Weather

AP - Torrential rains are soaking New England and causing traffic backups and power failures as the holiday weekend approaches.

Reuters - An El Nino weather pattern this year appears almost certain, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said on Wednesday in a revised forecast, raising the prospect of drought in Australia and a even weaker monsoon in India.

AP - Heavy rains are flooding southern parts of the Czech Republic, with mudslides damaging houses and roads in the region.

AP - A sophisticated new weather satellite rocketed into orbit Saturday, giving forecasters another powerful tool for tracking hurricanes and tornadoes.

Reuters - A tropical wave over the western Caribbean Sea between Honduras and Cuba has a moderate chance -- 30 to 50 percent -- of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center forecast Friday.

AP - Severe thunderstorms have moved through southeast Michigan, leaving about 100,000 electrical customers without service.

Reuters - At least 10 people died in flooding in the eastern Czech Republic, and rising river levels prompted flood warnings across central Europe following heavy rains this week.

AFP - At least eight people were killed while 12 others remained missing after tropical storm Nangka swept through the central and northern Philippines, officials said on Thursday.

AP - Strong thunderstorms were expected Friday across the Northern Plains as a weak area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere slides down the eastern slopes of the Rockies. A few of these storms could be capable of producing damaging weather.