<
https://theconversation.com/hurricane-beryls-rapid-intensification-category-5-winds-so-early-in-a-season-were-alarming-heres-why-more-tropical-storms-are-exploding-in-strength-233780>
"Hurricane Beryl was the latest Atlantic storm to rapidly intensify, growing
quickly from a tropical storm into the strongest June hurricane on record in
the Atlantic. It hit the Grenadine Islands with 150 mph winds and a destructive
storm surge on July 1, 2024, then continued to intensify into the basin’s
earliest Category 5 storm on record.
Beryl was still a powerful Category 4 hurricane on July 3 when its eyewall
brushed the coast of Jamaica and headed toward the Cayman Islands. A large part
of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula was under a hurricane warning.
The damage Beryl caused, particularly on Carriacou and Petite Martinique, was
extensive, Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told a news briefing. “In
half an hour, Carriacou was flattened.”
Beryl’s strength and rapid intensification were unusual for a storm so early in
the season. This year, that is especially alarming as forecasters expect an
exceptionally active Atlantic hurricane season.
Rapidly intensifying storms can put coastal communities in great danger and
leave lasting scars. In 2022, for example, Hurricane Ian devastated portions of
Florida after it rapidly intensified. To this day, residents are still
recovering from the effects.
What causes hurricanes to rapidly intensify, and has climate change made rapid
intensification more likely?
I research hurricanes, including how they form and what causes them to
intensify, and am part of an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval
Research to better understand rapid intensification. I also work with
scientists at the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration to analyze
data collected by reconnaissance aircraft that fly into hurricanes. Here’s what
we’re learning."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
