Even in seasons with only a few named storms, hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage if they make landfall. Are we likely to get even more, or bigger, tropical storms in a world affected by global warming? Here’s Bernadette Woods Placky on what we know about climate change and hurricanes.
Overall 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
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Hurricane season doesn’t officially begin until June 1, but tell that to Tropical Storm Ana, which made landfall on the South Carolina coast early May 10. May storms, while unusual, aren’t unprecedented, since the official season dates are artificial. Records suggest they happen about once every six years. But in the ever-present context of a
MoreSeptember 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
MoreMay 15 marks the statistical peak of the eastern Pacific hurricane season. There’s a much less pronounced peak in the eastern Pacific season than in the Atlantic hurricane season, but its storms tend to be likeliest (by a small margin) on or about August 29. By November 30, the eastern Pacific hurricane season ends. Eastern Pacific storms aren't
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