HURRICANE

What was projected to be a "near normal" hurricane season officially ended Thursday with 20 named storms -- one of the most active seasons on record.

Ukraine’s intelligence agency has claimed responsibility for a car bombing that killed a member of the Russia-backed authority in the illegally annexed Luhansk region.

The Russian military says a Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in annexed Crimea had damaged a Russian ship.

Nigel forms in the Atlantic

Some fluctuations in intensity are likely over the next few days, however, Lee is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through early next week.

Hurricane Lee strengthened rapidly into a Category 2 storm Thursday and is forecast to become a major hurricane before the end of the day.

President Joe Biden plans to visit the Big Bend region of Florida this weekend to survey the damage left behind from Hurricane Idalia.

Saying the insurance industry “dodged a bullet,” a reinsurance firm Thursday estimated that Hurricane Idalia caused $3 billion to $5 billion in insured losses.

Columbia County’s emergency management director said Hurricane Idalia storm destroyed some infrastructure a power company needs to get back online.

Jacksonville was spared from the major blunt of Hurricane Idalila, but the storm still left its mark on parts of the city.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there was one reported death in the state attributed to Hurricane Idalia, a powerful storm that slammed into the Big Bend region on Wednesday.

Residents in the small community Jasper said that they’d never seen anything like what Hurricane Idalia brought to town on Wednesday. Whipping winds and sideways rain started pounding the area just before noon and dragged on across the day.

Hurricane Idalia tore into Florida at the speed of a fast-moving train Wednesday, splitting trees in half, ripping roofs off hotels and turning small cars into boats before sweeping into Georgia as a still-powerful storm that flooded roadways and sent residents running for higher ground.

A Georgia school sustained major damage on Wednesday as strong winds from Hurricane Idalia blew through the area.

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm in the early morning hours Wednesday. These are images from across the state from the storm.

Hurricane Idalia made her way through Riverside on Wednesday, leaving damage and wet conditions behind.

Multiple school districts in Northeast Florida counties announced that they are closing this week due to the expected impact of Tropical Storm Idalia.

Mayor Donna Deegan and Officials will share updates regarding Hurricane Idalia at noon.

News4JAX will be working to track how many residents across our area are without power in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia as Hurricane Idalia moves through Florida.

Voluntary evacuations are underway in Putnam County ahead of Hurricane Idalia, which is expected to make landfall Wednesday morning as a Category 3 storm.

As a major hurricane, Idalia not only threatens the lives of Floridians but also the progress of Florida’s property insurance market that was already in crisis.

Hurricane Idalia continued to intensify Tuesday evening as a Category 2 storm after reaching hurricane strength Tuesday morning.

Hurricane Idalia is throwing the high school football schedule for a loop.

The Call Center number is 386-313-4200, the regular line to the Emergency Operations Center.

St. Johns County is expected to feel the effects of Hurricane Idalia on Wednesday morning. Here are the latest updates from the county on services, schools and more.

Nassau County issued an evacuation order, effective at 8 a.m. Tuesday, for power-dependent special needs individuals and those living in flood-prone structures, vulnerable structures and mobile homes.

Multiple school districts in Northeast Florida counties announced that they are closing this week due to the expected impact of Tropical Storm Idalia.

St. Johns County is providing free sandbags starting at 12 p.m. on Monday at six locations throughout the county in preparation for Tropical Storm Idalia.

Florida’s second Disaster Preparedness sales tax holiday starts Saturday and runs through Sept. 8. It allows families to save on important items necessary for hurricane season.

We’re more than two months into hurricane season and local agencies are making sure communities in high-flood zone areas are prepared.

Planning for a hurricane means high-stakes decisions must be made quickly, especially when you're the person or organization responsible for people's lives and preparedness.

Gov. DeSantis is also making news after addressing the topic, on a conservative talk show, where DeSantis is urging patience and hoping for no hurricanes this season.

The Weather Authority talked one-on-one with National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan, about his concerns with local complacency during the 2023 hurricane season.

Hurricane season is underway, and it’s crucial to know what you’re going to do when a storm hits because it’s just a matter of time.

Flagler County Emergency Management is rolling out new measures to help keep residents safe. It was announced during a meeting with multiple media outlets.

The start of hurricane season is only days away and Florida’s Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is underway from May 27 to June 9 to help people save on much-needed supplies as they prepare for the upcoming season.

4x daily outlooks from the National Hurricane Center will now show probabilities of tropical development up to 7 days into the future.

Hurricane season officially begins June 1, but officials urge consumers to stock up on supplies now to make sure their families have what they need to avoid a mad rush at the store.

The weekend before Tropical Storm Ian is anticipated to come toward Florida is a great time to start double-checking your hurricane kits -- or creating one.

Monday is the last day to apply for assistance if you were affected by Hurricane Nicole.FEMA assistance applies only to select Florida counties. Only three counties in our area are eligible to apply: Flagler, St. Johns, and Putnam Counties.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will close the Disaster Recovery Center it has been operating at the Flagler County Fairgrounds at the end of business on Jan. 31.

We have mentioned on air and in the News4JAX Weather Authority Insider newsletter we were expecting late-season tropical activity/storm this year.

A boil water alert issued for hundreds of residents in the Ken Knight Drive area of Jacksonville’s Northside was lifted Saturday, JEA told News4JAX.

The initial damage assessment for Hurricane Nicole’s wrath in Volusia County is over $481 million, topping the $377 million mark set by Hurricane Ian, according to the Volusia County Property Appraiser.

April Sweatt said she can’t return to her home, and she’s concerned what might happen as she struggles to find help.

A water main leak Friday was slowing down progress for residents along Ken Knight Drive on Jacksonville’s Northside whose homes were flooded during Nicole.

Flagler County on Friday — a day after Hurricane Nicole made landfall along Florida’s east coast — submitted an initial damage assessment report to the state in the amount of $23.7 million, according to a news release from the county.

Clay County officials asked boaters to avoid all of the county’s waterways Friday as the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit worked to clear debris left in the wake of Nicole.

Officials said Friday that the county experienced significant impacts from Nicole throughout coastal St. Johns County.

Several Flagler County Parks are closed until further notice because of flooding caused by Nicole.

During a Thursday afternoon news briefing, Clay County Emergency Operations officials said the main issue appears to be “storm effects” from Nicole.

The one-two punch of our nor’easter followed by Hurricane Nicole brought near-record flooding from the downtown areas of the St. Johns River east to the Coastal Beaches.

From flooding in Downtown St. Augustine and Doctors Lake to the impacts in Downtown Jacksonville and along the beaches, you can choose your view of what’s happening live with Tropical Storm Nicole from our News4JAX SkyCam Network.

A day after asking residents and visitors in certain parts of the county to evacuate ahead of Nicole, Flagler County emergency management officials on Thursday asked drivers to avoid using A1A if at all possible.

Flagler County announced that evacuation orders are effective at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday for residents and visitors in Zone A, the barrier island from Flagler Beach to Marineland, as well as mobile homes and RVs countywide, because of Tropical Storm Nicole.

Alachua County opened multiple shelters for those who needed to evacuate because of Tropical Storm Nicole.

We will update this list as information becomes available ahead of the storm.

Nassau County announced at 9 a.m. Wednesday that evacuations have been ordered for Zones A & D in the county.

Officials in Southeast Georgia are monitoring the track of Nicole.

As Tropical Storm Nicole heads toward Florida, Walt Disney World announced it would implement phased closures of its parks.

As school districts opt to close ahead of the effects of Nicole, we'll keep you updated.

Among the closures and major schedule changes in preparation for Nicole, the Jacksonville Veterans Day Parade and breakfast on Friday will not take place, Mayor Lenny Curry announced Tuesday.

Local counties are preparing for the one-two punch of a nor'easter and an approaching tropical system.

Potential Tropical Cyclone 15 morphed into Tropical Storm Lisa on Monday morning.

From the National Hurricane Center:

The Flagler County Beach City Commission has voted to keep the pier closed after an engineering firm said it is no longer safe for public use following significant Hurricane Ian damage.

Disaster Recovery Centers provide disaster survivors with information from Florida state agencies, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

From the National Hurricane Center:

Hurricane Ian brought a historic and deadly storm surge to southwest Florida when it came ashore two weeks ago yesterday.

The Jacksonville Humane Society transferred in 75 cats from shelters that were affected by Hurricane Ian.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has established a hotline for reporting displaced vessels still on Florida state waters because of Hurricane Ian.

As people work to recover from the devastation Hurricane Ian left behind, they have helping hands from Northeast Florida. Several law enforcement and rescue agencies from our area sent teams to help with everything from rescues to clean up.

Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as D-SNAP will provide food assistance to Floridians in select counties, News4JAX sister station WKMG-TV reported Saturday.

Hertz Arena in Estero is a 7,181 seat arena used for sports and entertainment. Right now, more than 500 people call it home.

The wrath of Hurricane Ian left Fort Myers Beach in shambles. More than a week later, search and rescue teams are still searching for and finding bodies.

Ian may have caused as much as $47 billion in insured losses, according to a recent estimate, making it among the most expensive storms in the state’s history.

The USS Orleck -- the centerpiece of the Jacksonville Naval Museum -- opened to the public Wednesday after a weeklong delay caused by Hurricane Ian.

Structures are unrecognizable on San Carlos Island, just adjacent to Fort Myers Beach. Temple Condone lives on the island in Sunnyland Court Mobile Home Park.

Many Florida homeowners are dealing with flood damage and destruction after Hurricane Ian hit, and many do not have insurance to help them rebuild.

Those numbers are expected to dramatically increase with estimates as high as 40 billion.

Thousands of members of the Army National Guard were deployed to areas hit hardest by Hurricane Ian.

St. Augustine residents were still cleaning up their homes from storm debris and floodwater damage Saturday, two days after Ian left a trail of destruction across Florida.

First Lady Casey DeSantis announced Saturday that within 48 hours of activating the Florida Disaster Fund, it had raised over $20 million in donations to support communities impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Feeding Northeast Florida announced six emergency food distribution sites for those in need Saturday in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

Individuals and households in Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties can apply for FEMA Individual Assistance, which may include temporary housing assistance, basic home repairs and certain other uninsured disaster-related needs.

Fort Myers Beach is destroyed. The pain, suffering and destruction is indescribable.

In response to impacts from Hurricane Ian, St. Johns County on Friday opened the Solomon Calhoun Community Center, located at 1300 Duval St., as a post-impact shelter for those who are unable to return to their homes.

An aircrew from Air Station Miami, U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin, rescued several people stranded in Sanibel Island Thursday. On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard District 7 shared the body camera video of the rescues.

Hurricane Ian’s wind, rain and storm surge has caused at least a dozen deaths, flooded homes, left millions without power and flattened businesses. Now, people who live there are assessing the damage, and preparing to rebuild what Ian destroyed.

Officials with the Jacksonville International Airport announced late Wednesday night that all flights out of JAX airport Thursday have been canceled.

Anytime it rains heavily in Jacksonville, you can bet San Marco will experience flooding. Ian’s heavy rains are no exception --flooding is happening in the streets of San Marco. Lasalle Street looks like a river Thursday.

Footage from Fort Myers Beach shows the devastating destruction left behind as the storm moves north.

As Ian crossed the Florida Peninsula and then went off the coast into the Atlantic on Thursday, there was flooding in the areas of Crescent Beach and Summer Haven in southern St. Johns County.

While the track of Ian is good news for Duval County residents, Mayor Lenny Curry said Thursday afternoon that Jacksonville shouldn’t ease up in precautions just yet.

Ian caused devastating storm surge, flooding and damage across the Florida Peninsula.

The sign displaying the names of all the businesses in the Shoppes of Baymeadows collapsed during Tropical Storm Ian.

Wind gusts and sustained winds at Jacksonville-area beaches from Hurricane Ian have caused major erosion concerns as the storm drags across the state.

The worst of Hurricane Ian slammed ashore in Southwest Florida on Wednesday with brutal rains and wind lashing everything in sight.

Officials with the Jacksonville International Airport announced late Wednesday night that all flights out of JAX airport Thursday have been canceled.