Amid the politics of an election year, climate change has become a highly contentious topic. According to the World Meteorologists Organization, hurricanes that have consistently devastated the coasts of the American Southeast have gotten progressively stronger throughout the years. Tropical storms and hurricanes brought record-breaking winds and destructive storm surges, resulting in irregular storm behaviors, sparking concerns about the impact of climate change on weather patterns.
2024 began with a series of intense winter storms across the Northeastern U.S. Then, while the ice was still melting, tornadoes began to sweep through the American Midwest, setting up the fact that America has experienced the highest amount of tornadoes in 2024 than in the last 13 years, according to WSMV National. Following the tornadoes were wildfires caused by the dry vegetation. Soon after, hurricanes brought rampant flooding in the late summer and fall. University of Florida (UF) students witnessed catastrophe firsthand, waking up on an October day to see their campus flooded and without power. The days leading up to Hurricane Milton were filled with news reports describing recent downpours and winds at break-neck speeds. According to UF freshman Jackson Brasil, this was a challenge for students navigating their first few months of college.
“We were all watching the news, and hoping it would miss us,” Brasil said. “The thing with storms like these is that they’re just a waiting game. Sometimes they come and they wipe out a whole town, and sometimes it’s just some rain.”
Many students were urged by their families to come home and take refuge from Hurricane Milton. However, for Brasil, staying on campus was safer as his family lived closer to the Gulf of Mexico, where it formed according to NASA.
“You could hear the wind rattling the windows, and the rain was really heavy,” Brasil said. “I was just hoping [it] would blow over like they usually do, but the news was making this such a big deal and saying the winds were like Katrina. I don’t think it was that bad, but for a lot of people it was their first time dealing with a storm and they were definitely shaken up.”
UF freshman Om Parbadia, a non-local to Florida, was one of those who hadn’t experienced a storm like Milton before, but Parbadia was back with his family during the strongest part of it. Nevertheless, coming back to campus after the hurricane had passed was still a disturbing experience for Parbadia.
“A bunch of trees fell down that hit power lines making the power go out for a few days,” Parbadia said. “People still don’t have power. Everyone was trying to stock up on water and toilet paper like how it was during quarantine–just prepping for the unknown.”
Over the years weather and hurricane-prediction technology has improved exponentially, according to PBS. However, meteorologists still don’t have a full picture of a storms’ damage before it hits. According to KVUE Meteorologist Jordan Darensbourg, one of the reasons that Hurricane Milton had caused such destruction was the unpredictable strength it had while crossing the gulf, taking both forecasters and residents by surprise.
“When Milton struck the Florida Peninsula, it had actually formed in the Bay of Campeche near Mexico,” Darensbourg said. “It tracked all the way across the gulf before making landfall. The reason Milton got so strong was because the gulf waters at that time of year were much hotter than they usually were. In that particular regard, what ended up happening was that a lot of hurricanes got a whole lot stronger and there wasn’t a lot of inhibition that could stop them from strengthening the way they did.”
The intensity a tropical storm reaches primarily depends on the temperature of the water it forms in. Most hurricanes begin in the Atlantic, where the ocean’s average temperature is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It must be at least 79 degrees for the right conditions to be extracted from the ocean, according to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. The current rate of global warming, 0.36 degrees Fahrenheit per decade, will create a breeding ground for larger and deadlier hurricanes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Many climatologists like John Nielsen-Gammon hold the opinion that although the annual quantity of hurricanes will decrease, their severity will rise.
“Some of the initial research back in the late 1990s indicated the number of hurricanes will go up, and that turned out to be mainly associated with what we have observed historically,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “But, it turns out, that’s when you have a warm Atlantic and other oceans that stay the same… The number of very strong Category 4 or 5 hurricanes is expected to go up.”
Initiatives at both the local and national levels, such as those in Austin, can contribute to mitigating the effects of global warming. Programs like TreeFolks provide free trees for residents to plant; updated building codes now require insulation and reflective roofing that help the buildings keep cool and reduce energy usage; NOAA heat maps the city to prepare areas where extreme heating events may occur and where mitigating tools need to be utilized. Individually, environmentally conscious lifestyle changes such as conserving water, energy, and gas can collectively lessen environmental stressors. However, as Nielsen-Gammon explains, it can be difficult to feel like a difference is being made.
“Like recycling, individuals can’t make much of a difference individually, but a lot of individuals can make a decision collectively,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “That can come about with reducing carbon dioxide emissions by using fuel-efficient means of transportation or electric personal vehicles. It’s also important to learn about possible climate change solutions so you can properly evaluate different candidates’ proposals regarding climate change.”
Having awareness about the state of the current global climate can be an important factor in preparing for the unknown. Organizations, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, help citizens in times of extreme events and there are some efforts being made to curb the impact climate events have on people. Small efforts, combined with community initiatives can help build resilience against these extreme weather events.
