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A weather system moving quickly toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast became a tropical storm Monday morning, bringing the threat of storm surges, strong winds and heavy rain to millions in the Southeast. Tropical Storm Gordon was about 60 miles west-northwest of Key Largo in the Florida Keys, as of midday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 45 mph and the system is moving west-northwest at 16 mph. Gordon could be near hurricane strength when it makes landfall along the central Gulf Coast, the Miami-based hurricane center said. © National Hurricane Center  Image: Potential path of Tropical Cyclone Seven The system was lashing Florida with  tropical-storm force  winds and heavy rains Monday morning, according to the hurricane center. A hurricane watch was issued from the mouth of the Pearl River, in Mississippi, to the Alabama-Florida border, the NHC said, and a storm surge warning was issued from Shell Beach, Louisi...

Europe could break an all-time temperature record in the next few days. And parts of southern Spain and Portugal are forecast to go above 47C (116.6F), surpassing national records. But if you couldn't tell from the thermometers, there are giveaways everywhere - from a melting mountain in Sweden to a rumoured Brussels sprout shortage. Here are just some of the developments - some weird, some disturbing - that the heatwave has sparked across the Continent... 1. A melting mountain Image copyright AFP Image caption Gunhild Ninis Rosqvist taking measurements from Kebnekaise's top during the heatwave A glacier on Sweden's Kebnekaise mountain is no longer the country's highest point, because it melted so much during July. Gunhild Ninis Rosqvist, a geography professor at Stockholm University, called the development "quite scary", adding: "You see the effects of climate change so clearly here." The popular peak lost 4m (13ft) of snow between 2 J...

As fire crews struggled to gain containment on more than a dozen wildfires raging across California Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown told reporters that large, destructive fires would probably continue and cost the state billions of dollars over the next decade. “The more serious predictions of warming and fires to occur later in the century, 2040 or 2050, they’re now occurring in real time,” Brown said at a news conference at the state’s emergency operations center outside Sacramento. State officials said more than 13,000 firefighters are currently on duty, fighting 16 large fires that have burned a total of 320,000 acres and displaced more than 32,000 residents. Seventeen states have offered assistance to California during the last week, sending help from as far away as Maine and Florida. Though the state has the resources now to combat the large wildfires, fighting them and keeping people safe will become harder, Brown said. “Things will get much tighter in the next five year...

Europe is set to experience its warmest day as Spain and Portugal look likely to reach temperatures as high as 48-50 degrees Celsius later this week. Weather models are currently calculating extreme temperatures in the Iberian Peninsula. The heat is expected to build up due to hot air coming up from North Africa — particularly over southwestern Europe. It will be the hottest in the region for 41 years. Spain’s current record high is 47.3°C and Portugal has previously seen highs of 47.4°C. The current heat record for Europe is 48°C, recorded in Athens, Greece, in July 1977. Forecaster AccuWeather said it would not only be possible to break the highest temperature on the Iberian Peninsula, but also the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe. The region will experience an intense heat wave, with temperatures pushing into mid to high-40s, quite possibly breaking all-time records WXCHARTS Dr Mark Mccarthy, from the UK Met Office, told Euronews: "The pe...

Tokyo (CNN) Dozens of people have died across Japan as the country continues to swelter under scorching summer temperatures.

TEMPERATURES are forecast to soar next week in UK as heatwave continues, as a hosepipe ban is set to be introduced in August. The UK’s heatwave is set to continue as temperatures are forecast to rise to 30C next week. Ben Rich,  a BBC meteorologist told viewers  that by the end of this week we will see temperatures rise with eastern England “not expecting hige amounts of rain”. He said: “It is going to be even warmer on Thursday particularly towards the south east. “Temperatures in some spots 29C, perhaps even closer to 30C but a bit of a change towards the north west as thickening cloud and some outbreaks of rain associated with a set of weather fronts.” Mr Rich added: “We are not expecting huge amounts of rain at all to parts of eastern England. “Here another hot sunny day, with 29C in London and a little bit cooler for Scotland and Belfast at 19C. “As we go into the weekend, high pressure will be close enough to exert an influence.” The latest ...