Are global storms becoming more powerful, devastating and frequent?

The United States is still reeling from the impacts of Hurricane Helene, one of the deadliest storms in American history, which killed at least 227 people – the highest toll since Katrina in 2005.

Now, just two weeks later, Florida residents are bracing for the impact of another alarming storm: Hurricane Milton, which has intensified into a Category 5 storm. On a scale of 1 to 5, a Category 5 hurricane is the strongest.

So, what is behind this series of intense weather events taking the world by storm?

There are several factors that determine whether a storm will form and what its characteristics will be, such as its strength and intensity.

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are fuelled by warm, moist air and, therefore, form in tropical waters near the equator when the air rises up and away from the ocean's surface.

As global warming increases, surface temperatures rise, evaporating more water vapour into the atmosphere. This becomes a fuel for more intense storms.

A warmer atmosphere and higher ocean surface temperature also may lead to increased wind speeds in tropical storms, experts say.

In addition, global warming melts glaciers and ice sheets worldwide and expands the volume of the ocean as the water warms. This raises sea levels, making new areas of the world vulnerable to the power of the sea and storms.

Let’s examine some of 2024’s deadly storms and what climate experts observed:

Hurricane Helene

Dubbed America’s deadliest storm in nearly two decades, Hurricane Helen devastated North Carolina’s mountain towns and killed over 200 people.

With winds of over 225 kilometres per hour, Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on September 26th. The storm slammed the western corner of Florida and caused at least $30 billion in property damage.

In a study released on Wednesday, The World Weather Attribution found that “climate change (was a) key driver” of Helene’s “catastrophic impacts” as it was formed above record-hot sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico.

They say the climate crisis also made rainfall from Helene around 10 percent heavier, similar to other damaging hurricanes in the past decade such as Hurricanes Harvey and Ian.

The study further predicts if global warming reaches 2°C above pre-industrial levels, devastating weather events like Helene will become 15 to 25 percent more likely in the region.

Typhoon Yagi

Asia’s strongest storm this year, Typhoon Yagi made landfall in northern Vietnam in September, killing at least 127 people and injuring hundreds more.

Along its path to Vietnam, Yagi brought destruction to the Chinese island of Hainan, killing four people, and the Philippines, where at least 20 more were killed.

According to researchers at ClimaMeter, tropical depressions like Yagi near Vietnam are now as much as 20 percent wetter and 5 percent more windy compared to previous decades, a change they attributed to climate changes.

They mostly ascribe the high precipitation and strong winds of Typhoon Yagi to climate change.

Yagi displaced entire communities, destroyed infrastructure, uprooted trees and left many in urgent need of relief. It was the world’s second most powerful tropical cyclone since Hurricane Beryl.

Hurricane Beryl

Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the Caribbean, Yucatan Peninsula, and US Gulf Coast in late June, making it the earliest recorded season Category 5 hurricane in history.

It killed at least 60 people and caused about $6 billion dollars in damages in the US alone.

It was a catastrophic North Atlantic storm that made landfall in late June, the earliest recorded season Category 5 hurricane in history.

With maximum winds over 265 kilometres per hour, scientists said its rapid intensification was facilitated by record-breaking warm ocean conditions.

Sea surface temperature over which Hurricane Beryl rapidly intensified was about 1.8°C warmer than normal, according to Climate Central data.

It reported that the Ocean CSI indicates these temperatures were made 100 to 400 times more likely because of climate crisis.

In addition, the research found that the sea surface temperatures that fueled Hurricane Beryl are typically expected in September – indicating a concerning premature trend in weather events.

Dr. Daniel Gilford, climate scientist at Climate Central, said Beryl is a "striking illustration" that this year’s hurricanes are growing in an environment clearly warmed by climate change.

Typhoon Bebinca

Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in September in Shanghai’s eastern coastal area, with wind speeds of up to 151 kilometres per hour, state media said.

It was reported to be the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949.

Prior to Bebinca, the city had only been directly hit by two typhoons plus a handful of severe tropical storms, according to data from the China Meteorological Administration.

Because Shanghai is generally not in the direct path of strong typhoons, experts say the climate crisis is not only making storms more powerful and frequent but also spreading them to other regions.

Now, as Milton barrels toward Florida, US authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders, and the National Weather Service said, “if the storm stays on the current track, it will be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years."