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Have There Been More Hurricanes In Recent Years Because of Technology?

     Have there been more hurricanes in recent years? Is that from climate change? Or is it just an advancement of technology? The National Hurricane Center's Christopher W. Landsea, Chief of the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch, and Eric Blake, a Senior Hurricane Specialist, studied this topic in a recent article of theirs. About 15 years ago, scientists and researchers found that the number of hurricanes had increased over the past hundred years. But interestingly, during the 1940s and 1950s, there was an increase in short-lived or low-impact storms. At the same time, there were more aircraft over the oceans and the Hurricane Hunters began missions looking for hurricanes.  Last year, nearly 42 trillion dollars of damage were caused by tropical cyclones. This included a record-breaking 13 in the U.S., six of which were in Louisiana. Down in Central America, trillions of dollars in damage was delivered by destructive hurricanes such as Hurricane Iota .  O...
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California Wildfires Expected To Be Very Bad in 2021

Wildfires raged last year across California and the west coast. This year might be even worse. 


The significant lack of precipitation in recent months has set the stage for a dangerous season ahead, with more than 75% of the western United States experiencing drought conditions, 21% of which is under exceptional drought, which is the most extreme level, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. 

According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Samuhel, this year's season is forecast to burn 9.5 million acres of land across the western U.S., which would be 130% of the five-year average and 140% of the 10-year average. In 2020, the record-breaking wildfire season devoured upwards of 4.3 million acres in California alone, more than double the state's previous record, according to AccuWeather. 




According to the National Interagency Fire Center's Predictive Services, the month of July 2021 will have a very high level of wildfire potential. This will continue through the remainder of the summer. 

“When talking about forest fires, for example, the link between dryness and more frequent and severe fires is just crystal clear,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California Los Angeles. 

In some ecosystems, the grass and brush growth will be stunted by the lack of moisture, creating less fuel for fires to burn. But that’s only a small silver lining, Swain said, because forests dominate land cover in the West. 

As nice as it would be for places in the western U.S. to have a reprieve this year, Samuhel said the forecast doesn't look cooperative for most places. 



"Unfortunately, in a nutshell, it looks like it’s going to be another busy season," he said. "We’re seeing a lot of drought. Almost half of the country is experiencing drought and the bulk of that is to the west," he added, noting that AccuWeather forecasters "are expecting an above-average fire season." 

Overall, a busy fire season is ahead for the western U.S. 

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     Have there been more hurricanes in recent years? Is that from climate change? Or is it just an advancement of technology? The National Hurricane Center's Christopher W. Landsea, Chief of the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch, and Eric Blake, a Senior Hurricane Specialist, studied this topic in a recent article of theirs. About 15 years ago, scientists and researchers found that the number of hurricanes had increased over the past hundred years. But interestingly, during the 1940s and 1950s, there was an increase in short-lived or low-impact storms. At the same time, there were more aircraft over the oceans and the Hurricane Hunters began missions looking for hurricanes.  Last year, nearly 42 trillion dollars of damage were caused by tropical cyclones. This included a record-breaking 13 in the U.S., six of which were in Louisiana. Down in Central America, trillions of dollars in damage was delivered by destructive hurricanes such as Hurricane Iota .  O...
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