---
title: "Huge Wind Farms Could Weaken Hurricanes Before They Make Landfall"
description: "## Breezing Up"
date: "2018-11-06"
modified: "2018-11-06"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/wind-farms-weaken-hurricanes"
categories:
  - "Energy"
  - "Renewable Energy"
  - "Science & Energy"
  - "Wind"
tags:
  - "hurricanes"
  - "the digest"
  - "wind farms"
  - "wind power"
---

# Huge Wind Farms Could Weaken Hurricanes Before They Make Landfall

![New research suggests that offshore wind farms can suck the destructive energy out of hurricanes before they make landfall.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/huge-wind-farms-weaken-hurricanes-before-make-landfall.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Adobe Stock\</em\>*

## Breezing Up

The devastation of hurricanes such as Florence and Harvey is a reminder of the [terrible power of storms](<https://futurism.com/category/climate-change-energy>) and our apparent helplessness when they strike.

But new research suggests that there might be a way to fight hurricanes [before they come ashore](<https://www.popsci.com/hurricane-speed-bumps-wind-farm>) **—** and it might even help generate renewable electricity.

## Tilting Windmills

According to [a paper](<http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aad245>) published this summer in the journal *Environmental Research Letters*, computer simulations suggest that offshore wind turbines suck the energy out of hurricanes and force them higher into the sky, resulting in decreased rainfall and potentially less destruction when they make landfall.

"Offshore wind farms definitely could be a potential tool to weaken hurricanes and reduce their damage," author Cristina Archer, a professor at the University of Delaware, [told *Popular Science*](<https://www.popsci.com/hurricane-speed-bumps-wind-farm>). "And they pay for themselves, ultimately, which is why I am excited about this."

## Damage Plan

Today's wind farms often switch turbines off during high winds, so current wind farms aren't a good defense mechanism against hurricanes.

But turbines scheduled to hit the market by 2020, Archer said, will be strong enough to withstand hurricane winds — so she's hopeful they'll be able to protect coastal communities, and maybe even generate some electricity in the process.

**READ MORE:** [Scientists Want to Put 'Speed Bumps' in Hurricane Alley to Slow Down Storms](<https://www.popsci.com/hurricane-speed-bumps-wind-farm>) \[*Popular Science*\]

***More on nanobots: [Death Count from Hurricane Maria Was Way Off. That Might Slow Puerto Rico’s Recovery.](<https://futurism.com/death-count-hurricane-maria-recovery-puerto-rico>)***

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)