Study Links Climate Change to Stronger Hurricanes

Recent research has found that climate change has increased the wind speeds of Atlantic hurricanes by an average of 18 miles per hour over the past six years, with 84% of storms experiencing intensified winds. This phenomenon has led to significant increases in hurricane categories, with 40 storms elevated by at least one category and three storms, including Rafael, moving up by two categories. The study indicates that without human-caused climate change, two Category 5 storms in 2024—Beryl and Milton—would not have reached such intensity. Climate Central's analysis highlights that every hurricane in 2024 was stronger than it would have been a century ago, pointing to the catastrophic potential of these storms. The findings emphasize that while the number of storms may not have increased, their destructive power has intensified significantly due to warmer ocean temperatures, which act as fuel for hurricanes. Lead researcher Daniel Gifford stated, 'Damages do scale (up) with the intensity', underscoring the urgent need to address climate change to mitigate future hurricane impacts.