Earlier this week, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, causing power and gasoline supply disruptions in many areas and destroying a large number of homes.
As of press time, Milton has caused at least 16 deaths. US President Biden has recently stated that according to expert estimates, the losses caused by Hurricane Milton in the United States have reached approximately $50 billion.
On Friday (October 11th), the World Weather Attribution (WWA) released a report on its official website, stating that Milton is "another hurricane that has become wetter, stronger, and more destructive due to climate change
The formation of a hurricane begins with a turbulent airflow in the air, which then develops into a low-pressure area. The warm seawater warms the air, and the closer it is to the center of the storm, the higher the temperature. The ocean continuously replenishes temperature and humidity for growing storms, providing energy.
Milton formed in the Gulf of Mexico when the sea surface temperature reached over 30 degrees Celsius. This led to Milton strengthening into the highest level Category 5 hurricane in just two days, approaching the "Category 6 hurricane" assumed by some meteorologists.
WWA also believes that Milton's "explosive" growth is driven and sustained by the extremely high sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the analysis by the research institution 'Climate Central', climate change has increased the likelihood of such temperatures occurring in the Gulf of Mexico region by 400 to 800 times.
The gray area represents land, and the red area represents sea surface
The team of scientists at WWA wrote that global warming has increased wind speeds by about 10% and rainfall by 20% to 30%. The group pointed out that due to human activities causing climate change, the likelihood of Milton occurring is twice as high as assuming no human activities.
Ian Duff, an activist from Greenpeace, an environmental organization, said, "This study confirms something that is already very clear: climate change is having a super effect on storms, and burning fossil fuels is the culprit
Prior to Milton, Hurricane Helena also made landfall in Florida, resulting in approximately 230 deaths and hundreds missing. Duff pointed out, "Many of the millions of people in Florida are uninsured, and now they are facing huge costs of rebuilding broken homes and communities
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States, hurricane season typically lasts from June 1st to November 30th each year. This season, there have been two Category 5 hurricanes, Belle and Milton, and data since 1950 shows that only five years have recorded two or more Category 5 hurricanes.
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