Hurricanes

We know how damaging and costly, in many ways, such natural phenomena can be — but the devastation is not surprising, once you know how much energy is involved, says astrophysicist Marcelo Gleiser.

With winds currently rated at near 85 mph, Harvey is a Category 1 hurricane — and its sustained winds could reach 115 mph in the next 36 hours, forecasters say.

The first hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic season made landfall in eastern Mexico and should break up by late Thursday or Friday. But its rains could cause intense flooding.

The storm is expected to make landfall north of Veracruz, where it could dump as much as 15 inches of rain, causing "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides."

"The season could be comparable to last year, which was the most active since 2012 with 15 named storms," said Gerry Bell of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

Threats of 3-5 inches of rain — and the possibility of 8 inches in some places — have people in northwest Florida bracing for floods.

The past three hurricane seasons have been considered below normal, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says. This season, NOAA predicts about four to eight hurricanes in the Atlantic.

Despite the long odds, Alex managed to intensify into a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Parts of the Azores are now under a hurricane warning.

The most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the eastern Pacific will make a "potentially catastrophic landfall" in southwestern Mexico Friday, the National Weather Service says.

The Category 4 hurricane is virtually stalled at the moment over the Bahamas, but the storm forecast tracks have it staying well offshore as it moves north.

The hurricane currently over the Bahamas has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and could still cause some coastal flooding along the Atlantic Coast.

Erika unleashed heavy rains in Dominica, leaving at least four people dead. The National Hurricane Center forecasts that Erika could threaten South Florida by Monday morning.