Hurricane Helene, which recently struck Florida, has been a stark reminder of the impact of climate change on extreme weather events. The warming atmosphere, fueled by decades of fossil fuel emissions, has led to increased moisture in the air, resulting in more intense rainfall and widespread flooding.
Helene's rapid intensification before hitting Florida was attributed to the unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico and the broader Atlantic region. The warming of the oceans globally, with over 90% of the warming occurring in these waters in the past 50 years, has made storms like Helene more prone to rapid intensification cycles.
