Jenna Ladd | October 23, 2017

This week’s On The Radio segment discusses the unprecedented severity of hurricane activity in the Atlantic ocean this September. 

Transcript: September 2017 was a record-setting month for hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean.

This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.

It is common for September to be the most active month for hurricanes because low pressure systems often move across the Atlantic and meet the tropical waters of the Caribbean during that month, but September 2017 was a cut above the rest.

The beginning of September brought Hurricane Harvey, a category four storm which caused unprecedented damage to, Houston, the U.S.’s fourth largest city. Five additional hurricanes left paths of destruction across the Caribbean and Florida during September, with Irma and Maria both reaching category five status.

Last month, the overall intensity and duration of storms, known as “accumulated cyclone energy,” was 175 units, significantly higher than September 2014’s record of 155 units. While climate change has not been found to cause hurricanes, there is evidence to say that rising sea temperatures make them stronger.

For more information, visit Iowa-environmental-focus-dot-org. From the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, I’m Betsy Stone.