HURRICANE

The Hurricane Isaac-related shutdown of at least four U.S. oil refineries and an explosion at a major refinery in Venezuela -- the fourth-largest provider of oil to the U.S. -- could lead to oil prices rising as supply falls.

As tropical storm Isaac, downgraded from a hurricane, heads for Southern Missouri, President Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney are en route to Louisiana to view storm damage.

Isaac persisted along its treacherous path on Thursday flooding areas, stranding residents and even claiming its first fatality. While the hurricane-turned-tropical storm Isaac weakened and is expected to become a tropical depression by Thursday evening, the rain is still making its mark on the specific areas of the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Isaac causes significant damage to US Gulf Coast but nothing on the scale of Hurricane Katrina.

Flooded roads in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac may pose a danger to drivers, but there are certain precautions they can take to ensure their safety in wet-weather driving conditions.

Isaac, once a Category One hurricane but now just a tropical storm, is expected to be downgraded further to a tropical depression by late Thursday. In the meantime, the storm continues to pack winds of 45 miles per hour and pour down about feet of rain in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. We've gathered a slew of photos and pictures of the devastation throughout New Orleans and Mississippi from Isaac.

Hurricane Isaac's effect on gasoline prices is minimal, but national inventory is below average. And pre-storm worries caused prices to rise anyway.

Hurricane Isaac's projected path of torrential rain causes many Louisiana residents to evacuate and others to be rescued.

Hurricane Isaac was downgraded Wednesday to a tropical storm but continued to hover over Louisiana with heavy rains and damaging winds. The storm, which was a category one hurricane for 24 hours, has since sustained weakened winds of 75 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported.

Rescue missions are officially under way on Wednesday morning in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana where a surge of water overtopped an 8-foot levee, according to the local officials. National Guard and other personnel are reportedly in the process of rescuing up to 60 people who are apparently trapped in their home.

Levees overtopped in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana on Wednesday morning as Hurricane Isaac dumped inches of water onto many of the Gulf Coast cities.

As Hurricane Isaac made its second landfall Wednesday morning at Port Fourchon, La., officials in Plaquemines Parish just south of New Orleans are reporting flooding as deep as 12 feet in some areas that has stranded residents.

After raking Louisiana coast, Hurricane Isaac struck the Gulf Coast at 80-mph winds as the outer bands of hurricane-force winds and dangerous storm surge battered New Orleans, Los Angeles Times reported.

Hurricane prediction is not always an exact science, but the NOAA is already on the case, developing new ways to forecast the track of hurricanes; in fact, the organization launched one experimental Wave Glider robot named Alex into the ocean weeks ago, hoping the unmanned drone can forecast the direction, path and trajectory of future storms.

Since Isaac was pronounced a category one hurricane Tuesday afternoon, rain has been seen moving very slowly over the Carolinas, hundreds of miles from the storm's center. As much as 3.5 inches of rain fell in just 90 minutes in Charleston, South Carolina, and is causing major flooding in some locations, according to multiple reports.

Tropical storm Isaac has officially turned into category one Hurricane Isaac. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph and could get even stronger.

Hurricane Isaac, the ninth named storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, has wreaked havoc both in the sky and out at sea, cancelling over 1,300 flights and stranding thousands of cruise ship passengers. For those traveling during the hurricane season, here's a bit of advice.

Tropical Storm Isaac was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane after its sustained winds increased to 75 mph and barreling towards the Gulf Coast area at 10 mph with landfall expected tonight, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As Hurricane Isaac makes its way onto the Louisiana coast and into New Orleans, President Barack Obama will reportedly make a live statement from the White House at 10 a.m. The address will broadcasted on all major TV news networks as well as live streamed via the White House website.

Mitt Romney and the Republican National Convention delegates held court among the keen observers of the U.S. politics as the convention got off to a subdued start Monday, lasting barely a minute owing to the concerns about Tropical Storm Isaac becoming a full-fledged hurricane.

After targeting the U.S. Gulf coast Monday with ponderous rains and strong winds, tropical storm Isaac's path is now directed toward New Orleans with threats of a projected landfall Tuesday night, nearly seven years to the day since Hurricane Katrina wrecked the city.