Hurricane Michael has had many of the normal functions and attributes that come from being a hurricane. High winds, wind gusts, rain, and storm surge along the Gulf Coast. Those are typical of all hurricanes.
What is not as typical are these three things about Hurricane Michael:
- The speed with which it formed in the Gulf of Mexico
- The rapid increase overnight Tuesday from being a Category 2 to increasing in wind speeds to Category 4
- The fact that Michael sustained itself over land and went through Georgia as a Category 1, before being downgraded to tropical storm status
How much of the above is attributable to climate change? Who knows? But it will be debated for sure.
Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.
