you're swinging at the fences now troll
What has happened with hurricanes in recent years?
It’s been a punishing past few years for people living in the path of hurricanes in the US and Caribbean. Last year there were an above-average 15 named storms, including Hurricane Florence, which brewed off the west African coast before barrelling into North Carolina, plunging much of the state into darkness and dumping up to 76cm (30 inches) of rain in places, resulting in flooding that killed dozens of people.
This was followed by Hurricane Michael, the first storm to make landfall in the US as a category five event since 1992. The 160mph storm obliterated the town of Mexico Beach in Florida, caused more than 70 deaths and racked up an estimated $25bn (£19bn) in damage.
These disasters came in the wake of the 2017 hurricane season, which caused a record $282bn in damage. Hurricane Harvey unloaded 33tn gallons of water on Texas, the astonishingly strong Hurricane Irma, which reached a top speed of 177mph, ravaged Florida and several thousand people died in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, another category five storm, tore across the island.
While the overall number of hurricanes has remained roughly the same in recent decades, there is evidence they are intensifying more quickly, resulting in a greater number of the most severe category four and five storms.
The proportion of tropical storms that rapidly strengthen into powerful hurricanes has tripled over the past 30 years, according to recent research. A swift increase in pace over a 24-hour period makes hurricanes less predictable, despite improving hurricane forecasting systems, and more likely to cause widespread damage.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...risis-to-blame
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