Hurricanes: What you need to know

“Hurricane” is the name used for the most powerful tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern Pacific Ocean — those bearing sustained winds of 74 mph and above. Hurricanes are generally called “typhoons” in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and “severe cyclonic storms” in the south Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

Tropical cyclones are rotating low-pressure systems carrying thunderstorms but no identifiable “front,” which is the boundary that separates two air masses of different densities in most storm systems…

National Flood Insurance Is Underwater Because of Outdated Science

The National Flood Insurance Program, which covers some 5.2 million property holders in the U.S., was slated to get a badly needed overhaul today. The Senate’s task—which includes hammering out reforms that address the changing math of flood risk—has already been pushed back three times since November. Yet lawmakers still have not compromised on how to fix a broken system, so a reauthorization of the NFIP will almost certainly be punted again, to July 31.

The NFIP, which is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is struggling because it is trapped in a downward spiral of ballooning claims…