Climate change and extreme weather

Climate change is fundamentally altering the behavior of tropical storms, making them more destructive and dangerous. While weather represents daily conditions, climate reflects long-term trends, such as the one-degree Celsius increase in global average temperature since 1970. Meteorologist Sarah Keith-Lucas explains that hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons are now moving more slowly across land, which increases the likelihood of prolonged heavy rainfall, devastating landslides, and mudslides. A critical threat is the storm surge—a wall of water pushed inland by powerful winds—which causes more casualties than any other storm element. Rising sea levels and warming oceans further intensify these surges, leading to widespread flooding and structural destruction. Although the global average temperature rise seems small, specific regions like the Arctic are warming three times faster, significantly increasing the frequency of extreme events like heatwaves and wildfires.