Even weak tropical cyclones have grown more intense worldwide – we tracked 30 years of them using currents

Hurricane Nicole was a Category 1 storm, but it caused extensive damage to Florida in 2022. Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory

Tropical cyclones have been growing stronger worldwide over the past 30 years, and not just the big ones that you hear about. Our new research finds that weak tropical cyclones have gotten at least 15% more intense in ocean basins where they occur around the world.

That means storms that might have caused minimal damage a few decades ago are growing more dangerous as the planet warms.