For years now, climate scientists have been warning that there would be severe consequences if global temperatures continued to rise. One of the major effects predicted by scientists was that hurricanes and other storms would become more potent.
In the last couple of years in the United States, there have been two hurricanes that have produced massive amounts of rainfall. Hurricanes Harvey and Florence both were incredible rain producers. This was due to the fact that both hurricanes moved very slowly. They both churned along the coastline and sucked up huge amounts of water to dump back upon the land.
Scientists believe that the slowing speed of hurricanes and their increasing rainfall are both attributable to the fact that the climate is heating up. There have been hurricanes in past years that have created copious amounts of precipitation. However, scientists are now seeing storms as a general rule becoming more potent rainmakers. Flash Flooding has been a consistent problem across the United States during this year’s storm season. Many areas have seen record daily rainfall levels from short-lived by powerful storms.
Scientists believe that as the water gets warmer, this allows the hurricanes to remain powerful for a longer period of time. Warmer temperatures along the coasts are actually allowing hurricanes to gain strength as they get closer to the land instead of weakening as they approach land.
Scientists also know that global climate change has produced an overall rise in sea levels. This has a direct consequence on the amount of storm surge that causes coastal damage when a hurricane makes its way on shore.
In the past, hurricanes did not tend to linger so long in one area. They were moved along more frequently by the upper level winds. Rising global temperatures have slowed down the upper level winds in the atmosphere. This in turn provides less steering force in the atmosphere to move hurricanes along before they dump so much rain in one small area.
Scientists will continue to study how global climate change is impacting storms. If it is believed that storms in the future will produce such heavy rains, governments will have to create ways to deal with high water and water run off.
