Climate scientists: North Carolina expected to face stronger hurricanes
Hurricane Lee set a record as the fastest system to intensify from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in Atlantic hurricane season history.
It’s since downgraded to a Cat 4, but climate scientists say Lee could be a precursor for storms to come.
"Warm water to hurricanes that’s like adding gas to a fire," said WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell.
Record hot ocean temperatures are fueling the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Monstrous Hurricane Lee is currently swirling above ocean water that has surpassed 87 degrees, according to Rosimar Rios-Berrios, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
- Ocean temperatures are so hot, scientists are moving coral indoors
- Record ocean heat and tropical impacts
Rapid intensification, which is becoming a more common occurrence, is dependent on warm sea surface temperature.
"All the projections agree, unfortunately, that as our climate continues to warm, we will see more extreme rates of strengthening in hurricanes," Rios-Berrios said.
Rapidly intensifying storms can be more catastrophic because they can be hard to forecast, giving less time for preparation and evacuation.
"The increase in the number of Category 4 or 5 storms, is really a telltale sign of climate change," said Kevin Reed, a professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at Stony Brook University. "So as the climate continues to warm to in the coming decades, we anticipate seeing more of these types of events."
Climate change is contributing to slower-moving systems too, bringing heavier rainfall and more flooding because warmer air can hold more water.
"What we're anticipating is that the impacts from such a storm would be wide reaching inland," Reed said.
North Carolina has only been hit by one Category 4 storm, but climate scientists say rapidly intensifying storms are the new normal, which could mean North Carolina should brace for stronger hurricanes on the horizon.
