GULF COAST

Rescue groups are helping people trapped on Sanibel Island after Hurricane Ian destroyed the bridge connecting the island to the rest of Florida.

Fox News rode along with the Lee County Sheriff's Office to capture the destruction left by Hurricane Ian.

Some Floridians were trapped at home during the hurricane because they didn't have the money to evacuate.

One by one, armed with handfuls of belongings or cellphones and cameras, residents of cities along Florida’s Gulf coast returned to their homes on Thursday to survey the damage. Some of the first signs of the historic destruction left by Hurricane Ian were evident on Interstate-75 near Golden Gate, about 40 miles south of Fort Myers Thursday morning as at least 50 Florida Fish and Wildlife ...

Three people have been arrested and accused of trying to transport smuggled migrants into the interior of the United States by air, bypassing Border Patrol checkpoints, according to court records.

As Ian continued its destructive trek across Florida, over a million households across the state awoke on Thursday without electricity as residents and emergency crews along the Gulf Coast began to assess the toppled buildings, flooded streets and crippled infrastructure.

Hurricane Ian is currently hitting the Gulf Coast of Florida after strengthening to a Category 4 storm before making landfall, possibly near Port Charlotte.

Carbon monoxide poisoning from using a generator indoors can "kill you in minutes," the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns.

Water is seen receding from the Tampa Bay shores at the Florida Gulf coast as Hurricane Ian closes in. The water is being pushed away by Ian's strong winds and will return with the storm surge.

Calling Hurricane Ian the "real deal" as he urged Floridians in the storm's immediate path to "hunker down" Wednesday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the powerful Category 4 storm had wind speeds of 155 mph -- knocking on the door of a Category 5 (which starts at 157 mph).

Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama is providing a safe place for Florida Gulf Coast residents seeking refuge from Hurricane Ian by temporarily opening up its campgrounds for free.

Residents in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Pasco counties are eligible for the discounted rides, Gov. DeSantis said.

A Category 5 storm in Tampa Bay could produce a 26-foot flood and kill up to 2,000 people, according to Vox.

Tropical Storm Ian became Hurricane Ian on Monday morning. The storm has winds of 75mph. Ian is expected to become a major hurricane within the next day or two.

Labor Day marks the end of the summer driving season. While gas prices are elevated, the U.S. avoided the stretch of super high prices that some had feared.

Light rain near the Gulf Coast with a few showers north of I-10.  Locally heavy rounds of slow moving storms could lead to local flooding.  Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop around 2 p.m.  These will continue to push across northeast Florida and southeast Georgia with strong to isolated severe storms, hail, local flooding, lots of lightning and gusty wind.  Cloudy skies with patchy fog overnight.

Gulf Shores, Ala., offers the same Gulf beauty without the crowds and activity of Destin, Fla.

Strong thunderstorms are blowing eastward over the entire area. Storms in Jacksonville resulted in over 40 mph gusts in the city and also in Yulee.

Most of the rain is over for Jacksonville this evening. However, we are watching two bands that will continue in parts of the southern counties from Putnam to St. Johns late this afternoon and rain should last later into the evening across Georgia. The storms in Georgia could become briefly strong with gusty winds and heavy rain through 7 pm. The rain will move east out into the Atlantic while missing most of Duval tonight.

The Jacksonville Armada's dream soccer season continued on Sunday night.

The National Hurricane Center is watching the Northern Gulf of Mexico as a frontal boundary sinks south.

Authorities say a teenage girl was seriously injured when a shark attacked her off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Authorities in Mexico’s Gulf coast Hustaeca region say the bound bodies of four people have been found in the burned-out wreckage of a helicopter, along with signs indicating they were killed by a drug gang

LGBTQ advocates say the recent fatal shooting of a 27-year-old Black transgender woman along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast reflects a disturbing pattern of violence against an already marginalized group

Overnight lows will be seasonal in the upper 60s low 70s.

On top of their huge human cost, storms can knock out oil production and refining, causing long-lasting disruptions.

Photos of the bodies showed extensive bruising on the corpses, suggesting they had been beaten.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center has issued a bulletin on an area of low pressure on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula that could become a depression or tropical storm and head toward Florida’s Gulf coast

Three migrants have drowned off Mexico’s Gulf coast and four are missing

Once upon a time, not too many years ago, I could look into the predicted world weather patterns and see, well in advance, when there could be conducive properties for tropical storm development. I could identify these conditions and then sit on the thought, for maybe a week, or longer, to see whether or not if these predicted conditions actually would come together.

The Clotilda has been encased for decades in mud that conceivably could hold traces of DNA from captives, officials say.

A crew working on the Alabama coast is assessing the remains of the last slave ship known to have landed in the United States, more than 160 years ago.

"It's important to be aware of the dangers below the water as well as above," the sheriff's office wrote.

"It's important to be aware of the dangers below the water as well as above," the sheriff's office wrote.

There are about 850 tick species globally, but the ticks to keep an eye out for in Illinois include the blacklegged tick (or deer tick), the American dog tick, the lone star tick and the Gulf Coast tick — a more recent arrival.

Authorities say they were able to rescue a woman by helicopter after she was stuck in the vast marshland of a Florida state park. Various agencies were deployed to the 11,000-acre (4,450-hectare) Estero Bay Preserve State Park on the Gulf Coast south of Fort Myers. The Iona McGregor Fire District says the woman was out hiking with her husband Friday, but the man had gotten tired and had decided to return while she kept going and got lost.

The costs of LNG export expansion plans likely will outlast Europe's need for the gas.

"This type of harassment causes undue stress to wild dolphins, is dangerous for the people who interact with them and is illegal," rescuers said.

Severe weather brought a tornado and hail as large as softballs to Arkansas.

A case involving a woman charged with murder has highlighted the need for safe abortion access in Texas.

A storm system moving through the central U.S. on April 12 will bring a high risk of wildfires along with its potential for destructive weather.

A massive great white shark, being tracked by OCEARCH, pinged off the Gulf Coast of Florida on Thursday.

A home along Florida’s Gulf Coast will be auctioned off in the upcoming week as a non-fungible token in what is believed to be among the first such transactions in the U.S. Non-fungible tokens — or NFTs — use a version of the encryption technology employed to secure cryptocurrencies to create one-of-a-kind digital objects.

The two killings marked a grim start to 2022 in Mexico, which is considered one of the most dangerous places for reporters.

Free online resources and specialized professional inspections can help you assess your home’s vulnerability to natural disasters.

Anyone that feels they are a reality superstar in the making has the opportunity to  prove that as MTV is currently casting a new reality program called Gulf Coast.  They are casting throughout the south and telling potential candidates…”If you’re single, old enough to know better, young enough to not care, you’re at least 21 and unapologetically proud to be who you are?  Apply now!  Rance chatted with casting connection Chris Anthony to get the scoop.  If you are interested in casting for this new hit show coming out, GULF COAST contact

A major U.S. port was the target last month of suspected nation-state hackers.

Lawmakers must prevent a shutdown, authorize new aid to help those affected by two deadly hurricanes and raise a statutory limit that allows Washington to rack up debts to pay its bills, all the while advancing Biden's $4 trillion agenda.

Flash flooding, tornadoes and hail are forecasted for some areas still grappling with Hurricane Ida's aftermath.

Satellites captured strengthening Tropical Storm Nicholas as it neared the coast of Texas before pouring down over ten inches of rain in only a few hours.

There haven't been that many "O" storms in the past, but they have occurred with a history of destructive storms. Here's a look at the past of "O" named storms during hurricane season.

The Category 1 hurricane has already left more than 300,000 people without power.

Texas braces for Tropical Storm Nicholas, which could bring up to 20 inches of rain to parts of the Gulf Coast. (Sept. 13)

At 400 PM CDT (2100 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Nicholas was located near latitude 32.0 North, longitude 92.7 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the north near 2 mph (4...

In the 20 years since the 9/11 terror attacks, Muslim Americans have dealt with bias and doubts over their Americanness. Some have found ways to push back, by running for office and becoming community organizers. (Sept. 7)

Joe Sobol, owner of Big Easy Construction in New Orleans, has bad news for homeowners who’ve been calling about roofs damaged by Hurricane Ida.

The Weather Authority is keeping a close eye on a tropical wave that’s slowly moving over the Gulf of Mexico. The NHC gives this disturbance a 50% chance for development over the next 2 and 5 days.

At least 49 people are confirmed dead, and in some areas the search continues for missing people. Residents digging out from the wreckage are asking if the Northeast is prepared for the next storm.

The director of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention this week asked Americans who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 to stay home during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The right mix of weather conditions combined to create extreme rainfall over New York and surrounding areas. Once extremely rare, storms like this may become the norm as the climate warms.

More deaths could still be linked to the downpour, which ended Thursday after cutting a destructive path north from Louisiana's Gulf Coast.

New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were among the hardest hit as rainfall burst through records.

The storm unleashed a tornado in Annapolis, Maryland, knocking down power lines and damaging businesses.

Aerial photographs reveal damage and flooding in parts of Louisiana following Hurricane Ida.

Hurricane Ida churned a storm surge of 10 to 12 feet high in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana. It was enough to overcome levees and completely swallow the town on Aug. 30.

More than 750 people are helping with the search and rescue efforts, while over 25,000 linemen are trying to restore electricity.

Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana as a Category 4 storm, the first U.S. landfall of 2021. See photos of the hurricane from space here.

At least one person is confirmed dead from Ida, but officials expect the death toll to rise, as rescue efforts get underway in Louisiana. Ida continued to move north, bringing rain and heavy winds.

Ida​ is weakening and heading north, bringing the threat of dangerous flash flooding along with it.

Officials are offering new hope for the safety of U.S. schoolchildren threatened by COVID-19.

Tropical Storm Ida formed early Thursday afternoon in the Western Caribbean, and as of midday Friday, it was projected that the storm would track into the Gulf eventually as a hurricane of at least Category 2 strength.

Tropical Storm Ida has formed in the Caribbean and forecasters say it's aimed at the U.S. Gulf Coast, prompting Louisiana’s governor to declare a state of emergency and forecasters to announce a hurricane watch for New Orleans.

The U.S. Gulf Coast is glowing like a bad sunburn on maps that show COVID-19 trouble spots in red.

Tropical Depression Grace is drenching Haiti, dumping up to 15 inches of rain on a quake-damaged landscape as thousands of people huddle in fields and search for survivors.

The National Hurricane Center said Fred has regained tropical storm status in the Gulf of Mexico as parts of the Caribbean began seeing impacts from tropical depression Grace.

Drones could be used to monitor red tide, and money should be set aside to offset local costs of removing fish killed by toxic algae blooms, state wildlife officials said Wednesday as they look to manage future outbreaks.

A later start to our isolated storms with widely scattered showers developing across the area as the Gulf coast sea breeze progresses eastward.  The Atlantic sea breeze will be delayed until mid-day, remaining pinned near and along I-95 and the beaches through the late afternoon.  Locally heavy rainfall will be possible.  Heat index values of 100-105 degrees are expected this afternoon across much of our area.

Our summer pattern of afternoon storms returns for the start of the week.

Health officials say red tide could cause people along certain parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast to experience respiratory irritation.

Tropical Storm Elsa moved into southern Georgia early Wednesday evening after making landfall earlier in the day along Florida’s northern Gulf Coast.

Tropical Storm Elsa made landfall late Wednesday morning in Taylor County along Florida’s northern Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center said.

Florida’s Emergency Operations Center has been elevated to a Level 1, its highest activation, as the anticipated landfall of Tropical Storm Elsa grows nearer.

Tropical Storm Elsa brought strong winds and rain to the Gulf Coast near Cedar Key on Wednesday as it moved past just 35 miles offshore. People who live and work on the small island were prepared to get some of the first and worst impacts of the storm.

After blowing through the Gulf Coast and sending storms throughout Florida, Tropical Storm Elsa moved into southern Georgia, bringing with it heavy rains and gusty winds.

As Tropical Storm Elsa barrels towards Florida, schools on the west coast of the state made the decision to shut down on Tuesday.

Weather forecasters say a storm that has been lashing Florida over the past day has intensified into a hurricane.

Tropical Storm Elsa remains on a projected path just off Florida’s Gulf Coast with possible landfall early Wednesday in the Big Bend region. This potentially puts us on the powerful, “dirty” side of the storm with a greater chance of severe weather.

A brief light shower is possible this evening mainly between the river and the coast. Expect no change to the humid air or partly cloudy skies.

Drier air this morning will delay the onset of convection along the Gulf coast then increasing in coverage in the mid to late afternoon.

A wet workweek with elevated rain chances each day.

Near record highs today with a warm breezy.  Increasing rain chances this weekend with the unsettled pattern continuing next week.

The Gulf Coast sea breeze will be a focal point for isolated showers and storms.  Meanwhile it’s hot and getting hotter.

Happy Sunday! We’re off to another wet start with light to moderate rainfall building along the Gulf Coast and tracking east.

The strong storms pushing through Florida have killed a 17-year-old girl.

Part of the reason you are paying more at the pump is because of supply issues caused by the winter weather on the Gulf Coast. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Drivers in Florida are paying more to fill up their gas tanks following last week’s massive winter storm in Texas. (WKMG)According to new numbers released Monday by AAA, gas prices in the state jumped 15 cents per gallon last week. Officials with AAA say that is the highest daily gas price average since July 2019. According to AAA, the spike in prices is similar to what is seen following a hurricane.

Literally stretching from Los Angeles, east along I-10 to Jacksonville will be a swath of light to moderate rains and showers. And there will be a fine line between the heavier rains (mainly north of Jacksonville) and just some scattered showers and some sunshine south of Jacksonville. Friday temperatures will be very mild, starting around 60° around sunrise and then into the low 70s south of Jacksonville. Those northeasterly winds will then surge southwards into Florida during the sunrise hours on Saturday. By the evening hours, northeasterly winds coming onshore will knocked down temperatures back into the 50s.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hundreds of frontline health care workers at Ascension St. Vincent’s in Riverside received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine Thursday morning. Roughly 500 doses of COVID-19 are being administered to healthcare workers in Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospital and the message on Thursday was one of hope. Ascension St. Vincent’s in Jacksonville is moving forward with Pfizer to vaccinate its front-line staff today. 500 healthcare workers set to get the #CovidVaccine. After getting the first dose of the shot, healthcare workers stayed for 15 minutes for observation.

Decent amounts of rainfall, especially west of Jacksonville, where along the Gulf Coast (I-75 areas too) saw between 2-3″ of rain. Locally, we too have seen a few backyards receive up to two inches, but mainly about an inch of rain. Again, showers will be gone by 10 p.m. followed by chillier temperatures, with morning lows around 45. By Friday morning, skies clear out and we will see near freezing temperatures mainly west and north of Jacksonville. Weekend outlook more sunshine and a little milder as afternoon highs will be in the mid to upper 60s.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Waking up to patchy fog on this Friday morning, most of it will be along US301 westward, or inland to the Gulf Coast. An exception to the nice “pop” in temperatures will be area beaches. Folks living at area beaches should anticipate these cooler afternoon conditions on Friday and Saturday. Normal low (just after sunrise) is about 45° at the airport to 50° downtown to area beaches. Normal afternoon high is about 68°.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The U.S. Coast Guard says a man went missing after falling into the water from a dinner-cruise ship in the Gulf Coast in Florida. J.P. boat late Friday. The companysays Capt J.P. is a 475-passenger paddlewheel boat that tours the scenic Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, Florida. Coast Guard crews searched for more than 11 hours in the waters before suspending the search. They received help from agencies such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Fort Myers Beach Police, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.