weather

Sam rapidly intensified overnight and is forecast to become a major hurricane over the weekend. While models suggests Sam may stay out to sea, it is still too soon to credibly predict whether there will be impacts to Florida.

The remnant of what was once Hurricane Nicholas has dissipated over Louisiana, but the moisture out ahead of it remains and will contribute to wet conditions over a large portion of the state this weekend.

Nicholas is expected to bring up to 10 inches of rain — with isolated downpours of up to 20 inches — across portions of coastal Texas and southwest Louisiana through at least Tuesday.

Ida blasted ashore Sunday as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S., blowing roofs off buildings and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River.

Four systems in the tropical Atlantic basin were being monitored by the National Hurricane Center, but none of them are likely to be a threat to Florida in the next five to seven days.

The tropics are likely to take a break most of this week after Tropical Storm Henri's landfall in New England Sunday afternoon. That break is expected to be short-lived.

About 267 million gallons are currently held in the structure, up from about 200 million gallons before the summer.

Grace weakened to a depression over the eastern Caribbean late Sunday afternoon. It is still on course to come near or pass over Hispaniola on Monday.

Wind and surge impacts could vary greatly in some places depending on Fred's track, but the greatest hazard to most Floridians will be heavy rain and potential flooding.

The disturbance in the northeast Caribbean was upgraded to Tropical Storm Fred late Tuesday evening just south of Puerto Rico. The storm has the potential to affect a large portion of Florida this weekend with heavy rain and high winds, although the magnitude, location and timing of those impacts are still uncertain.

Potential Tropical Cyclone 6 is close to becoming the season's sixth named tropical storm in the Caribbean, and may cause direct effects over a portion of Florida over the upcoming weekend.

Scientists say the area of little-to-no oxygen is about the size of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie put together.