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What an incredible hurricane season it has been! This year, a record-hot Atlantic Ocean went head to head with a strong El Niño in an epic battle to determine which weather phenomenon would steer the hurricane season. The winner was the record-warm Atlantic, according to Phillip Klotzbach, a meteorologist and researcher at Colorado State University. Supercharged sea surface temperatures are linked with more frequent and more intense storm activity, making the impact of this year’s unprecedented collision of major factors even more profound.
With 20 named storms, seven of which were hurricanes and three of which were major hurricanes, this year’s hurricane season has been nothing short of extraordinary. Even though experts initially predicted a below-average season, the Atlantic’s unexpected heating up led to a record-breaking season. Only one hurricane made landfall in the United States, while the U.S. also saw two landfalling tropical storms. Florida narrowly escaped the worst, with one hurricane hitting its least populated corner and a commendably effective evacuation response preventing widespread devastation.
What’s more, the Atlantic Ocean’s scorching temperatures had a major impact on storms, even overriding the typical negative effects of El Niño, which usually results in fewer storms due to an increase in storm-shredding wind shear. This year, the lack of temperature contrast between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean meant that even El Niño was unable to influence the formation of storms in its usual way, leaving the Atlantic to run wild with powerful, long-lasting storms.
This year’s hurricane season may have come to a close, but the impact of the record-warm Atlantic is a reminder of the growing threat of climate change and its influence on extreme weather events.
For more details on this year’s unprecedented hurricane season, click here. To read more about it, click here.