A relatively quiet lull in terms of hurricane activity for Americans appears to be coming to an end, as a storm that formed in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to become a hurricane when it reaches the U.S. coast on Wednesday.
The storm, called Tropical Storm Francine, is located about 300 miles south of the mouth of the Rio Grande River and is expected to move north to strike the Gulf Coast of Louisiana as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane. Such storms have sustained sustained winds of at least 74 mph (119 km/h) or 110 mph (177 km/h), depending on the category.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that the storm is expected to bring heavy rain and flooding into northeastern Mexico, southern Texas, southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi through Thursday.
The exact extent of the storm’s impacts remains unclear, but the NHC said there was an increased likelihood of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds along parts of the Louisiana and North Texas coastlines beginning Tuesday night.
Oil and gas producers including Exxon and Shell have begun evacuating workers from Gulf Coast facilities and curtailing some drilling operations in preparation for the storm, and the U.S. Coast Guard has also imposed restrictions on ships sailing through certain ports, including Corpus Christi, Texas.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted a stronger-than-normal Atlantic hurricane season this year, with as many as 25 named storms, but the new storms mark the end of a period of relative calm for Americans.
Concerns about an intense hurricane season were spurred by record warming ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean due to the climate crisis, driven in large part by the burning of fossil fuels. A La Niña weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, which typically reduces wind shear that breaks up Atlantic storms, was also expected to contribute to what was expected to be a more active than normal hurricane season.
Since June, five named storms have formed, three of which have become hurricanes, with the latest roughly coinciding with the arrival of the statistical peak of the U.S. hurricane season on September 10.
While major storms threaten to hit the Gulf Coast, Americans miles away are also dealing with another danger fueled by global warming: wildfires.
Firefighters warned that an out-of-control wildfire was burning in a national forest about 65 miles east of Los Angeles, putting 35,000 structures, including thousands of homes, at risk. A lingering heat wave and expected thunderstorms have exacerbated the danger, leading to evacuation orders being issued for days.