Climate change increased wind speeds for every 2024 Atlantic hurricane: Analysis

Climate change increased the maximum wind speeds of every Atlantic hurricane in 2024 by 3 to 14 mph, with some storms moving into higher Saffir-Simpson categories. The analysis, based on a rapid attribution framework, found that human-caused global warming elevated ocean temperatures by as much as 2.5°F, making elevated sea surface temperatures in hurricane tracks up to 800 times more likely.

• Human-caused global warming increased the maximum sustained wind speeds of all eleven Atlantic hurricanes in 2024 by between 3 and 14 mph, which resulted in three hurricanes moving into a higher Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale category.
• The 2024 hurricane season featured record-breaking ocean warmth, with climate change making waters up to 2.5°F warmer and increasing the likelihood of elevated sea surface temperatures (SST) in hurricane tracks by up to 800 times.
• Specific major hurricanes were further intensified by human-warmed ocean temperatures, with Hurricane Helene increasing by 10 mph and Hurricane Milton increasing by 8 mph.
• The analysis utilized a rapid attribution framework introduced in a November 20, 2024, study published in Environmental Research: Climate titled 'Human-caused ocean warming has intensified recent hurricanes (Gilford et al., 2024)'.

APA

Climate Central (2024). Climate change increased wind speeds for every 2024 Atlantic hurricane: Analysis. https://www.climatecentral.org/report/2024-hurricane-attribution

Chicago

Climate Central. Climate change increased wind speeds for every 2024 Atlantic hurricane: Analysis. 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/report/2024-hurricane-attribution.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Climate change increased wind speeds for every 2024 Atlantic hurricane: Analysis |date=20 November 2024 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/report/2024-hurricane-attribution |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2024climate, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Climate change increased wind speeds for every 2024 Atlantic hurricane: Analysis}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/report/2024-hurricane-attribution}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }