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Workers place sheets of wood over windows and glass doors to protect them from the strong winds expected with the arrival of Hurricane Milton in the hotel zone of Cancun, Quintana Roo State, Mexico, on Monday. Hurricane Milton exploded in strength Monday to become a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm bound for Florida, the second ferocious storm to hit the region in as many weeks.

Workers place sheets of wood over windows and glass doors to protect them from the strong winds expected with the arrival of Hurricane Milton in the hotel zone of Cancun, Quintana Roo State, Mexico, on Monday. Hurricane Milton exploded in strength Monday to become a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm bound for Florida, the second ferocious storm to hit the region in as many weeks. Elizabeth Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Elizabeth Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images

Hurricane Milton intensifies 'explosively' as it nears Florida

Milton has grown quickly and is forecast to make landfall in Florida midweek. The state could see its largest evacuation orders since 2017.

A satellite image shows Augusta, Ga., one month before Helene's arrival plunged it and many other cities into darkness.

A satellite image shows Augusta, Ga., one month before Helene's arrival plunged it and many other cities into darkness. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Black Marble data courtesy of Ranjay Shrestha/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center hide caption

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NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Black Marble data courtesy of Ranjay Shrestha/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

National

The scale of Helene's devastating impact is eye-popping, even from space

Many of Helene’s effects are individual and heartbreaking, such as the deaths of children, grandparents and others. But the storm's impact is also so outsized that it’s clearly visible from space.

How do scientists study lightning? With a spy plane and some big storms

Lightning off the coast of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. Bashaar Tarabay/Getty Images hide caption

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Bashaar Tarabay/Getty Images

Short Wave

How do scientists study lightning? With a spy plane and some big storms

Lightning: It happens all the time, and yet the exact details of how it's made has long eluded scientists. That is, until now. New research out this week in the journal Nature holds new insights into the precursor to lightning. To figure it out, researchers flew a NASA ER-2 – essentially the research version of a spy plane – over several tropical thunderstorms. What they found: The same high energy radiation is found in places like neutron stars and around black holes.

How do scientists study lightning? With a spy plane and some big storms

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Neighbors have been helping neighbors recover from hurricane Helene

An aerial view of people clearing away debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. President Joe Biden has ordered the deployment of 1,000 active duty U.S. soldiers to assist with storm relief efforts. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

Neighbors have been helping neighbors recover from hurricane Helene

The effort to recover from Hurricane Helene is only beginning. But neighbors and volunteers from humanitarian organizations are pitching in to help.

Neighbors have been helping neighbors recover from hurricane Helene

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David Hester inspects damages of his house on Saturday after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Fla.

David Hester inspects damages of his house on Saturday after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Fla. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

National

Death toll from Hurricane Helene mounts as aftermath assessment begins

More than 60 people were reported dead across the southeastern U.S. and millions were without power. Widespread flooding and landslides and cellular outages in western North Carolina impeded rescues.

Waves from the Gulf of Mexico push up against the shore as Hurricane Helene churns offshore on September 26, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

Waves from the Gulf of Mexico push up against the shore as Hurricane Helene churns offshore on September 26, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

News

Abnormally warm water helped Helene rapidly intensify and suck up moisture

Helene is dumping rain across the Southeast, after coming ashore as a powerful Category 4 storm. Abnormally warm water in the Gulf of Mexico helped it rapidly intensify and suck up moisture.

HELENE AND HOT OCEAN WATER

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This photo provided by U.S. Coast Guard District Seven (@USCGSoutheast) shows a man and his dog being rescued after his sailboat became disabled during Hurricane Helene approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Fla., on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.

This photo provided by U.S. Coast Guard District Seven (@USCGSoutheast) shows a man and his dog being rescued after his sailboat became disabled during Hurricane Helene approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Fla., on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. U.S. Coast Guard District Seven via AP hide caption

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U.S. Coast Guard District Seven via AP

News

The Coast Guard save a man and his dog from a sinking boat off the coast of Florida

Before Helene even made landfall in Florida, authorities conducted a dramatic rescue operation: The U.S. Coast Guard saved a man whose sailboat started taking on water off the coast of Sanibel Island.

People are splashed by churning surf from Tampa Bay as Hurricane Helene passes offshore on Sept. 26, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

People are splashed by churning surf from Tampa Bay as Hurricane Helene passes offshore on Sept. 26, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Up First Newsletter

Hurricane Helene batters the South. And, takeaways from voters in swing state Nevada

Hurricane Helene made landfall late last night as a Category 4 storm. It has since weakened but continues to batter the South, causing damage and power outages. And, takeaways from voters in Nevada.

Hurricane Helene Makes Landfall, Netanyahu Addresses UN, Sudan Civil War

Here's how Hurricane Helene turned into a major storm

Hurricane Helene became a major hurricane before landfall, reaching a Category 4 Thursday. Forecasters have been warning communities hundreds of miles inland to prepare for its powerful winds and flooding rains. CIRA/NOAA hide caption

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CIRA/NOAA

Short Wave

Here's how Hurricane Helene turned into a major storm

Governors across the southeastern United States have declared statewide states of emergency as Hurricane Helene continues its ascent. After forming in the northwestern Caribbean Sea Tuesday, Helene escalated from a tropical storm, then to a cyclone, and finally to a Category 4 hurricane by the time it made landfall late Thursday night. We talk to hurricane climatologist Jill Trepanier about how a storm tropical storm system rapidly intensifies into a major hurricane, the impact of a changing climate on future storms — and why the devastation doesn't stop at the shore.

Here's how Hurricane Helene turned into a major storm

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Flooded street in the town of Nysa, southwestern Poland.

Rain inundated Central and Eastern Europe in early September, causing massive flooding, including in the town of Nysa, southwestern Poland. A new study finds that human-caused climate change roughly doubled the likelihood of that intense rainfall. Maciej Krysinski/KG PSP/State Fire Service of Poland via AP hide caption

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Maciej Krysinski/KG PSP/State Fire Service of Poland via AP

Climate

Europe's intense rainfall in September twice as likely thanks to climate change

Extensive early warnings and years of adaptation made the floods less deadly than they otherwise might have been.

Europe Floods & Climate

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Climate change is one reason for hotter oceans. But there are others

Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana last week, dumping rain across the South. Forecasters are expecting a lot of hurricanes and tropical storms in the next few weeks. Jack Brook/AP hide caption

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Jack Brook/AP

Short Wave

Climate change is one reason for hotter oceans. But there are others

Hurricane season is heating up: Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana last week and dumped rain across the South, and forecasters expect more stormy activity in the Atlantic in the next few weeks.

Climate change is one reason for hotter oceans. But there are others

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