Study: Climate Change Strengthens Atlantic Hurricanes

Siblings Saboria, 4, left, and Messiah Tyler, 3, nap in the backseat of a car after the roof was torn off the home where they lived with their mom, grandparents, an aunt and an uncle during the

A recent scientific study has revealed that human-caused climate change has led to a significant increase in the strength of Atlantic hurricanes over the past six years. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research: Climate, indicates that warmer oceans have made hurricanes approximately 18 miles per hour (29 kilometers per hour) stronger.

For 40 of the storms analyzed in the study, the warmer ocean temperatures caused the storms to escalate by an entire hurricane category. This increase in intensity can have a substantial impact on the damage caused by hurricanes, with a Category 5 storm causing significantly more destruction compared to lower category hurricanes.

40 storms escalated by a full hurricane category due to warmer ocean temperatures.

Warmer oceans have increased hurricane strength by 18 mph.

Climate change led to wind speeds surging by two storm categories in some cases.

Notably, for three storms, including the recent Rafael, the influence of climate change resulted in wind speeds surging by two storm categories, highlighting the significant impact of warmer oceans on storm intensity.

The study emphasizes that the focus is on the increased power of the most severe storms rather than a rise in the number of storms. Lead author Daniel Gifford, a climate scientist at Climate Central, emphasized that the catastrophic damage caused by hurricanes is directly linked to their intensity.

The study specifically looked at the years 2019 to 2023, with a subsequent analysis of storms in 2024 indicating a consistent trend of heightened storm intensity due to climate change. The authors noted that without human-caused climate change, there would have been no Category Five storms in 2024.

Warm water serves as the primary fuel for hurricanes, and the rising temperatures in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico have provided more energy for storm development. The study highlights that 85% of the storms examined in the last six years exhibited a clear impact of climate change on their strength.

Experts have observed a general increase in water temperatures in hurricane-prone regions, with some areas experiencing up to a 4-degree Fahrenheit rise due to climate change. This warming trend has been attributed to the burning of fossil fuels, which has led to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

The study's findings align with previous research indicating that climate change accelerates hurricane intensification and can result in storms moving more slowly, leading to higher rainfall amounts.

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