The science is clear – climate change is causing more damaging hurricanes in Florida - Environmental Defense Fund
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Degrees is for you.</a></div><div><article><div> <a href="https://www.edf.org/degrees-green-jobs-podcast"> <picture> <source srcset="https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/styles/2_1_732_366_focal_point/…; type="image/webp"/> <img src="https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/styles/2_1_732_366_focal_point/…; alt="Illustrated artwork for the Degrees podcast (square)" typeof="foaf:Image"/> </picture> </a></div></article></div></article></div></div></div></div><li class="search-form-holder hide"><form class="topnav-search-form form-subscribed-to" id="TopnavSearchForm"> <input type="search" placeholder="Search this site..." id="TopnavSearchFormInput"> <button type="submit" id="TopnavSearchFormSubmit">GO</button></form></li><div class="topnav-padding-offset"></div><main id="content" class="row content" role="main"><div class="pageWidth"><div class="column content-wrapper clearfix" id="contentArea"><div class="column breadcrumbs"><div class="region region-content-top"><div id="block-breadcrumbs"><nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"><h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2><ol><li><a href="https://www.edf.org/" title="EDF Home">Home</a></li><li><a href="https://www.edf.org/blogs" title="EDF Blogs">Blogs</a></li><li><a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411" title="Climate 411">Climate 411</a></li><li>The science is clear – climate change is causing...</li></ol></nav></div></div></div><div class="column content-intro" id="pageIntro"><h1 class="entry-title">The science is clear – climate change is causing more damaging hurricanes in Florida</h1></div><div class="content-primary content-primary-col2" id="contentColumn"><div class="region region-content"><div id="nav-above" class="navigation"><div class="nav-previous"><a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2023/10/26/new-carbon-credit-integrity…; rel="prev"><span class="meta-nav">«</span> New carbon credit integrity guidelines could boost buyer confidence in agriculture</a></div><div class="nav-next"></div></div><div id="post-23597" class="post-23597 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-basic-science-of-global-warming category-extreme-weather category-greenhouse-gas-emissions category-news category-oceans category-science" ><div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">By </span><span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn" href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/author/filo/" title="View all posts by Fiona Lo" rel="author">Fiona Lo</a></span> / <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn" href="https://www.edf.org/people/fiona-lo" title="Bio">Bio</a></span> <span class="meta-sep meta-sep-entry-date"> / </span> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-entry-date">Published: </span><span class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2023-11-01T09:09:03-0500">November 1, 2023</abbr></span></div><div class="entry-content"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons" ></div><div id="attachment_23605" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Hurricane_Ida… aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23605" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" class="wp-image-23605 size-full" src="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files//Hurrican…; alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/Hurricane… 2560w, https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/Hurricane… 300w, https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/Hurricane… 1024w, https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/Hurricane… 768w, https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/Hurricane… 1536w, https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/Hurricane… 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-23605" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Flooding in Tampa from Hurricane Idalia. Photo: Andrew Heneen, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons</em></p></div><p>(<em>This post was co-authored by EDF Senior Climate Scientist </em><a href="https://www.edf.org/people/ilissa-ocko"><em>Ilissa Ocko</em></a>)</p><p><span data-contrast="auto">Hurricanes are complicated, and their characteristics depend on a number of factors, which makes it difficult to tease out certain trends and predict the future. But what is scientifically clear is that human-caused climate change is a key reason that hurricanes are more destructive – </span>especially in Florida.</p><p>Hurricanes are becoming stronger and faster. They are less predictable and thus more dangerous because there is less time to prepare and evacuate. Flooding from hurricanes is worsening due to higher sea level, more rainfall, and slower storm speeds.<span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto">Florida has always been more vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms than any other U.S. state because its exposed, southern location is surrounded by warm waters. There are almost twice as many hurricanes that hit Florida as Texas, the second most impacted state. But shifting atmosphere and ocean conditions from climate change – caused by heat-trapping gases emitted from human activities – are making hurricane season even worse for Floridians. Here’s how:</span></p><p><span id="more-23597"></span></p><p><a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files//FloridaH… decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-23602 size-full" src="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files//FloridaH…; alt="" width="720" height="540" srcset="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/FloridaHu… 720w, https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/FloridaHu… 300w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p><strong>Hurricanes are becoming more unpredictable by strengthening faster </strong><span data-ccp-props="{"469777462":[2223],"469777927":[0],"469777928":[1]}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto">Worldwide, hurricanes are growing bigger and stronger as climate change heats up both the air and water. This is because hurricanes are fueled by warm water and humid air. <a href="https://time.com/6218869/why-atlantic-hurricanes-are-getting-stronger/"… study shows</a> that</span> <span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph">almost </span><span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph">half</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph"> of </span><span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph">today’s </span><span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph">North Atlantic hurricanes are</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph"> reaching major intensity (Category 3, 4, or 5)</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph">, which is</span> <span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph">260%</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph"> more than four decades ago</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph">.</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="x_x_msolistparagraph"> </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":2,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":231}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto">Hurricanes are also <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/increasing-number-hurricane-rapidly… stronger faster</a>, a phenomenon known as <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutgloss.shtml#r">rapid intensification</a>. In fact, several recent storms have gone from tropical storm to major hurricane overnight —something that used to be a rare occurrence. Scientists have found that climate change is leading to more favorable conditions for hurricanes to strengthen more quickly, such as warmer waters. </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto">When storms rapidly strengthen, it is difficult to predict how severe and threatening they can become. The result is less time to prepare and evacuate, leading to more economic damage and even loss of life. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":2,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":231,"469777462":[8340],"469777927":[0],"469777928":[1]}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">Every major hurricane to hit Florida since 2005 has strengthened rapidly. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/08/30/1196875261/idalia-went-through-rapid-int… Idalia</a>, which hit Florida this year, went from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane within 24 hours due to record high water temperatures. In 2022, <a href="https://www.pbsnc.org/blogs/science/rapid-intensification-hurricanes/">… Ian</a> – which went from a tropical storm to a Category 3 hurricane in 36 hours right before landfall in southwest Florida — became the second deadliest storm this century (after Katrina) and the costliest hurricane in Florida’s history.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":2,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":231,"469777462":[8340],"469777927":[0],"469777928":[1]}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none"><a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/increasing-number-hurricane-rapidly… expect</a> that the </span><span data-contrast="auto">rapid intensification of hurricanes will continue in the future</span><span data-contrast="none"> unless drastic measures are taken to limit further climate change.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":2,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":231}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto"><strong>Hurricanes are causing more flooding</strong></span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto">There is more flooding in Florida from hurricanes because storms now move slower, have more threatening storm surges, and bring increased rainfall:</span></p><ul><li><span data-contrast="none"><strong>Slower storm speeds</strong></span><span data-contrast="none"> – Storms have been traveling at </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/climate/hurricane-sally-climate-chan… data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">slower speeds</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> in the Atlantic since the mid-20th century. While the <a href="https://www.edf.org/climate/how-climate-change-makes-hurricanes-more-de… speeds in a hurricane</a> are getting faster, the movement of the hurricane from one location to another has been slower. S</span><span data-contrast="auto">torms are pushed by the jet stream, and the <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/digest/jet-stream-climate-change-heat-wave">jet stream is slowing down</a> likely </span><span data-contrast="none">from climate change-induced warming in the Arctic. Slow-moving storms bring a higher risk of flooding as more rainfall is dumped over a particular area before the storm moves on. We expect more storms to slow down in the future with further warming.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":2,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":231}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="none"><strong>Threatening storm surge</strong> — Higher sea levels in Florida lead to more powerful and damaging storm surges from hurricanes because of the state’s long shoreline and low-lying coastal areas. The result is more coastal flooding and, consequently, property and infrastructure damage. Sea level has already <a href="https://sealevelrise.org/states/florida/">risen by as much as eight inches</a> in Florida since 1950 due to g</span><span data-contrast="auto">laciers and ice sheets</span><span data-contrast="none"> melting. With more warming in the absence of drastic climate action, sea level could <a href="https://sealevelrise.org/states/florida/">rise by another six inches</a> in the next 15 years</span><span data-contrast="auto">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":2,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":231}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto"><strong>Increased rainfall</strong> — There is more moisture in the air in a warmer world, which leads to heavier rainfall during storms. In the north Atlantic ocean, where Florida sits, rainfall from tropical storms has <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/ClimateStorms#:~:text=(Graph%20by%20Robert%20Simmon%2C%20based,percent%20per%20decade%20since%201988.">increased by almost 25%</a> in the last couple decades, and is expected to <a href="https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/global-warming-and-hurricanes/">increase by about 20% more</a> in the future due to climate change.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":2,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":231}"> </span></li></ul><p><span data-contrast="auto"><strong>How we can prevent more damaging storms in the future</strong></span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":2,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":231}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto">The good news is that we know what is causing climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are the leading cause, and the reality is that Florida is one of the top greenhouse gas-emitting U.S. states. We need to take immediate actions to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases in order to slow down and limit warming in the coming decades, and ultimately stabilize global temperatures. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><div class="wp_rp_wrap wp_rp_plain" id="wp_rp_first"><div class="wp_rp_content"><h3 class="related_post_title">Related Posts</h3><ul class="related_post wp_rp"><li data-position="0" data-poid="in-18463" data-post-type="none" ><a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2018/03/26/still-cheaper-than-coal-a-r…; class="wp_rp_title">Still cheaper than coal – a report on the economics of solar power in Colorado</a></li><li data-position="1" data-poid="in-197" data-post-type="none" ><a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/08/16/real_offsets/" class="wp_rp_title">Ensuring Carbon Offsets are Real</a></li><li data-position="2" data-poid="in-257" data-post-type="none" ><a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/10/18/lieberman-warner_bill/" class="wp_rp_title">A New Climate Change Bill with Promise</a></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links">This entry was posted in <a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/category/science/basic-science-of-glob…; rel="category tag">Basic Science of Global Warming</a>, <a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/category/science/extreme-weather/" rel="category tag">Extreme Weather</a>, <a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/category/greenhouse-gas-emissions/" rel="category tag">Greenhouse Gas Emissions</a>, <a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/category/news/" rel="category tag">News</a>, <a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/category/science/oceans/" rel="category tag">Oceans</a>, <a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/category/science/" rel="category tag">Science</a></span>. 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Related Knowledge Center: Climate science
What began as a theory in the 1890s — that industrial emissions of carbon dioxide could increase global temperatures — had progressed to a scientific fact a century later. Scientists across a range of disciplines are studying the impact of the still-growing concentration of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere as they call for industrial and governmental policies to slow, then halt, the warming of the planet.