Tropical Storm Debby made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on Monday (August 5) at Category 1 strength, marking it as a significant event during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which experts predict to be particularly dangerous.
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to bring heavy rainfall and severe flooding that could last for several days across the Southeastern United States. Last year, Hurricane Idalia reached Category 4 intensity, striking the Big Bend area and causing billions of dollars in damage.
Flooded streets in Florida. (Photo: Octavio Jones).
Climate change is making storms more dangerous with stronger winds. There is also evidence that climate change is causing storms to move more slowly, resulting in heavier rainfall in certain areas and leading to flooding.
Without the oceans, the planet would be significantly warmer due to climate change. Over the past 40 years, the oceans have absorbed about 90% of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions. Most of this heat is concentrated near the water’s surface, intensifying storm strength and wind speeds.
Climate change may also increase rainfall from storms. As the Earth warms, humidity in the atmosphere rises, causing water vapor to accumulate in clouds, resulting in more intense rainfall.
During the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, one of the most active hurricane seasons on record, climate change increased hourly rainfall in storms by 8% to 11%, according to an April 2022 study published in Nature Communications.
The world has warmed by 1.1 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial averages. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predict that as global temperatures rise by an additional 2 degrees Celsius, hurricane wind speeds could increase by up to 10%.
NOAA also forecasts that the rate of storms reaching the strongest categories (Category 4 or 5) could increase by about 10% this century. So far, less than 20% of storms have reached this intensity since 1851.
In the United States, Florida is the state most affected by hurricanes, with over 120 direct landfalls since 1851, according to NOAA. However, in recent years, some high-intensity storms have made landfall further north in the U.S. than previously recorded.
This trend is raising concerns for mid-latitude cities like New York, Boston, Beijing, and Tokyo, where “infrastructure is unprepared” for such storms, according to atmospheric scientist Allison Wing from Florida State University.
Hurricane Sandy, although only a Category 1 storm, was the fourth costliest hurricane in U.S. history, with estimated losses of $81 billion when it made landfall on the Northeast coast in 2012.
Typically, hurricane activity in North America occurs from June to November. After warm water temperatures accumulate during the summer, the most intense storms usually occur in September. However, the first named storms making landfall in the U.S. have occurred three weeks earlier than in 1900, according to a study published in August in Nature Communications.
Hurricane Beryl, which formed in the Atlantic in June, is the earliest recorded Category 5 hurricane.
