Mark and Raelene Longenecker load sandbags to protect their tattoo shop Tuesday morning at the Cocoa Beach Country Club distribution site. Final Prep For Ian
Syndication: Florida Today
TAMPA, Fla (AP) — Hurricane Ian is quickly gaining monstrous strength as it moves over oceans partly heated up by climate change, just like 30 other Atlantic tropical storms since 2017 that became much more powerful in less than a day.
As the world warms, this turbo-charging of storms is likely to become even more frequent, scientists say. After getting 67% stronger in less than 22 hours from Monday to Tuesday, Ian is bearing down on Florida as a likely Category 4 hurricane that threatens to deliver a potential nightmare storm-surge to Tampa Bay.
Ian’s so-called rapid intensification occurred after it traveled over Caribbean waters that are about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) warmer than normal.
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