What The 2017 Hurricane Season Means For Global Climate Change
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

What The 2017 Hurricane Season Means For Global Climate Change

The climate is getting warmer and these storms are getting stronger.

39
What The 2017 Hurricane Season Means For Global Climate Change
Lily Lvnatikk

In a span of three weeks, three hurricanes had made landfall in the Caribbean Islands and The United States. Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Texas on August 25th as the first major hurricane since Wilma in 2005. The cost of damage is predicted to be around $180 billion, making it the costliest hurricane in recorded history.

A week later, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Caribbean Islands as a Category 5 hurricane, hitting Puerto Rico, Cuba, and decimating the island of Barbuda, making the island practically uninhabitable, and impacting the Florida keys and Tampa area, hitting record floods and becoming one of the most powerful hurricanes ever. Around the same time, Hurricane Jose arrived, another Category 4 that started as a tropical wave west of the African Continent.

With a fourth hurricane, Hurricane Maria, currently plowing through Dominica and Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm, we are witnessing one of the most active hurricane seasons since 2005, and some of the strongest storms on record. According to The Weather Channel's Hurricane Irma tracker, the pressure of the cyclone was as low as 913 mb, making the storm stronger than Hurricane Katrina while it reached speeds of up to 185 mph.

These storms, of course, are natural disasters and are very difficult to handle. Citizens on the shore are warned to evacuate. Houses are boarded and extra food and gas is stored and saved for emergency. However, these storms are getting stronger and stronger and are only a foreshadow of what might come. What is to blame?

The earth is warming. According to NASA, the earth has warmed up by approximately 1.1 degrees Celsius and is continuing to warm up at an exponential rate. Warmer waters are the driving force for hurricanes, and it seems to be apparent during the 2017 hurricane season.

As we get warmer and warmer over the next decade or so, these storms might become stronger than we realize, and Barbuda may not be the only uninhabited island.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

58478
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

37685
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959273
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

193890
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments