WASHINGTON — Moist air, warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, and ideal wind patterns turbocharged Hurricane Michael in the hours before it smacked Florida’s Panhandle.Hurricane Michael’s wind speed increased by 50 mph in 24 hours, to 140 mph Oct. 10.

Residents of Florida’s Panhandle frantically filled sandbags, boarded up homes and secured boats Oct. 8 as they anxiously awaited Hurricane Michael, which forecasters warned could smash into the state’s Gulf Coast as a dangerous major hurricane within days.

An earthen dam in Arizona’s southern desert could fail because the lake behind it is swollen with storm runoff, and more flooding caused by rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rosa is possible elsewhere in the state.

PHOENIX — After soaking northwestern Mexico with heavy rains as it neared the Baja California Peninsula, reportedly claiming at least one victim, Tropical Storm Rosa is expected to drench the U.S. Southwest.

Volvo Car Group will temporarily idle its new car factory in South Carolina after Hurricane Florence spurred orders to evacuate areas in the path of the Category 4 storm.

A deep freeze following snow Jan. 16 continued to disrupt FedEx’s world hub in Memphis on Jan. 17, causing potential delays in package deliveries.

Memphis International Airport saw little impact on passenger flights from a winter storm early Jan. 16, but FedEx’s cargo operation experienced disruptions that could affect deliveries.

Increasingly sophisticated weather forecasting applications are helping fleets and drivers navigate around adverse weather conditions that could pose safety risks or delay the movement of freight.