FARGO — Global Climate Change is not making more hurricanes. However, it is increasing the number of hurricanes that become extremely strong as well as increasing the probability that a hurricane or tropical storm will produce catastrophic rainfall. There are two factors causing these changes.
Firstly, as ocean temperatures rise, it becomes increasingly likely that a tropical weather system will encounter pockets of very warm water with a surface temperature in the 80s to near 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Water this warm can cause a rapid intensification of a tropical storm and makes Category 3 storms with sustained winds greater than 110 mph more likely. Secondly, climate change has warmed the polar regions more than the tropics. This reduction in the temperature difference from pole to equator has caused a slight weakening of the jet stream and increases the odds of a storm slowing down or stalling, which increases the odds of extreme rainfall.