Emmy Bassarab - Hurricanes Milton and Helene
Hurricane Helene was one of the worst storms the hit the eastern coast this year. 227 people were killed and millions were left without power according to the World Weather Attribution. Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton were unusual. Both hurricanes developed and intensified very quickly. One of the biggest questions is why are hurricanes Helene and Milton so different than ones in the past? One idea is that climate change is causing it. 2023 had the highest temperatures ever recorded. This year, 2024, is pretty similar. What happens with hurricanes is the warmer the temperature of the ocean, or in this case the gulf, the more moisture the hurricane can pick up. The more moisture, the worse the storm. That is exactly what had happened in this case. Both Milton and Helene rapidly developed by picking up lots of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. While more evidence is certainly needed to confirm that climate change is what is causing the rise of powerful storms, this could be just the beginning of a string of violent storms.
Climate change key driver of catastrophic impacts of Hurricane Helene that devastated both coastal and inland communities – World Weather Attribution
Comments
Post a Comment