 BMW Championship, the second leg of three-part PGA Tour postseason. It's crunch time at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. Follow along all day Sunday right here during the final round of the BMW for tee times, live leaderboard updates, highlights, breaking news and more. 2025 BMW Championship leaderboard Keep an eye on this link for all the latest scores on the BMW leaderboard. You can click this link for first-round tee times. Who's leading the 2025 BMW Championship after three days? xxxx Where to watch, stream, listen to BMW Championship 2025 This is the TV channel, streaming and radio schedule for the 2025 BMW Championship, with NBC, Golf Channel, Peacock, ESPN+ and PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM all teaming up for the coverage. All times listed are ET. We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn't influence our coverage. What is the cut at the 2025 BMW Championship? There was no 36-hole cut on this week, but there will be a top-30 cutoff Sunday evening for those who will advance to the Tour Championship. What is the prize money at the 2025 BMW Championship? The BMW has a $20 million purse and a $3.6 million first-place prize. This will also be the final week for PGA Tour golfers to compile earnings for the official money list, as the Tour Championship payouts are considered "bonus" money. What is the weather forecast for the 2025 BMW Championship? The temperatures in Owings Mills, Maryland, are expected to be high 80s, according to Accuweather. Hot and humid is in the Sunday forecast.


Newsweek
6 days ago
- Newsweek
Tropical Storm Erin Spaghetti Models Show Where Hurricane Could Hit US
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Tropical Storm Erin is tracking across the Atlantic, but while some models show it nearing parts of the southeastern United States, forecasters say the chances of a direct impact remain low. Why It Matters The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and runs through November 30. Tropical Storm Erin is the fifth named storm of the season and the second to form this month, following Tropical Storm Dexter, which fizzled out over the ocean in the first week of August. Erin could become a major hurricane, a designation that occurs when a storm's wind speeds reach 111 mph or higher, classified as a Category 3 hurricane. Should it strengthen as meteorologists expect, Erin could become not only the first hurricane of the season but also its first major hurricane. This satellite photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Dexter in the western Atlantic on August 4, 2025. This satellite photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Dexter in the western Atlantic on August 4, 2025. NOAA/AP What To Know The latest spaghetti models—a collection of forecast tracks from various meteorological agencies—indicate that Erin could make landfall anywhere from the North and South Carolina to the southeastern corner of Virginia, with models predicting category 1-4 wind speeds. And here's this morning's experimental cyclone track ensemble forecast from @GoogleDeepMind and @GoogleResearch AI modeling. There you go. Five sources. Caribbean hit looks very highly unlikely (Erin started at parallel seventeen-and-a-half). US hit looks unlikely. It's early — John Morales (@JohnMoralesTV) August 11, 2025 The worst impacts could be felt on North Carolina's Atlantic coast, with wind speeds reaching up to 130-156 mph, which can cause severe structural damage and force large-scale evacuations. However, some forecasts show lower category 1 or 2 wind speeds of up to 110 mph in the state, which can result in roof damage and flooding. But most models show the storm is unlikely to make landfall in the U.S. "US hit looks unlikely," NBC Miami meteorologist John Morales said in a post on X, adding that a Caribbean hit also looks unlikely. But meteorologist and hurricane specialist Dylan Federico urged the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean to "pay close attention" as models have "trended a bit south," raising the possibility of a major hurricane passing "uncomfortably close this weekend." Erin's "large size," he added, could bring impacts even without a direct hit. Some meteorologists also caution that it is too soon to rule out land impacts. WINK chief meteorologist Matt Devitt described it as "not the best of trends," but stressed it's "still early" and could "snap back east (windshield wiper effect)." He warned against drawing conclusions from "12 hours of data," saying the "US East Coast is not out of the woods yet... just monitor for now." Similarly, FOX meteorologist Noah Bergren said "odds favorite currently would be listed as 'out to sea'" for the eventual track, but that those odds have dropped after new model runs showed "a much further west potential path." He advised watching "how things trend" in coming days. AccuWeather's storm timeline forecasts Erin will become a Category 1 hurricane by Thursday afternoon, well east of the Lesser Antilles, then intensify to a major hurricane with winds of 111 mph or greater within 48 hours. It is expected to remain a major hurricane until Sunday around 2 p.m. before downgrading to Category 2 and maintaining that strength through Monday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) also expects Erin to reach major hurricane status, but by late Saturday morning. What People Are Saying The National Hurricane Center said in a Monday update: "Regardless of development over the next couple of days, the system is expected to continue moving westward to west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic." AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill said in a report: "The upper air pattern late week favors it turning north and likely staying east of the U.S. East Coast. However, there can be an increase in rough surf and rip currents along the East Coast beaches next weekend into early the following week." What Happens Next NHC meteorologists will continue to monitor the system as it progresses.