Residents say they were warned well before a tornado struck their small town, destroying six homes and damaging others.

With California on edge as a heat wave threatened to worsen firefighting efforts, hundreds of people north of the state capital evacuated Tuesday after a fire shifted direction.

The first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic storm season continued to weaken Tuesday, dropping to a Category 1 storm with 85 mph winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported.

The West's fire season used to stretch from May into August or September, but now fires touch off in April or earlier, and the season sometimes stretches into October.

NBC Universal and two partners said Sunday they have reached a deal to buy The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications Inc., ending a drawn-out process.