HURRICANE

As the chances of a low-pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico turning into a tropical depression in next two days increase and reach around 70 percent, major oil and natural gas companies functioning in the U.S-regulated areas of the Gulf of Mexico have stopped their operations and started evacuating their employees.

Texas has prayed for rain during months-long drought that has escalated in recent weeks with severe heat but the Lonestar state probably didn't want a hurricane to solve the dilemma. Forecasters say, however, that the next hurricane serious hurricane threat to the U.S. may not be Hurricane Katia. A new low-pressure system has developed in the Gulf of Mexico that the National Hurricane Center says is likely to become a tropical cyclone in the next two days before possibly threatening the U.S.,...

One person's savior is another's curse. That's one thing we've learned through history and experience, since good news in one way often means bad news in another -- the balanced scale of life and nature that's often so conflicting and confusing, if not damaging. Such is the case with a developing storm in the Gulf of Mexico, likely to become a tropical cyclone, and eventually a tropical storm and hurricane that will threaten a direct hit on Texas.

Labor Day travel is expected to decrease in the wake of Hurricane Irene and an uncertain economy.

Tropical Storm Katia is now a Category 1 hurricane, but its impact on the United States, if any, remained unclear as it continued to strengthen on Thursday.

A low pressure located in the central Gulf of Mexico could strengthen into a tropical storm or depression in the next 24 hours as Hurricane Katia churns in the Atlantic.

Now that Hurricane season is in full force, with Irene making the first strike on the U.S. since Ike in 2008 and Hurricane Katia warming up in the Atlantic late this week, it's time to take a crash course. Here are five things to know about a hurricane.

Hurricane Katia is likely to become a major storm this weekend, and an eventual threat to the U.S. has not been ruled out. The National Hurricane Center said Thursday Katia, now about 1,000 miles east of St. Lucia in the Carribbean, is on a projected path to be well east of the Bahamas and south of Bermuda by Sept. 6. Katia has winds near 75 miles per hour, and the storm is moving west at 20 miles per hour.

Many top U.S. retailers reported better-than-expected August sales, withstanding Hurricane Irene and sagging consumer confidence.

If a new tropical storm gains momentum and becomes a hurricane, it could wreak havoc on oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.

Some top U.S. retailers reported better-than-expected August sales, withstanding sagging consumer confidence and Hurricane Irene.

Hurricane Katia is official, as the storm strengthened in the past 24 hours from tropical storm strength. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Katia, the second hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic season, will likely further strengthen and become a major hurricane by the weekend. The threat that Katia could eventually strike the U.S. remains, through models are uncertain.

Hurricane Irene devastated East Coast and New York, and now a wildfire caused by drought is affecting North Texas and Oklahoma City.

U.S. retailers should report higher monthly sales in August, even though consumer confidence sagged and Hurricane Irene disrupted shopping along the East Coast during a key back-to-school weekend.

Tropical Storm Katia strengthened into a hurricane over the Atlantic Wednesday, while another mass of thunderstorms that could become a named storm this week triggered evacuations of some oil workers from the Gulf of Mexico.

As if the damage to the Washington Monument from the hurricane wasn't enough, Hurricane Irene left behind water puddled inside the iconic structure's interior.

It's too early for forecasters at the National Hurricane Center to tell if Tropical Storm Katia will eventually strike the U.S. but that possibility certainly exists, they say. Katia holds the potential for making a path similar to Irene's track. Currently, Tropical Storm Katia poses no threat to land. The storm, expected to reach hurricane strength today before perhaps escalating into a major storm category, is located in the middle of the Atlantic, about 1,600 miles east of the island of...

As people living in Hurricane Irene's path begin a multi-billion dollar rebuilding effort, many will have to contend with the fact that homeowners insurance does not cover the flood damage that was a chief source of destruction.

Hurricane Irene left a path of destruction from North Carolina to the hills of Vermont. Here's a look at the latest photos of the damage.

Tropical Storm Katia strengthened rapidly on Wednesday, approaching hurricane status, but it was too soon to tell whether it would threaten land in the Caribbean or the United States.

This figure will surely escalate as state and federal officials quantify the losses arising from crop damage, costs of clean-up, road-and-bridge repairs among other expenses.