Our Changing Climate Is Making Hurricanes Stronger

If you are wondering why hurricanes seem to be getting worse over the years this video will explain to you why. Hurricanes and tropical storms seems to last longer, dump much more rain with high winds and travel much further inland towards cities that are not capable or ready for such storms. Guess why?

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana with 38 cm (15 inches) of rain. While in 2017, Hurricane Harvey dumped over 150 cm (60 inches) of rain on Texas. Why did one hurricane drop more water than the other hurricane?

The answer is simple. Climate change! Climate change is described as a change in the distribution of weather patterns that lasts for an extended period of time (decades to millions of years). Certain human activities have been known to be the primary cause of climate change on the planet, also known as global warming.

Rising ocean temperatures are causing hurricanes to become more devastating than ever. Oceans capture over 90% of that excess heat that comes from our emissions. As humans, we cause emissions by using air pollutants and chemicals by burning coal and other fossil fuels, in cement production, in deforestation and other landscaping operations. Humans emitted roughly 40 billion metric tons of carbon monoxide just in 2015 alone. Still wondering why Hurricane Harvey was worse than Hurricane Katrina?

As a hurricane travels over the ocean, it can pick up the ocean's heat. The heat fuels the hurricane, causing faster wind speeds and strengthening the storm. As the strong hurricane winds travel over the hot ocean's surface, it make the water much easier to evaporate. This evaporation requires a lot of energy, so the warmer the temperatures are at the ocean's surface, the more energy is created, making the storm stronger and larger.

The heat also allows the hurricane to hold more precipitation. The scientific term for this is called cyclone. Only tropical cyclones that occur over the Atlantic or Pacific ocean are called Hurricanes. They are like giant cyclones that use warm and moist air created by the ocean's hot temperatures as fuel. This is why hurricanes usually only occur over the ocean and typically close to the equator.

And the ocean heat isn't just affecting hurricanes, but all storms in general. According to NASA, rainfalls snowstorms have increased by 76% since 1948. And the intensity and duration of of hurricanes over the North Atlantic have increased in frequency and strength since the early 1980's, producing many more category 4 and 5 storms.

The problem isn't going away any time soon. Hurricanes and tropical storms will continue to get worse as the human race continues to burn up fossil fuels and emit carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. Cities will not only need to improve their infrastructure and reevaluate their evacuation plans, but we will all as a planet need to come up with a plan to use much more clean energy and listen to our Mother Earth if we want make a difference.

Humans will need to cut down on emissions and use more clean energy. Because if we don't...we will be seeing much more of this!