Climate Change and Tropical Cyclones
- Warming of the surface ocean from anthropogenic (human-induced) climate change is likely fueling more powerful Tropical Cyclones.
- The destructive power of individual Tropical Cyclones through flooding is amplified by rising sea levels, which very likely has a substantial contribution at the global scale from anthropogenic climate change.
- In addition, Tropical Cyclones’ precipitation rates are projected to increase due to enhanced atmospheric moisture associated with anthropogenic global warming.
- The proportion of severe Tropical Cyclones has increased, possibly due to anthropogenic climate change. However, most climate model studies project a corresponding reduction in the proportion of low-intensity cyclones, so the total number of Tropical Cyclones each year is projected to decrease or remain approximately the same.
