A tropical storm threatening to grow into a hurricane is heading towards America’s Gulf Coast.

Tropical Storm Isaac gained fresh muscle today as it neared the Florida Keys, threatening to be at or near hurricane strength approaching the island chain.

Sunderland’s Titus Bramble today denied sexually assaulting one woman in a nightclub and another in a taxi on his way home on the same night.

Heavy oil from the massive Gulf of Mexico spill reached wildlife sanctuaries on Louisiana coasts today.

BP engineers finally succeeded in keeping some of the oil gushing from a blown well out of the Gulf of Mexico, hooking up a mile-long tube to funnel it into a tanker after more than three weeks of failures.

As Americans anxiously waited for a slick in the Gulf of Mexico to wash up along the coast, globules of oil were already falling to the bottom of the sea, where they threatened virtually every link in the ocean food chain, from plankton to fish on dinner tables everywhere.

Emergency crews launched airboats into submerged streets to rescue central Florida residents trapped by rising floodwaters from a stalled Tropical Storm Fay, which soaked the state for a third consecutive day.

Residents were defying warnings and taking a wait-and-see attitude as a strengthening Tropical Storm Fay swept over the Florida Keys at the tip of the state and bore down on the Gulf Coast.

AFTER pelting Haiti and the Dominican Republic with torrential rains and floods that killed at least four people, Tropical Storm Fay lashed south-eastern Cuba with downpours and heavy winds yesterday.

RAIN from Tropical Storm Ernesto started sweeping across the Florida Keys yesterday, as residents hurried to fill gas tanks, gather supplies and board up windows before the main body of the storm strikes.

Rain from Tropical Storm Ernesto swept across parts of the vulnerable Florida Keys today as residents hurried to fill petrol tanks, gather emergency supplies and board up windows before the main body of the storm strikes.

In the Keys island chain, where Wilma’s storm surge caused extensive flooding, plans were announced to welcome tourists beginning today, as power was restored to nearly half the South Florida homes and businesses that lost it during Hurricane Wilma.

SOME residents of the Florida Keys were rethinking their refusal to evacuate for Hurricane Wilma today after the storm isolated them, submerged streets under up to five feet of water and turned out their lights.

Some residents of the Florida Keys were rethinking their refusal to evacuate for Hurricane Wilma today after the storm isolated them, submerged streets under water up to 5 feet deep and turned out their lights.

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.

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

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

Hurricane Rita strengthened into a Category 3 storm with 115 mph winds early today after lashing the Florida Keys and sparking anxiety as it headed into the Gulf of Mexico.

HURRICANE Rita strengthened rapidly to a Category 2 hurricane as it lashed the Florida Keys with flooding rain and strong wind and sparked fears the storm could eventually bring new misery to the Gulf Coast.

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.

Officials ordered residents evacuated from the lower Florida Keys today as Tropical Storm Rita churned toward the exposed island chain, bringing with it a potential 8-foot storm surge.

FIVE people were killed, a family of five was missing at sea and more than a million homes and businesses lost power after Hurricane Katrina crashed ashore in southern Florida early yesterday.

The first rain from Hurricane Dennis started falling on the Florida Keys today as the storm barrelled towards the Gulf of Mexico, and forecasters warned that it might score a direct hit on the island chain.

Hurricane Ivan battered the Cayman Islands with ferocious 150mph winds today, threatening a direct hit as it flooded homes and ripped up roofs and trees.

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.

Many businesses were shuttered and streets were largely deserted as residents fled from this normally bustling island resort town of Key West amid concern that Hurricane Ivan was heading for Florida.

Hurricane Ivan lashed Jamaica’s coast today but is not expected to make a direct hit, meteorologists said.

HURRICANE Ivan, with 160mph winds, was on a direct course for Jamaica, Cuba and the hurricane-weary southern United States yesterday after devastating the island of Grenada.

More than two million people were told to flee from the path of 110 mph Hurricane Charley as it roared toward Florida’s west coast tonight.

TROPICAL storm Bonnie began to make landfall in Florida’s Panhandle yesterday, while residents in the Florida Keys and southwest Florida prepared to meet the stronger Hurricane Charley.

THE legend of St Swithin’s Day may have jinxed our summer weather this year.

A state of emergency was declared for all of Florida today as a tropical storm and then a hurricane raged closer, the first time the state has faced such a potentially disastrous plight in almost 98 years.

Two hurricanes could strike Florida on the same day – something meteorologists say they have never seen.

Tourists were ordered to evacuate part of the Florida Keys today as two tropical storms took aim at the US state as they strengthened,