Climate Change Infused Hurricane Ian With 10% More Rain, Scientists Say
Analysis finds global warming intensified the storm’s rainfall, which contributed to deadly floods across Florida.
Climate change made Hurricane Ian’s most extreme rainfall about 10% worse than it would have been without two centuries of greenhouse gas pollution, according to a first-take analysis of the storm by two US climate researchers. Their rapid analysis, which they shared on Twitter, looked only at rainfall, and not other critical climate metrics related to hurricanes, such as strength, intensification and sea-level rise.
Ian has devastated the state of Florida, with severe flooding among the impacts. President Joe Biden said it is likely to rank among the most destructive storms in US history, and the full death toll will likely not be known for weeks. Damage estimates range from $68 billion to $100 billion.