EBN- The eyes of the world are on the US state of Florida as powerful Hurricane Milton approaches its coast.
This hurricane, which has rapidly transformed into a Category 5 hurricane, the most dangerous, is worrying experts and specialists, and brings to mind the horrors of the devastating Hurricane Katrina, which caused the deaths of 1,836 people and damages ranging between $97.4 billion and $145.5 billion in late August 2005.
According to a report by the American newspaper “The Hill”, Hurricane Milton witnessed development in a very short period of time, as it turned from a normal storm to a Category 5 hurricane within just 24 hours.
This phenomenon, which experts call “rapid intensification,” means wind speeds increase by at least 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour in a single day.
“This is what rapid intensification looks like,” CNN meteorologist Elisa Rafa said of the development. “You go to bed with a normal Category 1 hurricane and wake up to a Category 5 monster with winds of up to 160 mph.”
“It’s really amazing and scary,” Rafa added. “This is the trend as our oceans continue to trap heat and fuel stronger storms.”
The role of climate change
The experts suggest that warming ocean temperatures, caused by human-caused climate change, play a major role in fueling more powerful tropical cyclones.
Climate Central, a nonprofit science organization, confirmed this fact in a series of tweets on the X platform, noting that “Milton rapidly intensified above sea surface temperatures in the western Gulf of Mexico, which are hundreds of times more likely to be abnormally warm due to climate change.”
“You know what’s driving this, I don’t have to tell you,” Florida meteorologist John Morales said of the warming Gulf of Mexico waters. “Global warming and climate change are driving this and becoming an increasing threat.”
