Hurricanes and Climate Change

What fuels hurricanes?

• Heat in the top layers of the ocean

• Cool air from the atmosphere

• Strong winds from the land

• Ice melting in the polar regions

How has global warming affected hurricanes?

• Hurricanes have become less intense

• Hurricanes have become more frequent

• Hurricanes have become shorter in duration

• Hurricanes have become more intense and drop more rain

What is the impact of rising sea levels on hurricanes?

• Hurricanes become weaker

• Hurricanes cause less flooding

• Hurricanes push tidal waters further inland

• Hurricanes dissipate before reaching land

How many hurricanes in 2020 resulted in at least $1 billion in damages?

• 7

• 22

• 39

• 156

Which hurricane was the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since 1992?

• Hurricane Ian

• Hurricane Michael

• Hurricane Katrina

• Hurricane Harvey

What is the main factor that determines a hurricane's path?

• Ocean heat

• Wind shear

• Large-scale weather patterns

• Atmospheric interface

What has contributed to the improvement in hurricane path forecasting?

• Climate change

• Satellites and aircraft

• Random storm behavior

• Three-dimensional representation

Which aspect of hurricane forecasting remains a challenge?

• Intensity

• Track

• Wind shear

• Data collection

What has NOAA done to reduce intensity forecast errors?

• Improved data collection

• Increased accuracy

• Reduced forecast cones

• Better assimilation of data

What is a major difficulty in forecasting hurricane intensity?

• Random storm behavior

• Climate change

• Large-scale weather patterns

• Wind shear