As Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, it brought with it record-breaking storm surge and catastrophic sustained winds, decimating remote towns throughout the Appalachians, leaving millions without power, mobile phone service, and supplies, and killing over 230 people. But scientists have revealed that human-caused climate change played a significant role in intensifying the storm’s rainfall and wind speeds.
According to a flash study by World Weather Attribution (WWA), the warming climate boosted Helene’s wind speeds by about 13mph and made the high sea temperatures that fueled the storm 200 to 500 times more likely. The analysis found that ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico were about 2C above average, which also contributed to the storm’s amplification.
The study’s co-author, Ben Clarke, a climate researcher at Imperial College London, explained that the warmer air and increased moisture meant that the rainfall totals, even without climate change, would have been incredibly high, but the climate change amplification made them even higher. The same is likely to be true for Hurricane Milton, which is currently threatening the Florida coast.
The scientists warned that continued burning of fossil fuels will lead to more hurricanes like Helene, with “unimaginable” floods well inland, not just on coasts. They noted that many of those who died in Helene fell victim to massive inland flooding, rather than high winds.
Fierce Hurricane Helene Devastate US South Amid Warming Climate (Image via Getty)
The WWA launched in 2015 to assess the extent to which extreme weather events could be attributed to climate change. The organisation’s rapid studies are not peer-reviewed but use peer-reviewed methods. The team of scientists tested the influence of climate change on Helene by analyzing weather data and climate models, including the Imperial College Storm Model and the Climate Shift Index for oceans.
A separate analysis by Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Lab scientists determined that climate change caused 50% more rainfall in some parts of Georgia and the Carolinas, and that observed rainfall was “made up to 20 times more likely in these areas because of global warming”.
Climate expert Kim Cobb, director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, emphasized that there are uncertainties in exactly how much climate change is supercharging storms like Helene, but “we know that it’s increasing the power and devastation of these storms”. She warned that Helene and Milton should serve as a “wake-up call” for emergency preparedness, resilience planning, and the increased use of fossil fuels.
As the world continues to grapple with the devastating impacts of climate change, it is clear that the fight against global warming is not only a moral obligation but also a necessity for the survival of humanity. The scientific evidence is unequivocal: continued burning of fossil fuels will lead to more intense and frequent hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires, exacerbating the devastation already caused by climate change.
It is crucial that governments, corporations, and individuals take immediate action to transition to renewable energy sources, reduce emissions, and adapt to the changing climate. The future of our planet depends on it.
