Every aspect of Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm ever to hit Jamaica, was exacerbated by the global warming, research scientists has determined.
Melissa created widespread devastation when it crunched into Jamaica as a category five hurricane on October 28, with gusts approaching 185mph.
Winds of Melissa's power are now fivefold more common due to the climate crisis, the study said.
The storm destroyed homes, businesses, crops and livelihoods, resulting in destruction calculated to represent around 33% of the island nation's GDP.
The hurricane forced the evacuation of numerous of people as it continued on to hit Cuba, with its ferocious winds causing damage as far as the Dominican Republic and Haiti. No fewer than 61 people have lost their lives as a result.
Expert Assessment
The extreme intensity of Melissa was worsened by overheated air and ocean, caused by carbon emissions that come from the burning of coal, oil and gas, a global consortium of scientists has confirmed.
Climate change amplified Melissa's peak wind velocities by 7% and intense downpours by 16%, researchers found.
Events such as the five days of torrential downpours in Jamaica from Melissa are now about 30% stronger and doubly possible due to current climate changes, which is about 1.3 Celsius higher, globally, than the pre-industrial era.
Planetary warming has made the weather and sea patterns behind such extreme events significantly more frequent.
"What we're witnessing with Hurricane Melissa and other recent massive hurricanes is that they are growing so powerful that they will soon drive numerous citizens exceeding the capacity of adaptation," said a climate scientist.
"Without halting using fossil fuels, we will see increasing numbers of countries hitting these boundaries."
Rapid Intensification
Melissa is just the latest example of a major storm suddenly increasing power with unusual speed. This "quick strengthening" was remarkably evident with this hurricane, with Melissa's wind speeds rapidly increasing from 68mph to 139mph in a single day.
This process is a signature of a heating planet, scientists have discovered, with storms capable of drawing energy from heat in the seas and air to become more fierce.
Melissa moved gradually over seas that were nearly 1.5C hotter than the historical average, acquiring a overwhelming force it then released on Jamaica.
"Hurricane Melissa's catastrophic landfall in Jamaica is not unusual, it is the canary in the coal mine," stated a university professor.
"When a storm can quickly escalate from 70 to 185mph in under 72 hours over marine areas that are 1.5 Celsius higher than normal, we are observing the alarming modern circumstance of our heating planet."
Global Support
The huge task of cleaning up and rebuilding from a storm that caused approximately $6 billion in damages to Jamaica has repeatedly underscored the complicated issue of international climate finance.
For years, developing, climate-vulnerable countries have requested wealthier countries to offer monetary assistance to help them with the climate disasters that these poorer nations have hardly created.
The following week, countries will convene for yearly global environmental negotiations to once more consider environmental funding.
"Wealthier nations must honor their commitments and increase climate finance, acknowledging that environmental adjustment is crucial for the continued existence of island nations," he declared.
Financial assistance for to aid vulnerable nations are so far "severely insufficient," officials have declared.
