Hurricane Wilma charged toward south-west Florida early today as a Category 3 storm, packing wind gusts of 120 mph, spawning tornadoes and churning up walls of seawater that could make thousands of residents regret they defied evacuation orders.

Rain pounded Key West early today as Hurricane Wilma accelerated towards storm-weary Florida, threatening residents with 115mph winds, tornadoes and a surge of seawater that could flood the Keys and the state’s south-west coast.

HURRICANE WILMA was headed toward Florida late last night and expected to pick up speed “like a rocket”, as thousands of residents had been ordered to evacuate.

Residents evacuated, owners boarded up homes and businesses and emergency officials prepared rescue and relief plans as forecasters predicted Hurricane Wilma would pick up speed on a course toward Florida.

Mexico’s popular Cancun resort area has taken a battering from Hurricane Wilma as tourists huddled in hotels and shelters amid howling winds and shattering glass.

Residents began fleeing the Florida Keys and parts of the United States mainland today as Hurricane Wilma headed towards Florida.

HURRICANE Wilma tore into the heart of Mexico’s Caribbean resort strip last night, trapping thousands of frightened tourists in darkened shelters pounded by torrential rains and shrieking winds.

Hurricane Wilma pounded the Mexico coast today as terrified tourists sought shelter from its furious winds and rain.

Punishing winds and rain pummelled the Mexican island of Cozumel early today and Cancun braced for the brunt of Wilma’s wrath as the massive hurricane inched toward Mexico’s resort-studded coastline, where thousands of stranded tourists took refuge in shelters and hotel ballrooms.

HURRICANE WILMA’S outer edge battered Cancun’s white-sand beaches yesterday as officials ordered guests out of hotels, tourists jockeyed for spots on the last flights out, and tens of thousands of people from Honduras to the Florida Keys evacuated ahead of the “extremely dangerous” storm.

The governor of Florida today declared a state of emergency ahead of approaching Hurricane Wilma, but the state got a little breathing room when the storm’s slower pace postponed its likely landfall.

Thousands began fleeing Florida once again today as Hurricane Wilma hurtled towards the US coast.

Hurricane Wilma weakened slightly as it roared toward Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula and southern Florida today, leaving at least 12 people dead in its wake and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands in coastal areas from Honduras to the Florida Keys.

Hurricane Rita ploughed into the Gulf Coast early today, lashing Texas and Louisiana with driving rain, threatening to flood low-lying regions and knocking power out to half a million people as transformers exploded in the pre-dawn sky.

Hurricane Rita ploughed into the Gulf Coast early today, lashing Texas and Louisiana with driving rain, igniting the pre-dawn sky with exploding transformers and threatening to flood the low-lying region.

Hurricane Rita steamed toward refinery towns along the Texas-Louisiana coast with 120mph winds early today, creating havoc even before it arrived.

Thousands of residents fled the Florida Keys as Tropical Storm Rita barrelled toward land, poised to grow into a hurricane with a potential nine-foot storm surge and sparking fears it could eventually ravage the Gulf Coast.

Officials today ordered residents to evacuate from the lower Florida Keys as a strengthening Tropical Storm Rita headed toward the island chain, threatening to grow into a hurricane with a potential eight-foot storm surge.

Powerful winds and rain lashed America’s Gulf Coast early today as a slightly weakened Hurricane Katrina charged toward the city of New Orleans with 155-mph winds and the threat of a disastrous storm surge.

TROPICAL storm Katrina strengthened into a hurricane yesterday and deluged Florida’s densely populated south-east coast with rain, heightening fears of flooding.

HURRICANE DENNIS closed in on the Gulf Coast last night with battering waves and high winds after strengthening into a dangerous Category 4 storm, roaring toward a region still patching up damage from a hurricane 10 months ago.

Jeanne, Florida’s fourth hurricane in six weeks, piled on destruction in already ravaged areas, slicing across the state with howling wind that rocketed debris from earlier storms and torrents of rain that turned streets into rivers.

AT least three people died and more than a million were left without power yesterday after Hurricane Jeanne hit Florida’s east coast.

Hurricane Jeanne lashed Florida’s Atlantic Coast early today with 120mph winds and drenching rains, putting the weather-weary state in the record books.

Hurricane Ivan has spun off deadly tornadoes, swamped streets in storm-weary Florida and battered the Alabama coast, drenching other south-eastern states with heavy rains and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands.

Twenty-two people lay dead and hundreds of homes were in ruins today in the wake of Hurricane Ivan.

HURRICANE Ivan slammed into the Gulf Coast early yesterday with 130mph winds, launching tornadoes, washing out a major bridge, hurling metal signs through the night and killing at least 12 people.

Hurricane Ivan slammed into the southern coast of the United States today, claiming at least 12 lives and causing widespread damage.

Hurricane Ivan slammed ashore in the US early today with winds of 130 mph, packing deadly tornadoes and a powerful punch of waves and rain that threatened to swamp communities from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Streets, bars, hotels and shops in the normally bustling island resort town of Key West were mostly empty today as officials said they were “cautiously optimistic” Hurricane Ivan might spare the island chain its worst punishment.

Thousands of residents desperate to return home after fleeing Hurricane Frances have ignored Florida’s plea to stay put, jamming main roads, delaying emergency workers and causing tempers to flare in the sticky heat.

Nearly half a million people were ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Frances swirled toward Florida today just three weeks after Charley’s devastating visit, threatening to deliver the most powerful double punch to hit a state in at least a century.

Hurricane Isabel pushed its way up the US eastern seaboard, weakening from 100 mph winds to a tropical storm but not before swamping roads and knocking out power to more than 2.5 million people.

Hurricane Isabel ploughed into the US east coast with 100 mph winds causing at least three deaths and knocking out power to more than 2.5 million people.

US President George W Bush today declared North Carolina a disaster area as Hurricane Isabel ploughed into coastal islands on the US eastern seaboard with 100 mph winds.

Nearly a million people were without electricity on America’s east coast tonight as hurricane Isabel slammed ashore.

The large eye of a weakened Hurricane Isabel crossed the coastal islands off North Carolina today as the storm pounded the coast.

Hurricane Isabel is closing in on the North Carolina coast with 105 mph winds and the potential for up to a foot of rain, threatening to cause ruinous flooding across the region.

TRAFFIC streamed inland from the vulnerable Outer Banks of North Carolina yesterday as residents and visitors headed for higher ground ahead of the approaching Hurricane Isabel.

Cars, recreational vehicles and SUVs streamed inland from North Carolina’s coast as up to 90,000 people were urged to get out of the way of Hurricane Isabel, the most powerful storm in four years to menace the eastern US.

Hurricane Lili gave Louisiana’s coast a 100 mph overnight battering that swamped streets, knocked out power and snapped trees.

LESS powerful but still dangerous Hurricane Lili pounded low-lying Louisiana coastal towns in the USA with heavy wind and rain on Thursday as it washed inland. Nearly a half-million people had been urged to flee.

Nearly a half-million people in the US were today urged to flee their homes as a a fearsome hurricane barrelled toward the Gulf Coast with 140 mph winds.