How Climate, ‘Rapid Intensification’ Revved Up Hurricane Ida
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Many hurricanes grow weaker as they approach land. But Hurricane Ida, like Hurricane Laura in 2020 and a string of other recent hurricanes, did the opposite -- Ida almost doubled its wind speed in the 36 hours before it hit Louisiana. Meteorologists call that kind of deadly shift “rapid intensification,” and say that climate change appears to be making it more common.
The National Hurricane Center defines it as an increase of more than 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour within 24 hours of landfall.