How Climate Change Fuels Deadly Storms

In recent years, natural disasters, especially hurricanes, have become much more intense and unpredictable due to climate change. A Ph.D climate change scientist, Angela Colber, said, “Due to global warming, global climate models predict hurricanes will likely cause more intense rainfall and have an increased coastal flood risk due to higher storm surge caused by rising seas. Additionally, the global frequency of storms may decrease or remain unchanged, but hurricanes that form are more likely to become intense.” Dr. Angela Colber confirms that these storms have become much more destructive in recent years and their timeline is highly unpredictable, ranging from staying the same to even decreasing in frequency.

Typically, hurricane season runs from June through November, but even though Dr. Colber predicts that the frequency of storms will remain unchanged or even go down throughout the year, it seems storms are now occurring more prevalently. For example, tropical storm Oscar hit Cuba in late October outside of the typical tropical storm season showing the effect of climate change. As storms seem to become more frequent, countries like Cuba face repeated devastation. Other countries that have been impacted recently include Jamaica, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Philippines. With these storms occurring so often, affected regions struggle to recover fully before the next disaster strikes. Warmer oceans, caused by global warming, intensify hurricanes, making them grow stronger quickly and reach higher categories, resulting in more severe damage and flooding.

Another example of hurricanes becoming stronger is Hurricane Milton, which recently hit Florida. It was the second most intense Atlantic hurricane recorded in the Gulf of Florida. This hurricane was so destructive that schools were closed. The wreckage was horrifying, leading to over two billion dollars in insurance being spent on building repairs and medical costs for injured individuals. Zippy Sandler, a survivor of this event, said, “All of a sudden, it got very dark. The first thing I felt was the pressure – an intense version of when you’re in the plane and lose altitude and your ears hurt. And the rumble – it was like a train coming through the house." These events are terrifying and the drastic effects it can have on people's mental and physical wellbeing are scarring. The increasing frequency and strength of storms highlight the urgent need to address climate change and its devastating impacts, such as the loss of lives and destruction of homes.