Helene was supercharged by ultra-warm water made up to 500 times more likely by global warming, study finds
The exceptionally warm water of the Gulf of Mexico that supercharged deadly Helene last month was made up to 500 times more likely by human-caused climate change, which also ramped up the hurricane’s wind and rain, according to a new scientific analysis.
Helene, which made landfall in Florida as a deadly Category 4 hurricane at the end of September, carved a 500-mile path of destruction across six states, causing catastrophic flooding and killing more than 230 people.
Warm oceans provide a huge source of energy for storms to strengthen and grow, and the water Helene passed over before making landfall was around 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above average.
These ultra-warm ocean temperatures were made between 200 and 500 times more likely by climate change, driven by humans burning fossil fuels, according to the World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists that calculates the role of climate change in extreme weather events using real world data and climate models.
Climate change also worsened the extreme wind and torrential rain unleashed by Helene, making wind speeds on the Florida coast 11% more intense and increasing rainfall by about 10%, according to the analysis published Wednesday.
