A few weeks ago, Hurricanes Helene and Milton made landfall in the United States, battering Florida, traveling inland to North Carolina, and leaving a trail of destruction that stretched all the way up to Kentucky. It may feel like damaging weather events are getting more intense — and the truth is, many of them are. Climate change is making the world hotter and making extreme weather more extreme.
Hurricanes often begin their life as tropical thunderstorms, absorbing warm, moist air over the ocean. The warm air is a source of energy, powering strong winds to rotate in a circle. When wind speeds reach 74 mph, the tropical storm becomes a hurricane.
While wind and rain are destructive, the most dangerous part of a hurricane is actually the storm surge. As the hurricane moves through the ocean, it pushes along with it a wall of water. Once it hits the shore, this wall of water can rise by 20 feet (6 meters) and travel 100 miles (161 kilometers) inland, causing ninety percent of hurricane deaths.
We know that climate change is making both land and oceans hotter. Record high sea surface temperatures (the temperature of the water closest to the ocean’s surface) were recorded in 2023 and data so far in 2024 show that global sea surface temperatures continue to break records.
Warmer water means more fuel for hurricanes, making dangerous storms more common. With more fuel, hurricanes can rapidly intensify, causing higher windspeeds, increased rainfall, and bigger storm surges. The results are devastating, and millions of people can be affected, losing their homes, livelihoods, and, for some, their lives.