Typhoons And Hurricanes Are Now Stronger and Longer Even After Striking Land

• This longer lifespan of hurricanes and typhoons is the result of warming ocean temperatures, according to the study’s authors.
• If this continues, the power of the hurricanes could increase even further, with destruction that could go farther inland.
• Warm air contains more moisture than cooler air and several of older studies have revealed a clear connection between hurricanes that bring more rain and climate change.

In yet another effect of climate change, experts say that hurricanes and typhoons could be growing stronger and lasting longer even after they make landfall, therefore resulting to more damages.

According to a study published in the journal Nature, hurricanes and typhoons that made landfall in the 1960s decreases its initial power by 75 percent in the first day after they came ashore. Now, hurricanes lose just 50 percent in the first day as after it strikes land.

This conclusion was the result of analysis that the researchers did of hurricanes that have hit North America from 1967 to 2018.

Twenty-nine storms have been named so far this 2020, making this year a record-breaking hurricane season. The number could still go up since there are still a few weeks to go before the season officially ends on November 30.

Billions of damages have been sustained by the Gulf Coast and another Category 1 storm is bound towards the west coast of Florida. This new findings suggest that people who live farther away from the area of initial landfall may become more affected in the future.

This longer lifespan of hurricanes is the result of warming ocean temperatures, according to the study’s authors. If this continues, the power of the hurricanes could increase even further, with destruction that could go farther inland and greatly affect communities that are not equipped to handle the effects of ravaging storms.

The authors also revealed that the discovery of the link between longer-lasting hurricanes and ocean warming was actually an accident.

Pinaki Chakraborty, head of fluid mechanics at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, said: “We were studying the evolution of landfalling hurricanes using simulations and kept finding features that could not be explained using the prevailing models.”

Warm air contains more moisture than cooler air and several of older studies have revealed a clear connection between hurricanes that bring more rain and climate change.

The warm ocean water underneath the hurricane is like fuel, giving it more power. Warmer ocean waters in places such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean can power stronger hurricanes.

The experts conclude that with more research, they can confirm this possible new phenomenon and understand its impact better.