Breaking News: Hurricanes Now Causing Severe Disasters, Leading to Unprecedented Living Conditions

Hurricane Helene has not only wreaked havoc in Western North Carolina, leaving behind severe physical destruction, but it has also sparked a wave of online misinformation regarding the storm’s link to climate change.

While some online posts claim the storm is unrelated to climate change, meteorologists in North Carolina strongly assert that the hurricane is “certainly” connected to it.

One user on X referenced Asheville’s experience in 1916 with the remnants of Hurricane Charleston, noting that atmospheric CO₂ levels were lower back then. This post gained more than 34,000 likes and 7,800 retweets.

Corey Davis, assistant state climatologist at the North Carolina State Climate Office, explained to the *Journal* that the post implies a flawed argument: that if some extreme events are driven by climate change, then all historical extreme events must also have been caused by it. He noted that while such events occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries, they were much rarer. Now, events of similar or greater magnitude are happening with increased frequency.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted an “above-normal” hurricane season in the Atlantic this year, forecasting 17 to 24 named storms, defined by winds of at least 39 mph.

Of these, NOAA expects 8 to 13 to develop into hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher, and between 4 and 7 of these may become major hurricanes, with winds exceeding 111 mph.

Scientists have pointed to warm ocean waters and the La Niña weather pattern as key contributors to this heightened hurricane activity.

Sea surface temperatures above 80°F create ideal conditions for tropical storms to intensify into hurricanes. These warmer waters provide the heat and moisture necessary for hurricanes to grow stronger and sustain their energy.

Additionally, La Niña, which features cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, shifts strong upper-level winds away from the tropics. This reduces wind shear, creating an environment more favorable for tropical storm development and longevity.

Charles Konrad, a professor of geography at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told the *Journal*, “One thing is clear — the temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico were extraordinarily warm. Some of that warmth, maybe a lot of it, had to do with climate change.”