Question: How is climate change impacting hurricanes now and what’s expected in the future?
Bernadette’s Answer: Hurricanes get their strength from warm water, and those waters are getting warmer. Scientific research shows that more of the hurricanes forming these days are rising to the level of a major hurricane — category 3-5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. And more storms are rapidly intensifying — when storms go through an explosive growth period of 35 mph in 24 hours. This is particularly dangerous when it happens close to landfall, limiting time for proper preparations. When storms do make landfall, they are more damaging due to more heavy rain and higher storm surges that push farther inland.
