Are hurricanes getting stronger?

2024-10-13 15:40:19Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
The aftermath of the hurricane in Florida

Authorities in Florida announced that Hurricane Milton has caused at least 16 deaths and that more than 2 million people continue to be without power. Scientists say the extremely strong wind and heavy rainfall that hit the state was caused by human-caused climate change.

"I have never experienced anything like this in my life. I felt like I was in a movie."

Crystal Coleman is one of the residents of Florida who is trying to save what she can after the impact of Hurricane Milton. Many people say that the force of the hurricane was very great and that they had never experienced anything like it before.

"This hurricane was very powerful," says another resident.

Experts now raise the question: Are hurricanes getting stronger?

The extremely strong wind and heavy rainfall that hit the state was caused by human-caused climate change. This is the conclusion of an international team of scientists known as "World Weather Attribution".

Their analysis shows that global warming has made wind speeds about 10% stronger and precipitation 20% to 30% heavier. In less than 24 hours, Milton intensified from a Category 1 storm to a Category 5 storm. The National Hurricane Center ranked Milton as the third-fastest Atlantic hurricane.

"In the future there will be warmer waters due to climate change and this will affect the increase in the number of storms. We think climate change will affect the types of hurricanes. There is some evidence that they will be stronger and possibly spawn more tornadoes. And of course, heavier rainfall too, due to climate change. So these types of phenomena may worsen in the future due to climate change," says scientist Hannah Cloke.

Milton is the second Category 5 hurricane this season.

Authorities say only five other years since 1950 have recorded more than one Category 5 hurricane in a season.

According to experts, between unusually warm surface water temperatures that wet Florida and the Caribbean, a supercharged storm season can be expected in the Atlantic, from four to seven such./ VOA


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