Strongest Hurricanes May Double in Frequency, Study Says
Strongest Hurricanes May Double in Frequency, Study Says
Warmer sea surface temperatures—which fuel hurricanes—and shifting wind patterns are expected to strengthen the storms, the study says.
(Related: "Strong Hurricanes Getting Stronger; Warming Is Blamed.")
At the same time, rising temperatures should result in fewer weak or middling hurricanes in the western Atlantic. (See "Global Warming to Decrease Hurricanes, Study Says.")
The study considered what would happen if people kept emitting more greenhouse gases until about 2050 and then started cutting emissions.
"Some refer to this as a middle-of-the-road scenario" for tackling greenhouse gas emissions, said study co-author Thomas Knutson, a research meteorologist with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In this scenario the world became about 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.5 degrees Celsius) warmer than today.
In turn, the western Atlantic
