Tropical Storm Gustav surged toward renewed hurricane force on Thursday as it drove toward Jamaica, while many miles away, New Orleans watched it with a nervous eye.

National Guard troops stood ready and batteries and water bottles sold briskly as the New Orleans area watched a storm march across the Caribbean on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's third anniversary.

The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Hanna has formed northeast of the northern Leeward Islands in the Atlantic.

Indian officials rushed soldiers and air force helicopters Wednesday to flood-ravaged parts of northern India to provide aid to the more than 1 million people stranded by a surging river.

People worried about the high cost of keeping warm this winter will draw little comfort from the Farmers' Almanac, which predicts below-average temperatures for most of the U.S.