While climate change does not necessarily increase the number of hurricanes, it does appear to make them more intense and destructive. Ocean warming increases hurricane wind speed and precipitation, and sea level rise intensifies storm surge impacts and damages. They are, perhaps, the world’s costliest natural weather disasters.
Communities also face potential flood disasters: Hurricane Harvey dumped over 60 inches of rain on parts of Houston in 2017 and resulted in at least 93 deaths; Hurricane Florence in North Carolina set at least 28 flood records in 2018; Hurricane Dorian was on track to move through the Bahamas and toward Florida, but stalled, causing massive flooding and destruction in 2019. 2020 became the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record. Of the 30 named storms, 14 developed into hurricanes, 417 people died and over $51 billion in damages was created. 2021 was the third-most active Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Ida became the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclone of that season, killing 107 people, causing catastrophic flooding and contributing 93% of the total damage in 2021. In 2022, Hurricane Fiona became the season’s first major hurricane on September 20, devastating Puerto Rico and The Cayman Islands before moving up to strike Canada with 115-mile-an-hour winds. 2023 was the fourth-most active Atlantic hurricane season, with 20 named storms.
In May, 2024 NOAA predicted the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season will have above-normal activity due to warming ocean temperatures, less wind shear, and La Niña conditions in the Pacific. In July 2024, Hurricane Beryl became the earliest category-5 storm on record, causing devastation in parts of the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast.
By September 2024, Hurricane Helene slammed down in Florida, causing widespread devastation as it moved along the southeast into southern Appalachia. It is one of the costliest hurricanes in U.S. history (FEMA estimated more than $300 million), causing historic flooding and more than 200 casualties. Scientists reported that climate change produced over 50% more rainfall in Hurricane Helene, with record-hot waters in the Gulf. The devastation in Asheville, NC, a city previously called a “climate haven,” revealed that nowhere is immune from the impacts of climate change. As climate correspondent Umair Irfan noted, “as average temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, extreme events like hurricanes spool up faster into monstrous storms and dish out more rainfall and drive more storm surge into coastal areas than they would otherwise.”
By early October, Hurricane Milton was hurtling towards the west coast of Florida. Two days after it struck, it barrelled across Florida and into the Atlantic leaving 3,000,000 without power.
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, was quiet until October when Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean leaving dozens dead and communities devastated in what experts are calling an “unprecedented” storm. A New York Times meteorologist explained that the storm’s rapid intensification and unusual track were fueled by record ocean temperatures. Scientists at Imperial College London found that human-caused climate change increased Melissa’s wind speeds by 7%, amplifying its damages by 12%, while a Climate Central analysis estimated a 10% boost in wind strength and revealed that the ocean waters Melissa crossed—1.2°C warmer than average—were up to 900 times more likely to reach such temperatures due to global warming.
A collection of helpful infographics and videos on hurricanes is posted at Climate Nexus. Climate Central has created stunning resources to help you understand the links between climate change and hurricanes. Their extreme weather toolkits on Tropical Cyclones and Heavy Rain and Flooding (available in English and Spanish) provide quick facts and reporting resources including experts available for interviews. And their Hurricane Intensity and Impacts report covers the historical trends and high impacts of rapidly intensifying hurricanes like Ian, and lists experts available for interviews.
Please refer to hurricane advisories from the National Hurricane Center and follow your local National Weather Service Forecast Office for updates.
There is a fairly straightforward guide explaining what to do before, during, and after a hurricane. Check it out here.
CREDIT: NOAA
