Hurricanes Helene and Milton, like dozens of others, energized by climate change, report says

TAMPA, Fla. - Hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean Basin are running on average a category stronger on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale than they would be without climate change and its associated warming, according to a new study released Wednesday.

The research, published by Climate Central, studied hurricanes from 2019 through 2023 and found that their peak wind speeds were, on average, 18 mph higher compared to the expected strength without the influence of human-caused warming. And using those calculations, researchers have estimated that all 11 hurricanes of this past season were energized in some way by climate change.

Researchers found a significant driving force behind the boost in storm intensity is coming from persistent above-average to record warmth in the waters across the Atlantic Basin. Water temperatures well exceeded previous record heat measurements in 2023 and maintained those levels as high as 3 degrees above average throughout 2024.

WHAT RECORD-SETTING OCEAN TEMPS MEAN FOR SEA LIFE AND 2024 HURRICANE SEASON

Current water temperatures in the Caribbean. (FOX Weather)

Hurricanes draw their power from warm water. The warmer the waters, the more energy is available for hurricanes to produce devastating wind speeds that, in turn, generate higher storm surges and heavier rainfall.

The published study looked at 30 hurricanes from 2019 through 2023, and among its findings – aside from the overall average wind boost of 18 mph for 84% of the storms in those years – three hurricanes were able to reach Category 5 status due to climate change: Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019, Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Lee in 2023.

In addition, hurricanes Sally (2020), Ian and Franklin (2023) would have been a category weaker had ocean temperatures been at historical averages, researchers said.

2024 hurricane season supercharged by climate change too

While the published paper’s findings stretched through the 2023 season, Climate Central has applied the paper's calculations to the 2024 season and found similar daunting results.

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