Hurricane season

Saturday marks the official end of a busy and destructive hurricane season, in which the weeks that usually see peak activity were puzzlingly quiet.

Cuba was left reeling on Thursday after Rafael, a fierce Category 3 hurricane, ripped across the island.

The magnitude of the impact remained unclear through the early hours of the day, but forecasters warned that Hurricane Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds and flash floods to Cuba after ravaging parts of the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

Hurricane Rafael picked up in intensity and became a Category 3 storm before making landfall in Cuba Wednesday.

A system in the Caribbean became Tropical Storm Rafael Monday and was expected to become a hurricane later in the week, forecasters said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the owner of a dog found abandoned amid Hurricane Milton was identified and will face one count of aggravated cruelty to animals.

As Hurricane Milton barreled into and across Florida, it spawned dozens of tornadoes, knocked out power to millions, damaged homes, flooded neighborhoods and led to hundreds of rescues.

Back-to-back storms leave residents feeling exhausted, sleepless and coping with mixed feelings of gratitude and guilt.

Hurricane Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after plowing across Florida, pounding cities with ferocious winds and rain.

The dog was found tied to a fence off the highway on Wednesday as millions evacuate their homes before the storm makes landfall.

First responders from Maryland Task Force 1 and Baltimore Gas and Electric are headed to Florida to help out with the dangerous Hurricane Milton. Crews are going right after Hurricane Helene. News4’s Megan McGrath talks to some responders as they depart. 

The Hurricane Helene relief effort continues as Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida. News4’s Aimee Cho reports on some of the ways people in the D.C. area are helping, including this school’s haunted house fundraiser: https://www.instagram.com/p/DA33qN9Sw14/?img_index=1

Local residents are reuniting with loved ones who recently evacuated from Florida before Hurricane Milton hits the state. Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss reports.

Hurricane Milton spared Mexico’s Quintana Roo as it takes aim at Florida’s battered Gulf Coast.

Some passengers who originally planned to travel to Florida are redirecting their travel plans in caution of Hurricane Milton. News4’s Joseph Olmo talks to travelers about how the storm is impacting their flights. 

Tampa International Airport is suspending all flights at 9 a.m. Tuesday and other major airports are Wednesday due to Hurricane Milton coming to Florida. News4’s Joseph Olmo explains what to do if a traveler booked a flight to Florida this week. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis made a late appeal for residents to flee for shelter with a potentially historic storm expected to make landfall on Wednesday.

The Saffir-Simpson scale is used to measure the speed of hurricanes. Why does it stop at Category 5?

Milton became a hurricane this Sunday. It is expected to arrive near Tampa on Wednesday as at least a Category 3, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).