Longtime New England residents are more familiar with nor’easters preparations than hurricanes.
How Does Climate Change Affect Northeast Hurricanes?
Higher temperatures are observed in the North. (Image source: NOAA Climate.gov)
Tremendous gusts from Category 5 Hurricane Lee along the New England coast remind us that big storms may still pose a threat in colder Northern waters. And that threat may rise. Storms weaken as they go north along the Atlantic coast. Cooler oceans, drier air, and stronger winds don’t help hurricanes. Northeast water temperatures are warmer than typical, but they’re still not bathtub-like like in the South. Hurricanes need energy from warm water. However, climate change may increase hurricane winds in the region, according to some studies.
Many scientists agree that storm rainfall is increasing and that storms have more impact when they land due to rising sea levels. Several research imply storm activity and greater winds will move north in a warming world. Lower latitudes are where tropical cyclones get warm ocean water to fuel them. Hurricane engines can grow in this location because powerful jet streams are less likely to shear off cloud tops.
READ ALSO: Expert Says: Hurricane Lee is Not a Manmade Hurricane
Hurricanes Spin Around North for Warmer Temperatures
However, Yale University scientists found in 2021 that a warmer globe could cause hurricanes to spin farther north, threatening New York and Boston. That report was released shortly after Henri, a hurricane that became a tropical storm before hitting Rhode Island, flooded the Northeast with record-breaking rain and gusts. MIT meteorology and climate scientist Kerry Emanuel told USA TODAY on Friday that researchers have found that storm threats on the Maine coast would rise. Emanuel, a Maine resident who experienced Lee on Saturday morning, predicted that hurricane-force winds will climb from 1 in 500 years to 1 in 135 years by late this century. The study projected large hurricane rainfall increases but with increasing uncertainty.
How is climate change affecting New England water temperatures? According to NOAA, the northeastern continental shelf has warmed faster than any other U.S. region. The Gulf of Maine warms quicker than most other waterways. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute reports the warmest two years on record, with a warming rate of.86 degrees per decade quadruple that of the world’s seas. Over 3.7 degrees hotter than the 40-year average, last year’s 53.66 average temperature.
The global average ocean temperature is rising, and this year set a new record. Experts are looking into the continuous warming produced by greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a spike of water vapor in the high atmosphere caused by last year’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption, as potential causes of this year’s sharp rises. Due to increased atmospheric moisture, warmer water in storms causes more rain and flooding. Warmer waters fuel hurricanes and tropical storms, which allow them to retain tropical features as they migrate north in the Atlantic.
Increasing ocean temperatures contribute to rising sea levels. Warming oceans are harming ecosystems and marine species, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
