Irene washes out Highway 12 on North Carolina’s Hatteras Island

NOAA assesses damage along the U.S. East Coast from Hurricane Irene and takes a picture of washout along Highway 12 on Hatteras Island, North Carolina.

Biblical snake infestation down in Texas

Here's what it's like to live in Texas in summer 2011 - a U.S. state stricken with surreal heat and extreme drought and biblical snake infestation.

Last two winters: Notoriously cold, but also very warm

The last two winters of 2009-10 and 2010-11 ranked 21st and 34th, respectively, for cold. They ranked 12th and 4th for warmth, according to researchers.

Arctic summer has an open ocean

Oceanographer Sylvia Earle calls the Arctic a "hope spot." In other words, she said, we still have a chance to get it right.

Will Katia become a hurricane?

Tropical Storm Katia could become 2011's second major hurricane by Saturday. A weather system in the Gulf of Mexico could be named Tropical Storm Lee.

Scientists say the deep sea needs better management

The deep sea is in trouble. A recent study has found that it's being damaged by human activities, and that this is only likely to get worse.

Tropical Storm Katia seen as day breaks over Atlantic

A NOAA satellite captured this wondrous image of what might be a newly forming hurricane, Katia, building today in the eastern Atlantic.

Scientists collect climate change data from Irene flooding

Scientists were in the thick of the storm collecting data to help them better understand the role of big storms in climate change.

Hurricane Irene and its history

Irene came into being on August 15, 2011 as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa and slowly moved to the west ...

Domestication robbed stallions of genetic variation

Modern stallions almost certainly lost the genetic diversity their ancient ancestors once had after domestication, a new study revealed.