Hurricane Beryl’s rapid intensification and Category 5 winds are alarming: Here’s why more tropical storms are exploding in strength
The ConversationJun 20
Beryl Batters Texas, Leaves Nearly 3M Without Power
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Above: A vehicle is left abandoned in floodwater on a highway after Hurricane Beryl swept through the area on July 08, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Image copyright: Brandon Bell/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Beryl made landfall along the Texas coast on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane, causing widespread damage and at least eight casualties in Texas and Louisiana.
Last week, Beryl reached the strength of a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean but weakened as it made landfall on Mexico. The storm — now a tropical depression — is expected to move inland across the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys over the next two days before dissipating.
The Spin
Narrative A
Climate change is intensifying extreme weather events, driving hotter heat waves, bigger storm surges, more severe droughts, and heavier snowfall. Leaders must take action soon to combat climate change before extreme weather events go beyond society's ability to effectively prepare, respond, recover, and mitigate.
Narrative B
While climate change is blamed for nearly every extreme weather event, weather is influenced by many different factors that often have little to nothing to do with global warming. More research must be done before climate change can be named as the cause of these weather events.
