Intensity of Hurricanes Now Peaking Farther From the Equator

Powerful, destructive tropical cyclones are now reaching their peak intensity farther from the equator and closer to the poles, according to a new study in the journal Nature. Over the last 30 years, tropical cyclones, also known as hurricanes or typhoons, have moved poleward at a rate of roughly 33 miles per decade in the Northern Hemisphere and 38 miles per decade in the Southern Hemisphere. Ocean temperatures between 82 and 86 degrees F seem to be “ideal for the genesis of tropical cyclones,” said MIT scientist Kerry Emanuel, who co-authored the study, “and as that belt migrates poleward, which surely it must as the whole ocean warms, the tropical cyclone genesis regions might just move with it.” The poleward shift of hurricanes and typhoons could lead to “potentially profound consequences to life and property” in regions that previously had not been hit by tropical cyclones.