Hurricane Intensity and Impacts

The document examines how human-caused climate change and warming sea surface temperatures are increasing the proportion of intense tropical cyclones and the frequency of rapid intensification events. It highlights that tropical cyclones are the costliest weather disasters in the U.S., with 73% of billion-dollar storms since 1980 having undergone rapid intensification. The text notes that while landfalling hurricane frequency in the continental U.S. remained stable from 1900-2017, economic losses have risen due to increased population and wealth along the Gulf and East Coasts.

• Tropical cyclones are the most expensive and lethal weather events in the U.S., with eight of the ten most costly disasters in U.S. history being hurricanes. Since 1980, tropical cyclones causing at least $1 billion in damage have totaled $1.19 trillion in losses.
• Rapid intensification—defined as a wind speed increase of at least 30 kt (approx 35 mph) in 24 hours—is common among major hurricanes (category 3-5), affecting about 80% of them. Between 1980 and 2021, 170 landfalling Atlantic tropical cyclones experienced this process, and 73% of U.S. tropical cyclones causing over $1 billion in damage underwent rapid intensification.
• Human-caused climate change is increasing the intensity of hurricanes. Since 1979, the global probability of a tropical cyclone becoming a major hurricane (category 3 or higher) has increased by approximately 5% per decade. Warming sea surface temperatures have likely driven a significant increase in extreme rapid intensification events (50+ kt in 24 hours) globally from 1990 to 2021.
• Economic losses from hurricanes in the continental U.S. have increased significantly from 1900 to 2017, despite the frequency of landfalling hurricanes remaining unchanged. This increase is attributed to higher population growth and regional wealth along the East and Gulf Coasts.

APA

Cutter, S., Gilford, D., Vecchi, G., & Wood, K. (2022). Hurricane Intensity and Impacts. Climate Central. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/hurricane-intensity-and-impacts

Chicago

Cutter, Susan, Daniel Gilford, Gabriel Vecchi, and Kimberly Wood. Hurricane Intensity and Impacts. Climate Central, 2022. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/hurricane-intensity-and-impacts.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cutter |first1=Susan |last2=Gilford |first2=Daniel |last3=Vecchi |first3=Gabriel |last4=Wood |first4=Kimberly |title=Hurricane Intensity and Impacts |publisher=Climate Central |date=7 September 2022 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/hurricane-intensity-and-impacts |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cutter2022hurricane, author = {Cutter, Susan and Gilford, Daniel and Vecchi, Gabriel and Wood, Kimberly}, title = {{Hurricane Intensity and Impacts}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/hurricane-intensity-and-impacts}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }