Meteorologist: Warming air due to climate change increasing the intensities of severe storms

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19-07-2025

Climate change is impacting the frequency and intensity of natural disasters like hurricanes and severe flooding.
'Natural disasters means destructive events caused by natural forces that result in significant loss of property, life and disturbance to the ecosystem,' said Vasu Misra, professor of meteorology in the Earth Ocean Atmospheric Science Department at Florida State University.
Misra said the recent floods in Texas, the wildfires in California last year and avalanches on a very small scale are all considered natural disasters.
Natural disasters tracked by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration include :
Hurricanes
Tropical Cyclones
Tornadoes
Floods
Droughts
Wildfires
Winter storms
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Volcanic Eruptions
Misra said changing the landscape could also cause natural disasters.
'But it's a bit of a misnomer in the sense,' said Misra. 'Although it says by natural forces, it could also be influenced or exacerbated by human actions. It could be from climate change. It could be from constructing structures that change the landscape in such a way that it could cause unanticipated issues.
'One example that comes to my mind is the tremendous amount of coastal development that has occurred, not only in this country, but across the world, which causes a tremendous amount of destruction when a tropical cyclone comes through.'
Also, rising sea levels are exacerbating the impact of storm surges during hurricanes leading to more coastal flooding and damage, according to NOAA.
How climate change likely intensified Hurricane Helene
Misra said in a warming climate rain events can become more severe.
'Regardless of whether the rain comes from a hurricane or a severe thunderstorm, a simple physical principle states that warmer air has a greater capacity to hold water vapor," she said. "So if your grocery bag becomes larger, then you're capable of storing more things in your grocery bag than if it was smaller.'
Misra said the air in a warming climate will have a lot more moisture-holding capacity.
'If the atmospheric column becomes warmer, then the likelihood of rain events becoming more severe is far more likely,' said Misra. 'If Hurricane Helene had made its way through Augusta 30 or 40 years ago, there's a good chance that it may not have rained as hard simply because the air column 30 years ago wasn't as warm as it is now. So the moisture-holding capacity has certainly increased in this warming climate.'
Misra said some of the rain events we've encountered would've been moderate or mild in a colder climate of the past.
'It doesn't mean that every rain event that occurs in this warming climate is likely to become more intense than ever before,' said Misra. 'Thunderstorms also depend upon a sustained source of moisture. So even if the air column is extremely warm, if it doesn't have a sustained source of moisture it's unlikely to become a severe rain event. ... There are many factors that contribute to becoming an extreme event.'
NOAA hurricane season prediction: Above normal hurricane activity is predicted this season. See why and how you can prepare.
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Partners.
Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at [e-mail] or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Climate change is affecting the intensity and frequency of natural
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