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R48212 — Hurricane Rapid Intensification: In Brief

Reports · published 2024-10-04 · v2 · Active · crsreports.congress.gov ↗

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Authors
Eva Lipiec
Report id
R48212
Summary

Hurricanes and other tropical cyclones cause destruction and fatalities in the United States and around the world. In recent years, the media and meteorologists have concentrated on the phenomenon of tropical cyclone rapid intensification (RI), where a tropical cyclone’s maximum sustained winds increase at least 30 knots (~35 miles per hour [mph]) in a 24-hour period (a storm’s maximum sustained wind speed defines its intensity). For example, 2024’s Hurricane Helene maximum sustained wind speeds intensified from 45 mph to 80 mph in 24 hours; the hurricane made landfall with winds at 140 mph less than 36 hours after that (Figure 1). Some scientists have found evidence of global and regional increases in the number of tropical cyclones that rapidly intensify in the recent past; however, scientific questions remain. This report introduces tropical cyclone intensity forecasting, trends in storm intensity in recent decades, and projections of potential changes to storm intensity in the future. The report ends with selected congressional considerations. Key Words: hurricane; tropical cyclone; wind; rapid intensification; climate change; coastal

Bills cited (9)

Curated by CRS — every bill listed in this report's relatedMaterials. Edge type cited_in_report, gold confidence.

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