Hurricane Matthew threatens the Southeast through this weekend.
By Climate Central
Hurricane Matthew threatens the Southeast through this weekend. Although no major hurricane has made landfall in the U.S. since 2005, that has not been the case in other parts of the Atlantic Basin. The number of major Atlantic hurricanes has been increasing since 1970 and the the U.S. is long overdue for one to strike.
This originally appeared on Climate Central.
September 10 marks the statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Based on data gathered since 1851, it’s been more likely for a hurricane [or tropical storm] to be active on this date than on any other in the entire season — from June 1 to November 30. Climate scientists, meanwhile, take a longer view: how will hurricane numbers and
MoreJune 1 is the first day of meteorological summer and the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season. More than 10 years have passed since a major hurricane made landfall in the U.S. Wilma was the last, hitting Florida in October 2005. This abnormally quiet period continued last season, as 2015’s strong El Niño likely suppressed the activity of the
MoreOverall hurricane trends are up. The recent National Climate Assessment reports that over the past three decades, “the intensity, frequency and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest hurricanes, have all increased.” MIT hurricane scientist Kerry Emanuel began looking at this effect back in 2005, when he
MoreHermine arrived right at the start of the most active part of hurricane season. The peak of hurricane season coincides with the time of year when ocean temperatures are at their warmest. We look at sea surface temperatures along the coast using data from the NOAA National Data Buoy Center. Both the maximum and average sea surface temperature during
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