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Climate Change Juices Up Storms

Firefighters search through rubble after a car park housing several private cars collapsed on houses following the heavy rains of the last few days in the Ankadifotsy neighbourhood of Antananarivo on January 24.
Firefighters search through rubble after a car park housing several private cars collapsed on houses following the heavy rains of the last few days in the Ankadifotsy neighbourhood of Antananarivo on January 24. Photo: RIJASOLO/AFP (Getty Images)

Around the world, climate change is amplifying storms like Ana. Warmer ocean water and air temperatures help to strengthen hurricanes and tropical cyclones, making them even more powerful when they make landfall. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released last year found that the increasing severity of storms since the 1970s are likely tied to climate change, while multiple regions of the world, including most of Africa, will likely see heavier rainstorms as the planet continues to warm. The Indian Ocean, where Ana formed, is warming faster than the global average: studies show average surface temperature increased a whopping 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) between 1950 and 2015.

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