Updated: 11:05 PM Thunderstorms and lightning are threatening fire officials' plans to contain a large blaze in central Washington state as hundreds of Washington and California residents return home to find out whether their homes were spared.
Updated: 7:43 PM Former Tropical Storm Helene is heading inland after making landfall along Mexico's Gulf Coast.
Posted: 8:52 PM Tropical Storm Helene has formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, leading to the issuance of a tropical storm warning for the eastern coast of Mexico.
Posted: 8:50 PM Ready, set, fire. The NASA Mars rover Curiosity is preparing for its first laser target practice -- zapping a Martian rock 10 feet on Saturday.
Posted: 8:47 PM French authorities are fighting wildfires, keeping an eye on isolated elderly populations and advising people to drink fluids as temperatures soar in the country.
Posted: 6:02 PM Federal weather forecasters say the drought appears to be leveling off, although it is likely to continue at least through November.
Posted: 7:26 PM Calmer winds are giving Washington state firefighters hope of containing a wildfire that has left dozens of families homeless.
Posted: 7:22 PM The eighth tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season has formed, but forecasters say it is no threat to land.
Posted: 7:19 PM Persistent drought conditions in parts of Hawaii are taking a toll on ranchers who can't grow enough grass to feed cattle.
Posted: 6:07 PM After months of record-breaking heat and drought, many rural Americans who rely on wells for water are getting an unwelcome surprise when they turn on their faucets: The tap has run dry.
Posted: 6:04 PM Scientists are evaluating driving routes the rover Curiosity may take on its way to a Martian mountain.
Posted: 6:00 PM A fast-moving wildfire has burned 60 homes and almost 40 square miles of grassland, timber and sagebrush across central Washington state.
Posted: 5:55 PM Authorities say floods in central Nigeria have killed at least 33 people and displaced thousands.
Posted: 12:49 PM Tropical Storm Hector has weakened as it swirls in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico.
Posted: 9:58 PM Mexican authorities say Ernesto, which has weakened to a tropical depression, is blamed for seven deaths.
Posted: 9:56 PM A wildfire ignited by lightning in rural northern San Diego County is now estimated to have burned 1,650 acres.
Posted: 9:25 PM The mysterious Mars photo has been solved. A NASA engineer said Friday he's pretty sure a Curiosity rover camera caught the rocket stage crashing in the distance after it landed in Gale Crater Sunday night.
Posted: 9:22 PM Gov. Sam Brownback is warning Kansas residents against lighting outdoor fires because of the state's severe drought, but he's not ready to impose a statewide ban on burning.
Posted: 6:37 PM Confronted with the hottest, driest summer in decades, the nation's farmers and crop scientists are looking ahead to the future heat waves and water shortages that are expected to result from climate change.
Posted: 6:33 PM While some fear the worst drought in 25 years will send grocery prices soaring, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is more optimistic.
Posted: 6:26 PM Three hotels were briefly evacuated Wednesday on the Aegean Sea island of Kos because of a wildfire in the area, with guests instructed to wait on a beach while the blaze was contained, police said.
Updated: 6:30 PM Forecasters say Ernesto has become a hurricane off the coast of Honduras and is headed toward the Yucatan Peninsula.
Updated: 9:24 AM With temperatures well above 90 degrees, organizers at the Lancaster County Super Fair are taking precautions to keep people safe.
