Warmer oceans fuel rapidly intensifying storms

When Hurricane Idalia swirled over the Gulf of Mexico, the storm was feeding on some of the hottest water ever recorded on the planet.

Waters surrounding the Florida Keys reached hot tub levels this summer and marine heat waves are taking over nearly half of the globe's oceans.

"Typically, the warmer the ocean, the stronger the storm," said Dillon Amaya, a research scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Physical Sciences Laboratory.

Early predictions from NOAA called for a mild hurricane season, in part, due to the El Nino climate pattern currently in effect that typically reduces the severity of the Atlantic hurricane season.

However, the unprecedented ocean temperatures pushed NOAA to update its forecast in recent weeks, warning to expect a more dangerous hurricane season.

NOAA scientists say the record ocean heat, accelerated by human-caused climate change, is making storms more intense.

"We're certainly seeing long-term climate change unfold right before our eyes," Amaya said. "We know that 90% of the excess heat associated with global warming goes in the ocean and that is manifesting as these extreme temperatures."

Ocean warming is contributing to an increased fraction of storms that rapidly intensify.

About 80% of major hurricanes now undergo rapid intensification, defined as an increase of at least 35 mph sustained winds in 24 hours.

Hurricane Idalia went from a Category 1 to a Category 4 overnight, with winds that rose more than 55 miles over a 24-hour period.

Rapid intensification can be challenging to forecast, with less time to warn and evacuate residents, contributing to a higher human and financial toll from severe storms.

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Idalia had down graded to a tropical storm with maximum-sustained winds of 70 mph.