National Hurricane Center

A veteran weather forecaster was named the new director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, filling the void left when his predecessor was removed after his comments about an aging weather satellite angered staffers. They felt he was undermining public confidence in forecasts. Bill Read, the center's interim deputy director since August, said he would work to boost morale.

Superstorm Sandy earned its name, the National Hurricane Center reported on Tuesday, in a report that says the storm was the deadliest to hit the region in 40 years and the second costliest in the nation's history. The report summarizes last fall's traumatic weather event, whose effects are still being felt. During the recent blizzard, one of the concerns was whether there would be more flooding to regions still recovering from Sandy's visit. Politically, reconstruction will likely take years and some needed infrastructure improvements to low-lying areas may take longer.

Tropical Storm Isaac, expected to make landfall Tuesday, could bring powerful winds, heavy rain and a storm surge of 6 to 12 feet, forecasters predict. Michael Lowry, a meteorologist with the storm surge group at the National Hurricane Center in Miami,  explained what that could mean for Gulf Coast residents. What is storm surge? A lot of people think of it like a tsunami, when actually it's a slow rise of water over many hours. You'll start to see the water rise before the storm makes landfall Tuesday.

BOSTON -- Meteorologists might not be sure whether the storm heading into the East Coast will drop 12 inches or 24, but they are sure about one thing - this storm is definitely, absolutely, not called Nemo. But that's what the Weather Channel has decided to call it, part of a policy announced in the fall in which the TV station will give names to winter storms so that people can more easily follow them. It's angered a few meteorologists, and has spurred a Facebook page , "STOP the Weather Channel from naming winter storms.

He's bald, 64 years old and has a face that even he says "is made for radio." But when a major hurricane threatens the East Coast, Jerry Jarrell is perhaps the most-watched man on television. As director of the National Hurricane Center, Jarrell is often in the eye of the television camera, explaining to anxious residents who want to know exactly where the storm will strike. And he often doesn't know. "It's taking an awful track," Jarrell said Tuesday in a voice ravaged by a cold and overuse.

Far out over the ocean, Hurricane Alberto--the first storm of the Atlantic season--is expected to take a turn to the north today, perhaps posing a danger only to ships at sea. But for Max Mayfield, who'd have plenty of explaining to do if a storm defied all expectations and barreled into the U.S., neither Alberto nor any other tropical system is to be trusted.

The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season is essentially over, even though it does not officially end until Nov. 30. So says William Gray, Colorado State University hurricane forecaster. Because El Niño has created strong wind shear over the tropics, "the odds of a storm are very, very small from this point on," said Gray, who closed the book on the 2009 season Thursday. However, according to the National Hurricane Center in Florida, it's possible that the wind shear could relax over the coming weeks, and the waters in the Caribbean are still warm enough to support storm formation.

BOSTON -- Meteorologists might not be sure whether the storm heading into the East Coast will drop 12 inches or 24, but they are sure about one thing - this storm is definitely, absolutely, not called Nemo. But that's what the Weather Channel has decided to call it, part of a policy announced in the fall in which the TV station will give names to winter storms so that people can more easily follow them. It's angered a few meteorologists, and has spurred a Facebook page , "STOP the Weather Channel from naming winter storms.

After swirling around the Atlantic at hurricane strength for a week, Hurricane Earl has been downgraded to a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Earl moved toward the open Atlantic on Friday, and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said there were no indications that it would strengthen or change course.

This year's hurricane season - which officially comes to a close Friday - has proved to be one of the most active on record, with Hurricane Isaac and super storm Sandy wreaking havoc on two coastlines, although both storms, technically, did not meet the definition of "major" hurricanes. “This year proved that it's wrong to think that only major hurricanes can ruin lives and impact local economies,” said Laura Furgione, acting director of the National Weather Service. This season ranks third among the most active since record-keeping began in 1851 with 19 named storms, 10 of them hurricanes - although only one, Michael, was strong enough to be considered a "major" hurricane - and it never made landfall.

Hurricane Sandy churned the Atlantic Ocean as it barreled northward bringing fierce winds, drenching rains and flooding to the nation's Northeast, where officials warned residents to stay home and ordered those along coastlines to head to high ground. “Get out before you can't,” Connecticut's governor, Dannel Malloy, told residents of his state early Monday. New Jersey's Gov. Chris Christie was more blunt: “Don't be stupid. Get out.” PHOTOS: Hurricane Sandy approaches Christie said Monday that there was already flooding along the Barrier Islands and said the flooding will increase later in the day as the high tide rolls in. In addition, there were 35,000 people without power in the state.

The Coast Guard said Monday it was searching for two crew members of the HMS Bounty, a three-masted tall ship that appeared in two Hollywood movies, after Hurricane Sandy sank the vessel in storm-churned waters off the coast of North Carolina. Fourteen were rescued. The Bounty began taking on water Sunday and lost power about 90 miles off Hatteras, N.C. The Coast Guard said it was using a C-130 Hercules aircraft and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to search the area for the two who were missing.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Hundreds of thousands of people were told to flee low-lying areas, New York and Washington shut down their subways, federal offices and local schools closed, and presidential candidates curtailed their campaigning as Hurricane Sandy roared ever closer to the Eastern Seaboard on Sunday, promising epic storm surges, howling winds and drenching rain across much of the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast. Facing the fury of a storm system nearly 1,000 miles wide, at least five states declared emergencies.

Hurricane Isaac stalled over southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday morning, dumping torrential rains across the Gulf Coast and pounding low-lying areas with 8- to 10-foot storm surges and 75-mph winds. The National Hurricane Center warned that hurricane conditions would persist all day and into the evening for storm-battered coastal residents. The huge, slow-moving storm knocked down trees and power lines, flooded roads and highways and sent bands of wind and rain pelting an area from New Orleans to the Florida panhandle.

Lumbering Hurricane Isaac's speed dropped to 7 mph by midnight Tuesday but maintained its 80-mph winds, the National Hurricane Center said.  The 350-mile-wide Category 1 storm came ashore  in southeastern Louisiana at 6:45 p.m., moving northwest. Its slow speed means it is likely to hover over at least three states -- Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama -- dumping rain for days. "Isaac [is] moving slowly along the coast of southeast Louisiana and producing a dangerous storm surge," the hurricane center said.

Tropical Storm Isidore has become Hurricane Isidore in the eastern Atlantic and increased in wind speed to 85 mph, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday. The storm remained several days from land.

WASHINGTON -- Federal officials warned Tuesday that slow-moving Hurricane Isaac could pummel southern Louisiana and neighboring states for more than two days, causing significant storm surge along parts of the Gulf Coast, dumping enough rain to cause widespread flooding, and spawning destructive tornadoes. "As the center of the storm comes ashore tonight, that will not be the end of the event, it will be just the beginning," Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center, told reporters on a conference call.

Tropical Storm Isaac is now Hurricane Isaac -- and the Army Corps of Engineers says New Orleans is ready for it. The storm reached hurricane strength late Tuesday morning, with the National Hurricane Center saying in an alert posted at 11:20 a.m. EDT:  "Reconnaissance data indicate Isaac finally achieves hurricane status. " A big, slow-moving storm more than 350 miles wide, Isaac was plugging along at just 10 mph, moving northwest about 75 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.