Approximately 255 miles off the southwest coast of Mexico, Hurricane Rick is already a category 4 hurricane, and is expected to continue to grow over the next 36 hours.

In a new study, Clemson University researchers have concluded that the number of hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Basin is increasing, but there is no evidence that their individual strengths are any greater than storms of the past or that the chances of a U.S. strike are up.

Tropical Storm Danny formed east of the Bahamas around 11 am ET Wednesday morning. Computer programs predict he will strengthen to become Hurricane Danny by Saturday when it is expected to be off the North Carolina coast. Residents along the eastern US coastline from South Carolina to the New England states are being told to start preparing for Tropical Storm Danny.

Hurricane Bill has become a powerhouse in the Atlantic Ocean and NASA satellites are providing forecasters with important information to help their forecasts. Bill is now a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale and is expected to strengthen as it nears Bermuda, and NASA's Aqua satellite captured two views of his cloud cover.

AccuWeather.com reports the first hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic tropical season, Bill, may become a major hurricane this week. Meanwhile, Ana, a tropical depression, continues to show a will to survive and has pressed into the northern Caribbean Sea.

For many Americans who live on the Atlantic coast, Andrew, Ivan and Katrina are more than just names--they are reminders of the devastating impact of cyclonic activity in the region during hurricane season. If it seems like hurricane seasons have been more active in recent years, you're on to something. According to a paper published in the August 13 issue of Nature, the frequency and strength of these powerful storms has grown in recent decades.

The latest advisory is in from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) and Felecia is still maintaining hurricane strength despite unfavorable conditions. The latest weather discussion, and weather models indicate that Felecia will likely be stronger than expected when it reaches Hawaii.

NASA satellite imagery has helped forecasters see that Hurricane Felicia is running into cooler waters and increasing wind shear, two things have taken her strength "down a peg or two." Felicia will continue to weaken further over the weekend as she heads to Hawaii where landfall isn't expected until late Monday or early Tuesday.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a disturbance in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This system dropped rain over Florida earlier this week, before entering the Gulf of Mexico. The Hurricane Center says chances are less then 30% that this storm will develop into a tropical storm but residents along the Northern Gulf Coast can expect strong winds and heavy rain.

Conducting a rapid response research mission after Hurricane Ike, scientists at The University of Texas at Austin surveyed the inlet between Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, discovering the hurricane significantly reshaped the seafloor and likely carried an enormous amount of sand and sediment out into the Gulf.

University of Arizona scientists experimenting with some of the coldest gases in the universe have discovered that when atoms in the gas get cold enough, they can spontaneously spin up into what might be described as quantum mechanical twisters or hurricanes.

Scientists focus on hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to assess likely changes