Hurricane Milton Made Up To 800 Times More Likely By Hotter Water In Gulf Of Mexico. ” Sea surface temperatures in the area where Milton has developed “are at or above record-breaking highs,”
Hurricane Milton Made Up To 800 Times More Likely By Hotter Water In Gulf Of Mexico. ” Sea surface temperatures in the area where Milton has developed “are at or above record-breaking highs,”
Hurricane Milton intensified from a tropical depression to a Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours — a rate of acceleration matched or exceeded by only two other storms tracked by the National Hurricane Center in its more than 40-year history. “Extreme rapid intensification” is defined as an increase in a tropical cyclone’s maximum sustained winds of ~58 mph (50 knots) or greater within 24 hours. Hurricane Milton experienced a ~92 mph (80 knots) increase in maximum sustained winds in 24 hours.) A Climate Central analysis published on October 7, 2024 showed the high sea surface temperatures fueling the monstrous storm’s rapid intensification were made between 400 and 800 times more likely by the climate crisis.
Climate Central noted that Milton, which is expected to make landfall in the populous Tampa Bay metropolitan area on Wednesday night, is a “historically powerful” storm that has “undergone extreme rapid intensification over sea surface temperatures warmed by climate change.” Sea surface temperatures in the area where Milton has developed “are at or above record-breaking highs,” Climate Central observed, conditions that have allowed the storm to quickly become what the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) described as an “extremely serious threat to Florida,” a state still reeling from the destructive Hurricane Helene.
Hotter Oceans, More Powerful Storms
“Climate change clearly warmed the Gulf waters that fueled Milton’s development, likely supercharging its rapid intensification and making this hurricane much more dangerous,” said Daniel Gilford, a meteorologist at Climate Central. “Fossil fuel pollution is amplifying this threat.”
New York Times climate reporters Raymond Zhong and Mira Rojanasakul explained Monday, “For a year and a half now, the upper layer of the world’s oceans has been at or near its hottest temperatures on record. The seas absorb most of the extra heat that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap near Earth’s surface, so the same human-caused forces that have been bringing abnormal heat to towns, cities, and landscapes are helping to warm the oceans.”
Climate scientists Jeff Masters and Bob Henson called the rapid intensification of Hurricane Milton “a spectacular and ominous feat.” The storm has since weakened slightly to a Category 4 as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico, but it is still expected to be devastating. “It is very likely that Milton will be a highly destructive hurricane costing over $10 billion for Florida — and Milton could end up placing among the costliest US hurricanes on record, depending on the eventual details of landfall,” they wrote on Monday. “The risk is also high that Milton will be very deadly if people in low lying areas do not heed evacuation orders and flee the hurricane.”
1 Comment
Hurricane Milton intensified from a tropical depression to a Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours — a rate of acceleration matched or exceeded by only two other storms tracked by the National Hurricane Center in its more than 40-year history. “Extreme rapid intensification” is defined as an increase in a tropical cyclone’s maximum sustained winds of ~58 mph (50 knots) or greater within 24 hours. Hurricane Milton experienced a ~92 mph (80 knots) increase in maximum sustained winds in 24 hours.) A Climate Central analysis published on October 7, 2024 showed the high sea surface temperatures fueling the monstrous storm’s rapid intensification were made between 400 and 800 times more likely by the climate crisis.
Climate Central noted that Milton, which is expected to make landfall in the populous Tampa Bay metropolitan area on Wednesday night, is a “historically powerful” storm that has “undergone extreme rapid intensification over sea surface temperatures warmed by climate change.” Sea surface temperatures in the area where Milton has developed “are at or above record-breaking highs,” Climate Central observed, conditions that have allowed the storm to quickly become what the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) described as an “extremely serious threat to Florida,” a state still reeling from the destructive Hurricane Helene.
Hotter Oceans, More Powerful Storms
“Climate change clearly warmed the Gulf waters that fueled Milton’s development, likely supercharging its rapid intensification and making this hurricane much more dangerous,” said Daniel Gilford, a meteorologist at Climate Central. “Fossil fuel pollution is amplifying this threat.”
New York Times climate reporters Raymond Zhong and Mira Rojanasakul explained Monday, “For a year and a half now, the upper layer of the world’s oceans has been at or near its hottest temperatures on record. The seas absorb most of the extra heat that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap near Earth’s surface, so the same human-caused forces that have been bringing abnormal heat to towns, cities, and landscapes are helping to warm the oceans.”
Climate scientists Jeff Masters and Bob Henson called the rapid intensification of Hurricane Milton “a spectacular and ominous feat.” The storm has since weakened slightly to a Category 4 as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico, but it is still expected to be devastating. “It is very likely that Milton will be a highly destructive hurricane costing over $10 billion for Florida — and Milton could end up placing among the costliest US hurricanes on record, depending on the eventual details of landfall,” they wrote on Monday. “The risk is also high that Milton will be very deadly if people in low lying areas do not heed evacuation orders and flee the hurricane.”