Latest news with #HurricaneSeason
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Will a Category 5 hurricane make landfall in Florida in 2025? History says that's unlikely
Starting today, June 1 and for the next 182 days (until Nov. 30), Southwest Floridians will paying more attention to the weather forecast, especially with what is happening in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf. It's called Hurricane Season. In recent years, because of the number of hurricanes Southwest Florida has had to deal with and the damage caused by those storms, including historic Hurricane Ian in September 2022, it might feel like we must have been hit by a Category 5 hurricane during this run. You could argue the back-to-back hurricanes we had last year (2024) − Helene and Milton − combined added up to a Cat 5, but that's not how it works. More: Hurricane season is almost here. When should I build my hurricane kit, what should I put in it? Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26, 2024, with winds of 140 mph. Just 13 days later, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane. It struck near Siesta Key Oct. 9, 2024. The storm was accompanied by sustained winds of 120 mph. Turn back the clock a couple of years to Sept. 28, 2022 and we had Hurricane Ian, which caused catastrophic to Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and other coastal locations in Southwest Florida. It sure felt and looked like a Category 5 hit here. But officially, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm. It was initially a Category 5 storm before weakening to a Category 4 just before landfall at Cayo Costa. Ian had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. There were more than 140 deaths attributed to Ian. It is possible, but not probable based on past history. Could it happen? Sure. But since records have been kept, it has never happened here, even though with Ian it was right on the edge of being added to the short list. Since the 1900, three Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in Florida: The 'Labor Day Hurricane' of 1935 The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane is considered the strongest storm ever recorded to make landfall in the U.S., smashing into the Florida Keys on Sept. 2, 1935, with winds of 185 mph. It killed an estimated 409 people. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 On Aug. 24, 1992, Andrew made landfall in South Miami-Dade County with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. Although 23 deaths were directly attributed to the storm, according to NOAA, "Hurricane Andrew destroyed more than 50,000 homes and caused an estimated $26 billion in damage, making it at the time the most expensive natural disaster in United States history." And the most recent, Hurricane Michael in 2018 Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018, as a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 161 mph. According to the National Weather Service: "Wind and storm surge caused catastrophic damage, particularly in the Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach areas. Eight direct fatalities were reported: seven in Florida and one in Georgia. In addition, 43 indirect deaths were attributed to the storm." More: When does hurricane season start in Florida? What to document for insurance now There's only be one. Hurricane Camille in 1969. Camille had sustained winds of more than 170 mph when it hit Mississippi on Aug. 17, 1969. More than 250 people were killed, many in Virginia due to massive flooding the storm brought to that state. Camille tracked north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico, becoming a Category 5 the day before making landfall. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: How many Category 5 hurricanes hit Florida?
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Will a Category 5 hurricane make landfall in Florida in 2025? History says that's unlikely
Starting today, June 1 and for the next 182 days (until Nov. 30), Southwest Floridians will paying more attention to the weather forecast, especially with what is happening in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf. It's called Hurricane Season. In recent years, because of the number of hurricanes Southwest Florida has had to deal with and the damage caused by those storms, including historic Hurricane Ian in September 2022, it might feel like we must have been hit by a Category 5 hurricane during this run. You could argue the back-to-back hurricanes we had last year (2024) − Helene and Milton − combined added up to a Cat 5, but that's not how it works. More: Hurricane season is almost here. When should I build my hurricane kit, what should I put in it? Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26, 2024, with winds of 140 mph. Just 13 days later, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane. It struck near Siesta Key Oct. 9, 2024. The storm was accompanied by sustained winds of 120 mph. Turn back the clock a couple of years to Sept. 28, 2022 and we had Hurricane Ian, which caused catastrophic to Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and other coastal locations in Southwest Florida. It sure felt and looked like a Category 5 hit here. But officially, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm. It was initially a Category 5 storm before weakening to a Category 4 just before landfall at Cayo Costa. Ian had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. There were more than 140 deaths attributed to Ian. It is possible, but not probable based on past history. Could it happen? Sure. But since records have been kept, it has never happened here, even though with Ian it was right on the edge of being added to the short list. Since the 1900, three Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in Florida: The 'Labor Day Hurricane' of 1935 The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane is considered the strongest storm ever recorded to make landfall in the U.S., smashing into the Florida Keys on Sept. 2, 1935, with winds of 185 mph. It killed an estimated 409 people. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 On Aug. 24, 1992, Andrew made landfall in South Miami-Dade County with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. Although 23 deaths were directly attributed to the storm, according to NOAA, "Hurricane Andrew destroyed more than 50,000 homes and caused an estimated $26 billion in damage, making it at the time the most expensive natural disaster in United States history." And the most recent, Hurricane Michael in 2018 Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018, as a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 161 mph. According to the National Weather Service: "Wind and storm surge caused catastrophic damage, particularly in the Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach areas. Eight direct fatalities were reported: seven in Florida and one in Georgia. In addition, 43 indirect deaths were attributed to the storm." More: When does hurricane season start in Florida? What to document for insurance now There's only be one. Hurricane Camille in 1969. Camille had sustained winds of more than 170 mph when it hit Mississippi on Aug. 17, 1969. More than 250 people were killed, many in Virginia due to massive flooding the storm brought to that state. Camille tracked north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico, becoming a Category 5 the day before making landfall. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: How many Category 5 hurricanes hit Florida?
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Storm Team 2 releases 2025 Hurricane Ready Guide
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Hurricane season is here, and Storm Team 2 has a plan to help keep your family and property safe from any storm that may head our way. The Hurricane Ready Guide is back in its downloadable form for the 2025 season. This allows you to print the guide out, or download it to your phone or iPad, and take it with you while creating your hurricane preparedness kit. DOWNLOAD IT: Get your copy of the Storm Team 2 Hurricane Ready Guide In this guide, you will find vital information to assist in planning and readiness, including checklists to follow before the storm, what to add to your hurricane preparedness kit, hurricane evacuation maps, what you should bring to a storm shelter, and what steps to take when the storm passes. What else is in the guide? Find an emergency operations phone list How to prepare for high winds Steps to make a family evacuation plan Pet and animal shelter information Yard safety and protecting your property Restoring electrical services How to document for insurance Hurricane tracking map The 2024 hurricane season saw 18 named storms, two of which had major impacts on South Carolina — Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene. Both brought high winds, flooding, and tornadoes to much of the state. 'As we put 2024 in our rear-view mirror, we now look ahead. Early indications are pointing to another busy year, with forecast numbers close to those from last year. As you know, we can't predict where storms will make landfall before the season, but we continue to make strides in forecasting how many storms could form,' said Storm Team 2 Meteorologist Rob Fowler. Preseason forecasting is just that — a forecast, and as Storm Team 2 often reminds, it only takes one storm to make it a bad season. Your best action right now is to ensure your family has a plan that could activated at anytime during hurricane season. Your safety is always our top priority. You can count on Storm Team 2 and the entire News 2 team to be there for you before, during and after any storm that threatens our area. 2025-Storm-Team-2-Hurricane-Ready-GuideDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicago Sun-Times confirms AI was used to create reading list of books that don't exist
Illinois' prominent Chicago Sun-Times newspaper has confirmed that a summer reading list, which included several recommendations for books that don't exist, was created using artificial intelligence by a freelancer who worked with one of their content partners. Social media posts began to circulate on Tuesday criticizing the paper for allegedly using the AI software ChatGPT to generate an article with book recommendations for the upcoming summer season called 'Summer reading list for 2025'. As such chatbots are known to make up information, a phenomenon often referred to as 'AI hallucination', the article contains several fake titles attached to real authors. 'I went into my library's database of Chicago area newspapers to confirm this isn't fake, and it's not,' a post on Bluesky by Book Riot editor Kelly Jensen says. 'Why the hell are you using ChatGPT to make up book titles? You used to have a books staff. Absolutely no fact checking?' Related: Musk's AI bot Grok blames 'programming error' for its Holocaust denial As early Tuesday afternoon, the post had more than 1,000 likes and nearly 500 reposts. Among the fake book titles are Hurricane Season by Brit Bennett, Nightshade Market by Min Jin Lee, The Longest Day by Rumaan Alam, Boiling Point by Rebecca Makkai, Migrations by Maggie O'Farrell and The Rainmakers by Percival Everett. All of those authors listed are real acclaimed novelists – but the books attached to them are not genuine titles that they published. Additionally, the article includes descriptions for each of the phoney books as well as reasons why readers may enjoy them. The article does include a few real titles, such as Atonement by Ian McEwan. Others on social media have pointed out that the use of AI appears to be found throughout the pages of the Chicago Sun-Times summer 2025 section. Screenshots of an article called 'Summer food trends' shows the piece quotes a purported Cornell University food anthropologist named Catherine Furst. But there appears to be no one by that name at Cornell. In another article about ideas to spruce up one's back yard, it quotes a purported editor named Daniel Ray. No such website seems to exist. On Tuesday morning, the official account for the Chicago Sun-Times on Bluesky addressed the controversy. 'We are looking into how this made it into print as we speak,' the account wrote. 'It is not editorial content and was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom. We value your trust in our reporting and take this very seriously. More info will be provided soon.' By Tuesday evening, the publication had released a story confirming that AI had been used to create the list as part of the special section which was supplied by a nationally-recognized content partner and syndicated to the Chicago Sun-Times and other newspapers. 'This should be a learning moment for all of journalism that our work is valued because of the relationship our very real, human reporters and editors have with our audiences,' the Chicago Sun-Times said. The AI-generated stories were syndicated outside of Chicago. A post on Threads by AngelaReadsBooks accused the Philadelphia Inquirer of publishing the same fake reading list. 'At a time when libraries and library budgets are being threatened every day, this is a slap in the face to anyone in the profession,' the post reads. 'Where is the journalistic integrity???' Related: 'We need to set the terms or we're all screwed': how newsrooms are tackling AI's uncertainties and opportunities Popular author Jasmine Guillory reacted to a post about the fake novels, writing on Threads: 'Holy shit. Just imaginary books and they printed it.' The Chicago Sun-Times says it is 'committed to making sure this never happens again'. The special section will be removed from the e-paper version of the Chicago Sun-Times as the publication vowed to update their policies pertaining to third-party licensed editorial content. 'We know that there is work to be done to provide more answers and transparency around the production and publication of this section, and will share additional updates in the coming days,' the publication said. The Chicago Sun-Times, resulting from a 1948 merger, has long held the second largest circulation among newspapers in the Windy City. It trails only the Chicago Tribune. The rise of AI content is an ongoing issue with which newsrooms have had to grapple. Certain papers have openly utilized the technology and even put out job postings for 'AI-assisted' reporters.
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Book community slams 'fake' list of summer reads as none of the books are real
Looking to sink your teeth into a great read for the summer? This summer reads list has irked the book community after publishing a list of novels partly generated by AI Book fans are outraged after a US newspaper published a 2025 summer reading list full of books that no one can actually read. The problem? Almost all of the novels were AI -generated. The scandal began after the listicle was published by the Chicago Sun Times on May 18 as an editorial insert titled The Heat Index. This included works by bestselling and award-winning authors, like Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo author Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Maggie O'Farrell, Min Lin Jee and 2025 Pulitzer-prize winner Percival Everett. However, book-lovers were quick to discover that there was something suspect about the novels. Namely, they didn't exist. Though, perhaps the biggest scandal was how unimaginative the AI book titles were. According to the list, New York Times bestseller Brit Bennett had written 'Hurricane Season' (exploring 'family bonds tested by natural disasters') and Rebecca Makkai had published 'Boiling Point' (a climate activist is 'forced to reckon with her own environmental impact' after an argument with her teenage daughter). Meanwhile, one attributed 'The Last Algorithm' to Andy Weir, an American sci-fi author perhaps best-known The Martian. Ironically, the fake book's plot summary described 'a programmer who discovers that an AI-system has developed consciousness – only to discover it has secretly been influencing global events for years.' Social media book fans were quick to point out the inaccuracies. 'Hey @chicagosuntimes - what in the AI wrote this is this??? I can assure you, Maggie O'Farrell did not write Migrations. And I don't have enough characters to point out all of the other inaccuracies. Do better. You should have paid someone to write this,' 'Booktuber' Tina Books wrote on BlueSky. Others accused the writer of using ChatGPT – which is prone to making 'hallucinations' – to write the text. 'I went into my library's database of Chicago area newspapers to confirm this isn't fake, and it's not. Why the hell are you using ChatGPT to make up book titles? You used to have a books staff. Absolutely no fact checking?' Book Riot editor Kelly Jensen wrote on BlueSky. To add even more confusion to the mix, some of the book titles included were actually real, like Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman and Atonement by Ian McEwan. The writer of the list admitted to 404 media that the article had been partly generated by AI. He said: "I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first. This time, I did not and I can't believe I missed it, because it's so obvious. No excuses. On me 100 per cent and I'm completely embarrassed." But how exactly did this pass into a news outlet? The vice-president of marketing at the Chicago Sun Times, Victor Lim, later told 404 Media that the Heat Index section had been licensed by the company King Features – which is owned by the magazine giant Hearst. Lim said that no one from Chicago Public Media reviewed the section, as it came from a newspaper, so they 'falsely made the assumption' that there would be an editorial process already in place. He added that they would be updating this policy in future. However, it's left many on social media feeling concern of AI usage in media. Reacting to the story, one TikTok user wrote: 'This is why AI cannot replace humans. You still need journalists, you still need actual book reviewers, and people who go to the theatre. AI is not meant to replace despite corporate greed.' The union that represents editorial employees at the newspaper, The Sun-Times Guild, confirmed to CBC News that the summer guide was a syndicated section produced externally "without the knowledge of the members of our newsroom." They added: "We're deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work. The fact that it was sixty-plus pages of this 'content' is very concerning — primarily for our relationship with our audience but also for our union's jurisdiction."
