With the end of the academic year fast approaching, the Michigan Senate approved a bill on Wednesday, May 21 that will allow for some calendar reprieve for Northern Michigan schools.

Two EF2 tornadoes hit opposite sides of Bennett while another EF2 tore up part of Elkhorn Ranch in Elbert County and an EF1 blew across Manila Village in Arapahoe County.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has formally requested federal aid to help northern Michigan communities recover and rebuild from crippling ice storms in March.

Kentucky firefighter Leslie Leatherman answered the call for help, rushing into harm's way as he steadfastly did for decades, when a late-night tornado plowed through his community in the Appalachian foothills.

A helicopter rotor blade broke in a storm and almost hit a worker who was trying to secure the aircraft to a North Sea offshore platform's helipad, a report has revealed. The helicopter had landed passengers on Elgin PUQ, more than 100 miles east of Aberdeen, but it did not take off again due to a warning light.

Clear Lake State Park, known for its pristine lakefront, will delay its camping season by two to four weeks due to damage from the ice storm that ripped through Northern Michigan. The 290-acre park is set within the Mackinaw State Forest. (Photo Credit Tyler Leiprandt and Michigan Sky Media LLC. | DNR) Tyler Leipprandt and Michigan Sky Media LLC

The chart above uses available NOAA data to show a meteoric rise in catastrophic events, largely due to severe storms like the ones currently hitting the South and Midwest. From 1980 to 2000, 96 disasters caused more than $546.

In order to respond to these threats, government agencies need to coordinate. That is where SWORM comes in. Formed in 2014 to develop and advance national space weather preparedness, SWORM includes agencies like the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).