Hurricane Milton Hits Florida as Global Warming Causes More Fierce Storms

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Stormy skies in Clearwater, Florida, USA (1 January 2022) photo by A.Howse (Minolta digital camera)
Stormy skies in Clearwater, Florida, USA (1 January 2022) photo by A.Howse (Minolta digital camera)

Hurricane Milton hits Florida

Last week President Biden warned Floridian residents to leave their homes and evacuate or risk losing their own lives in Hurricane Milton saying to Tampa Bay citizens: “residents will die if they don’t evacuate”. (8)

At the beginning of last week national weather forecasters predicted that the wind speeds in the approaching extreme storm event would exceed the force of the United States most recent massive hurricane named Helene, which devastated parts of North Carolina and Virginia.

Many feared Milton would cause destruction to the sunshine state’s coasts and central districts on the scale of hurricane Katrina which killed over one thousand people and flattened many areas of New Orleans and caused damage which took several years to rebuild.

Thankfully Milton was not as devastating as the experts had predicted. Milton was the ninth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, which continues until the end of November.

On Wednesday 9th October weather scientists were astonished to find Milton growing in strength as it travelled over the Gulf of Mexico increasing from a category 1 storm to a category 5 storm in less than 10 hours. The warmer water was predicted to fuel the hurricane to enable it to become an extraordinary weather event, even for a region that is used to an active hurricane season.

American hurricanes and hurricane Milton

The category classification for hurricanes is called the Saffir-Simpson scale. This system allocates storms according to their wind speed and potential damage severity, with category 5 being the most powerful storm. (3)

Last month Hurricane Helene demonstrated how the warm waters of the Gulf seas can ‘heat up’ a storm force that is powerful enough to reach speeds of over 74 miles per hour which means the storm is classed as a hurricane. The consequences of Helene were severe and tragically 227 people died as a direct result of hurricane Helene devastation. Two million people were left without power after hurricane Helene. Hurricane Helene tore through Florida, Georgia, western North and South Carolina, eastern Tennessee and the southern part of Virginia. (1)

In the many towns in the southern states of America that were in Helene’s path, buildings were demolished and the massive amount of rainfall that accompanied the high winds caused major flooding and disrupted power and water services.

Sadly, less than two weeks later more than 20 people died in Hurricane Milton which was reported as “brutal” even by stoic Florida residents, who were interviewed by a variety of freelance journalists on location, after the storm passed.

Some Floridians had chosen to stay and endure the storm, despite the serious official warnings. For example, families with many animals were unsure of where they would all stay instead. Some residents worried about being caught in the storm inside their vehicles during unpredictable traffic chaos and therefore chose to stay put in their apartments and houses, despite the official guidance.

“At least 20 tornadoes have been recorded as Milton surged through the state” reported The Independent. One man with a large family and lots of dogs to shelter said “we too easily forget how bad it can be to stay up all night through a hurricane like this”.

Hurricane Milton was a major event that disrupted many thousands of lives as whole community areas were evacuated simultaneously. Thankfully however, the loss of life and damage to major infrastructure and buildings was relatively minor as fortunately all the pre-storm preparations seem to have worked well for the majority of Floridians, in most locations.

Warmer ocean temperatures stoke larger storms

Many experts now agree that the hotter ocean water temperatures that are associated with global warming are contributing to the current situation where warmer air and more moisture can cause bigger storms and more intense rainfall.

Powerful storms that form in warm tropical ocean waters are called hurricanes in the American continent and cyclones and typhoons in the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans in Asia and near Australia.

Additionally, the increased rainfall can cause massive storm surges of water which often causes serious flooding around coastlines. (6)

Last year the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produced a report that stated “Peak Tropical Cyclone rain rates increase with local warming at least at the rate of mean water vapour increase over oceans (about 7% per 1°C of warming) and in some cases exceeding this rate due to the increased low-level moisture convergence caused by increases in Tropical Cyclone wind intensity.” (4)

The IPCC panel directly linked global warming to the gradual increase in severe weather events all across the planet and explained that “The average and maximum rain rates associated with tropical cyclones (TCs), extratropical cyclones and atmospheric rivers across the globe, and severe convective storms in some regions, increase in a warming world.” (4)

Sea level rises increase storm surges

The powerful effect of a hurricane’s impact on coastlines and river banks can be seen when storm surges happen. This is when water levels rise above normal levels and they are worsened by high winds pushing the water further inland. Scientists point to the gradual but recently more rapidly increasing sea level rises that are believed to be triggered by human caused global warming as “warmer ocean water expands and land ice melts.” (6)

However not everyone agrees with the scientists that global warming is causing more powerful hurricanes in Florida. The Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis said there was a “precedent” for the immense destruction of these extreme weather events and believes that the previous century had many bigger storms than what Americans are experiencing this season. (2)

Technology predicts hurricanes but we all need to ‘do our part’ together to prevent permanent unwanted weather changes  

Sophisticated weather predicting technology allows citizens living in tropical cyclone zones to prepare for approaching severe weather events in advance. Angela Colbert Ph.D. is part of National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and describes how National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA partners with NASA to collect measurements of various aspects of hurricanes over time. (7)

Colbert refers to Shirley Murillo Deputy Director of NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division who states that “NASA weather satellites are a powerful tool for observations, as people cannot fly into every storm to gather data” These satellite and meteorological findings are then compared and analysed by scientific researchers who can produce models to predict how future hurricanes might emerge and be impacted by climate change. (7)

Protecting the environment is an issue that affects everyone. It is important for our governments who lead countries in the wealthier parts of the world that contribute most to climate change in delivering effective strategies for reducing unwanted climate change and improving the environment.

There is still time to act in order to prevent more global warming and further detrimental effects to communities living in areas affected by seasonal hurricanes and storm water surges. We can all do our bit to put pressure on those in authority to prioritise environmental issues, as well as looking after the environment where we live, choosing environmentally friendly lifestyles and minimising our carbon footprint as much as possible.

 

 

(1) ‘Global heating makes hurricanes like Helene twice as likely, data shows’ Oliver Milman and Jonathan Watts, The Guardian, Wed 9 October 2024 ‘Global heating makes hurricanes like Helene twice as likely, data shows’ Oliver Milman and Jonathan Watts, The Guardian

(2) ‘DeSantis denies that climate change is making hurricanes more powerful’ Mike Bedigan, The Independent, 12 October 2024 ‘DeSantis denies that climate change is making hurricanes more powerful’ Mike Bedigan, The Independent

(3) ‘How is climate change affecting hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones?’ Mark Poynting, Climate Reporter, BBC News 9 October 2024 ‘How is climate change affecting hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones?’ Mark Poynting, Climate Reporter, BBC News

(4) ‘Weather and Climate Extreme Events in a Changing Climate’ (AR6 – chapter 11) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC – United Nations body for assessing science related to climate change, 20 March 2023 ‘Weather and Climate Extreme Events in a Changing Climate’ (AR6 – chapter 11) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC

(5) ‘Climate change key driver of catastrophic impacts of Hurricane Helene that devastated both coastal and inland communities’ World Weather Attribution Organisation 9 October 2024 ‘Climate change key driver of catastrophic impacts of Hurricane Helene that devastated both coastal and inland communities’ World Weather Attribution Organisation

(6) ‘How climate change makes hurricanes more destructive’ Environmental Défense Fund organisation, article, 17 October 2024 ‘How climate change makes hurricanes more destructive’ Environmental Défense Fund organisation

(7) ‘A force of nature: hurricanes in a changing climate’ Angela Colbert PhD. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1 June 2022 ‘A force of nature: hurricanes in a changing climate’ Angela Colbert PhD. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

(8) ‘Joe Biden said Hurricane Milton is a ‘matter of life and death’ as he warns people to evacuate’ Sky News 9 October 2024 ‘Joe Biden said Hurricane Milton is a ‘matter of life and death’ as he warns people to evacuate’ Sky News