Climate change made Hurricane Milton worse, scientists say
This week, Hurricane Milton unleashed brutal winds and torrential rainfall across Florida, resulting in the deaths of 16 individuals. An analysis by World Weather Attribution, a team of international scientists, concluded that human-caused climate change significantly exacerbated the storm’s severity.
The report indicates that global warming increased wind speeds by approximately 10% and rainfall by 20% to 30%. Milton rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane in under 24 hours, driven by record-high sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane made landfall as a Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds reaching 180 mph (290 kph).
Scientific assessments suggest that the extreme temperatures in the Gulf are now 400 to 800 times more likely due to climate change. Furthermore, storms similar to Milton are now about twice as likely to occur without the influence of human-induced warming.
“This study has confirmed what should already be abundantly clear: climate change is supercharging storms, and burning fossil fuels is to blame,” stated Ian Duff, a campaigner with Greenpeace. “Millions of people across Florida—many of whom lack insurance—now face astronomical costs to rebuild shattered homes and communities.”
Historically, there has been a concerning trend of rapid hurricane intensification in the Atlantic over the last 50 years, which experts link to climate change. Forecasters had anticipated an active hurricane season this year, predicting between four and seven major storms due to unusually warm water temperatures in the region.
Hurricane Milton marks the second Category 5 hurricane of the current season, a rarity that has only occurred five times since 1950, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As Florida grapples with the aftermath, the urgency for addressing climate change and its implications on extreme weather events continues to grow.
