Climate
Learn to love the "seaweed blob"
Sargassum seaweed on Miami Beach in 2020. Photo: Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
A University of Miami professor wants us to appreciate, not fear, the 5,000-mile mass of seaweed that's floating toward Florida.
Why it matters: Seaweed blooms in the Atlantic Ocean every summer, but a giant mass of it has become so large since 2011 that it's been dubbed the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt.
Miami may see influx of mosquitoes after heavy rain
A Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector sprays pesticides to kill mosquitos carrying the Zika virus in 2016. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
All the rain we got last week didn't just ruin homes and disrupt the fuel market — it may also spark a mosquito boom.
Why it matters: Mosquito populations are expected to increase in the coming days because heavy rain brings standing water, a breeding ground for insects that can range from mere annoyances to disease vectors.
Flooding closes Broward schools, sparks emergency declarations
Broward Fire Rescue personnel rescue a family from a flooded neighborhood after heavy rain in Fort Lauderdale yesterday. Photo: Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images
Broward County experienced an "unprecedented" deluge of rain this week that closed city halls and schools, turning streets into rivers and airport tarmacs into lakes.
Driving the news: In Fort Lauderdale, which bore the brunt of the rain and flooding, some residents had to climb out of their windows to escape waterlogged homes while fire rescue crews used boats to reach others.
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