An intense winter front is sweeping across the Northern Tier, unleashing snow, ice, and strong winds as power outages skyrocket and travel grinds to a halt for major airport hubs and interstates.

A mix of dry winds, a low-pressure trough, a quiet Gulf, and a healthy dose of luck have apparently shielded the U.S. East Coast from hurricanes this year. And as winds die down toward the end of hurricane season on Nov. 30, researchers and climate ...

Hurricanes, as destructive as they are, also play a crucial role in keeping Earth’s climate balanced and our planet green and habitable. Yes. Hurricanes have an important purpose on this planet, and our world would be dangerously out of balance without them.

Hurricanes are currently categorized on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which rates storms on a scale of 1-5 based on their maximum sustained wind speed. Category 5 is currently the highest category, given to hurricanes that have maximum sustained winds of 252 kilometers (157 miles) per hour or higher.

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially ended Nov. 30, delivered near-normal activity but stood out for its sharp contrasts.

The Atlantic hurricane season produced a normal number of storms, compared to more frequent storms in recent years. But the storms that did form were huge.