--- title: "Deadly Hurricane Beryl Supercharged by Climate Change, Experts Say" description: "Climate change is supercharging Atlantic ocean temperatures, making Hurricane Beryl particularly fierce and deadly." date: "2024-07-09" modified: "2024-07-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/hurricane-beryl-supercharged-climate-change" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "hurricanes" - "ocean temperatures" - "the digest" --- # Deadly Hurricane Beryl Supercharged by Climate Change, Experts Say ![Climate change is supercharging Atlantic ocean temperatures, making Hurricane Beryl particularly fierce and deadly.]() *\Image: Joe Raedle/Getty Images\* ## Hurricane Corso It took only two days for Hurricane Beryl to grow from a minor tropical storm into a [deadly category-four event](). Then it grew into a powerful category five hurricane, the strongest on the hurricane wind scale, blasting through the Caribbean with wind speeds reaching 165 mph and causing numerous deaths. Beryl has alarmed environmental scientists for how early in the year it appeared, with most major storms only forming closer to September. And as [*The Guardian* reports](), that's almost certainly due to climate change supercharging Atlantic ocean temperatures. "Beryl would be astounding to happen anyway, but for it to form in June is completely unprecedented," University of Miami climate scientist Brian McNoldy told the newspaper. "It’s just remarkable to see sea temperatures this warm." "I don’t think anyone would expect an outlier like this to happen, it exceeded expectations," he added. "With a climate-change-influenced ocean, we are making extreme storms like this more likely to happen." ## Hot Tub Clime Machine This year follows an already worrying trend, with 2023 also seeing [off-the-charts and record-breaking ocean temperatures](), and 2024 looking similar. In June alone, the North Atlantic has seen [temperatures of two to five degrees Fahrenheit]() warmer than average. And that doesn't bode well for the rest of hurricane season. "In the Caribbean Sea it has actually been warmer than its usual peak since mid-May, which is absolutely crazy," McNoldy told *The Guardian*. "If the ocean already looks like it’s the peak of hurricane season, we are going to get peak hurricanes." "In terms of the science, it’s unfortunately kind of right in line with what we expect when we’re warming the planet and we’re warming our oceans, especially," Rowan University hurricane expert Andra Garner [told *NPR*](). While we still can't definitively conclude that climate change is directly responsible for a higher number of storms, scientists have found that the intensity of storms [has been growing as a result](), feeding on warmer ocean temperatures and releasing more rain from extra moisture in the air. "Although it is uncertain to what extent climate change contributed to the early formation of Hurricane Beryl, our climate models suggest that the mean intensity of hurricanes will increase in the future due to enhanced global warming," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research scientist Hiroyuki Murakami [told the *BBC*](). The situation is so dire that experts are now [calling for a new "category six]()" to be added as wind speeds are reaching records much faster. In short, we're in uncharted territory — and hurricane season has only just begun. "Hurricane Beryl sets a precedent for what we fear is going to be a very, very active, very dangerous hurricane season, which will impact the entire Atlantic basin," World Meteorological Organization deputy secretary-general Ko Barrett told the *BBC*. **More on global weather:** *[Nvidia Is Simulating a Copy of the Earth]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()