Severe tropical cyclones are predicted to maintain intensity longer, dump more rain and shift polewards as the climate heats up, potentially putting millions more Australians in harm’s way, according to new research.
Scientists from IAG, Australia’s largest insurer, and the US National Center for Atmospheric Research predict “rapidly increasing risks” of damaging winds and major flooding from cyclones by the century’s end. South-east Queensland is among the regions under threat, the paper in the Weather and Climate Extremes journal found.