No. That’s the short answer. No one factor causes hurricanes, cyclones or tornadoes. However, global warming, (especially the warming of ocean surface temperature) could contribute to an increase the frequency and intensity of hurricanes. Recent studies suggest that hurricane intensities (say more category 4 or 5 storms) may have increased. One scientist, Kerry Emanuel, published a report in Nature predicting that hurricane intensity should increase as global mean temperatures increase. Another report suggests that hurricanes will increase in intensity later in this century.

However, 2005 was one of the worst hurricane seasons ever (we ran out of names on the A-Z list, and had to go to Greek letters, alpha, beta, etc.) with 27 (that’s twenty-seven) hurricanes. And some very surprising things happened. Katrina moved across Florida as a Category 1-2 storm, causing great damage, and then once it entered the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and raged into a Category 5 storm, and hit New Orleans as a very strong Category 4 storm, resulting in the destruction of levees, the flooding of a great part of the city, and eventual evacuation of more than 500,000 people.

A new hurricane season has arrived. The first tropical depression (Tropical Depression 1—it will become Alberto if its winds reach hurricane intensity). The depression formed west of Cuba, and could enter the Gulf and sweep across Florida and South Georgia.

I asked if global warming caused hurricanes. The answer is still no. But, global warming is viewed as contributing the increased intensity of hurricanes. Meterologists predict an active hurricane season. Could this be the result of global warming? I think the answer is probably yes.