Hurricane Milton, which recently struck Florida, brought with it devastating winds and torrential rains, leading to the tragic loss of 16 lives. A team of international scientists announced on Friday that the severity of the storm was worsened by climate change attributed to human activities.
According to an analysis by World Weather Attribution, global warming has contributed to a 10 percent increase in wind speeds and a 20 to 30 percent rise in rainfall intensity. This organization specializes in examining how climate change influences extreme weather phenomena.
Milton experienced a rapid escalation from a Category 1 storm to an intense Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours, driven by record-high sea temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. It ultimately made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, demonstrating the alarming trend of rapid hurricane intensification.
Previous scientific research has shown that climate change has significantly increased the likelihood of such high sea temperatures in the Gulf, making them 400 to 800 times more probable. The excess heat played a crucial role in Milton becoming the third-fastest intensifying Atlantic hurricane on record, with maximum sustained winds reaching 180 mph (290 kph), as reported by the US National Hurricane Center.
The scientific community noted that storms similar to Milton are now twice as likely to occur in the absence of human-induced warming. Ian Duff, a campaigner with Greenpeace, emphasized the urgent message from this study: “Climate change is supercharging storms, and fossil fuel consumption is to blame.”
With millions of Floridians facing staggering costs to rebuild their communities—many lacking insurance—the impact of climate change is felt deeply. Scientists have highlighted a concerning trend over the past 50 years of rapid hurricane intensification in the Atlantic, linking it to climate change.
Given the exceptionally warm surface water temperatures in Florida and the Caribbean, meteorologists had predicted an active Atlantic hurricane season, estimating four to seven major storms. Milton marks the second Category 5 hurricane of the season, which runs from June through November. Notably, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has reported that only five other years since 1950 have experienced more than one Category 5 hurricane in a single season.
