When Felix slammed into Nicaragua and Honduras yesterday, it was the first time in recorded weather history that two category 5 hurricanes made landfall in the Americas in the same year. And, since Henriette was also strafing the Baja Peninsula, it was the first time that hurricanes were landing on both the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts of North America on the same day.
While the latter may be considered a mere coincidence, the coupling of Hurricanes Dean and Felix, two category 5 storms within two weeks, is more likely a reflection of our warming climate; this record may not last for long! Warming sea temperatures favor both the development of tropical storms and the formation of larger, stronger hurricanes. Though year-to-year hurricane forecasting is still a guessing game, the projection that, over the coming decades, we will experience more frequent and more powerful storms, is likely a safe bet.
No word yet from Pat Robertson on who God was punishing with this recent trio of hurricanes.
