Quote:
Originally Posted by fcgiii
A total of 37 tropical cyclones have been estimated to have peaked as Category 5 since records began in 1924. There were 6 hurricanes in the 1930s and 6 since 2006, suggesting that they are not becoming more frequent over time.
The damage a hurricane produces depends on its strength and where it makes landfall. A Cat 5 hurricane that does not hit land does little damage. Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019 did little damage as it stayed out in the Atantic. Esther in 1961 stayed out in the Atlantic and when it finally made landfall in Canada t was only a tripical storm.
There is currently no consensus on how climate change will affect the overall frequency of tropical cyclones. A majority of climate models show a decreased frequency in future projections
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Everything I have read agrees with your point on frequency. However, the problem is the increased intensity of the storms caused by the increased moisture due to the higher levels of CO2 that cause the warming of the ocean -- this is what we saw with Hurricane Ian.
Another point that I don't believe anyone addressed directly was the air quality problem caused by fossil fuels. This was a huge problem in China and which they are now working to fix. Also, in places like Salt Lake City, which has an inversion because of its topography, it has been exacerbated by the population explosion there and the overcrowded highways, causing it on one day in 2021 to have the worst air quality in the world. This is directly related to the exhaust from motor vehicles -- this was told to me by an EPA scientist.
So, as others have alluded to, overpopulation is a contributing factor to this issue.