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The Independent
34 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tropical Storm Ivo forms in the eastern Pacific and could impact coastal Mexico, forecasters say
Tropical Storm Ivo formed Wednesday in the eastern Pacific Ocean and was expected to bring rain and rough surf to parts of Mexico 's southwest coast, forecasters said. Ivo had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was centered about 195 miles (310 kilometers) south-southeast of Acapulco, according to the National Hurricane Center based in Miami. Forecasters said Ivo is expected to be near hurricane strength by the end of the week as it spends a few days moving offshore, and generally parallel to the coast, before turning west away from land. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect as Ivo moves west-northwest at 22 mph (35 kph). But large ocean swells kicked up by Ivo could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents, the hurricane center said. The storm also threatened flash flooding and was expected to dump 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain with isolated totals of up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) in spots around parts of the Mexican states of Guerrero, Michoacan and southwestern portions of Oaxaca through Saturday. Ivo was the second tropical storm in the eastern Pacific, joining Tropical Storm Henriette. On Wednesday, Henriette had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was located 1,555 miles (2,505 kilometers) east of Hilo, Hawaii, and moving west. Little change in strength was expected over the next 48 hours, the hurricane center said. In the Atlantic, Dexter remained a tropical storm but was forecast to become a powerful extra-tropical cyclone as it moves over open water. On Wednesday afternoon, Dexter was centered about 490 miles (790 kilometers) south-southwest of Newfoundland, Canada, and moving to the east-northeast at 16 mph (26 kph) far from land.
The Independent
34 minutes ago
- The Independent
After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire as many as 450 people to shore up the National Weather Service after deep cuts this spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday. NOAA was granted permission to fill critical positions at its weather arm, including openings for meteorologists, hydrologists and electronics technicians, Trump administration officials said. The hirings are part of an exemption to a freeze on federal hiring in place through at least Oct. 15. NOAA declined to comment further. The planned hiring was first reported by CNN. The Department of Government Efficiency has gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service, which are key for the nation's daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring and more. Hundreds of NOAA forecasters and other employees have been cut, and NWS offices around the country have had a number of vacancies. The administration has also weighed ending the sharing of satellite data that is key to effective storm tracking and stopped tracking the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters. Meteorologists and climate scientists have warned of consequences with fewer workers in positions that are crucial, especially as the hurricane season got underway. After deadly flash flooding that killed dozens of people in Texas last month, some local officials and Democrats suggested that the deep staffing cuts may have contributed to endangering lives, though others defended the agency's work. Experts cautiously applauded the exemption for hirings as positive news. 'While this new development is great news for the NWS and the American public, I would like to see that the hiring actions are actually underway,' said Louis Uccellini, former NOAA administrator for weather services and NWS director. The hirings are said to include the 'mission-critical field positions' that the agency announced it would hire for in June 'to further stabilize front line operations." The agency did not say at the time how many roles would be filled. ___ Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ___ ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Fewer than 1,000 Scottish homes still without power after Storm Floris
Fewer than 1,000 homes affected by Storm Floris are still without power after crews spent Wednesday restoring supplies to thousands. By 9.30pm on Wednesday, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said there were around 950 homes, mainly in the Highlands, that were still without power as a result of the weather. Around 98.6% of customers (71,000) have been reconnected as hundreds of engineers worked into the evening in affected areas for as long as daylight allowed. SSEN said the teams will return to continue to repair the network on Thursday morning. The company added: 'SSEN thanks customers for their understanding and patience while we continue to repair the network and reconnect customers as safely and quickly as possible.' Justice and Home Affairs Minister Angela Constance said the storm had a particular impact on power and transport infrastructure across the country, resulting in a major mobilisation of utility companies, national agencies and local authorities. The Scottish Government said transport services are almost back to normal, and engineers are continuing to restore power to homes and businesses. Ms Constance thanked responders who assisted in reconnecting the public and businesses. She said: 'I want to thank everyone in the public, private and third sector for the role they played in responding to Storm Floris. 'It was a significant and unseasonal storm with the worst affected areas covering a wide geographical spread. 'Engineers have worked tirelessly over the past two days to return power to the remaining affected properties as soon as possible. ' Energy companies continue to provide support to customers, including ensuring provisions are in place for the most vulnerable.' Thousands of customers spent a second night without power after Storm Floris swept in on Monday. Tens of thousands were left without power after winds reached speeds of up to 90mph earlier in the week. An amber weather warning was in place for an area stretching from the central belt to northern Scotland for much of the day on Monday while the rest of the country was covered by a yellow weather warning. The storm also caused significant disruption to Scotland's rail network. Network Rail said teams had been working 'tirelessly' to repair damage to infrastructure such as overhead lines and to clear fallen trees and debris from the tracks. The storm also led to delays in exam results being delivered to pupils in some island communities on SQA results day on Tuesday.
