Scientists are becoming increasingly confident that climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and severe.
When it comes to powerful storms, like Hurricane Ianimpacts occur in several ways.
Perhaps more significantly, rising sea levels mean that when storm surges do occur, they are worse.
A storm is a rise in sea level caused by changes in wind and atmospheric pressure that has a particular impact on the mainland and the communities that live there.
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Hurricane Ian caused “historic” damage.
In fact, it is often the storm surge that causes the most damage during a storm, as happened with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
As Hurricane Ian continues to ravage Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has already reported the damage done to his state by Hurricane Ian “historic” with more than two million people left without electricity and the real extent of the damage still unclear.
A warming planet also means that the water cycle is intensifying.
Put simply, more heat means more evaporation, which means more humidity in the clouds and therefore more intense precipitation.
We also know that ocean temperatures are rising.
This can make hurricanes more powerful as heat from the water’s surface transfers energy to the storm as it heads towards land.
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Island blocked as causeway destroyed by Ian
Read more:
Hurricane Ian – live updates: hundreds of people may have died after “catastrophic” winds of 150 miles per hour hit Florida
Fierce Hurricane Ian strikes Florida, tearing up trees and flooding homes
There is also a theory that it suggests climate change they could interfere with atmospheric currents that keep storm systems moving.
While there is no real consensus on this yet, it could mean that storms last longer over the affected regions and cause more damage in the process.
Hurricane Ian landed near Cayo Costa in southwest Florida. Image: AP / NOAA
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