Climate change made Hurricane Helene more likely - study

Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 200 people and brought widespread destruction to parts of the US, was made more likely and more dangerous by climate change, according to a study.

The researchers from the World Weather Attribution network have said that ultra warm ocean temperatures fuelled Hurricane Helene, increasing wind speeds and making torrential rains heavier.

They estimate the rainfall was 10% heavier and the maximum windspeeds was 11% more intense because of global warming.

Climate change "made the unusually hot sea surface temperature about 200-500 times more likely".

Director of Programmes at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre Julie Arrighi said "Our hearts go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. Unfortunately, Helene is another warning that the effects of climate change are already here."

The report has found that in the past, a hurricane as ferocious as Helene could be expected in the south eastern US every 130 years, but the 1.3C increase in global temperatures mean it is now a one in 53 years event.

It also says the likelihood of such storms will increase as humanity burns more fossil fuels causing more global warming.

It warns that if "the world continues to burn fossil fuels, causing global warming to reach 2C above pre-industrial levels, devastating rainfall events in both regions will become another 15-25% more likely."

Chief Meteorologist at Climate Central Bernadette Woods Placky said: "The heat that human activities are adding to the atmosphere and oceans is like steroids for hurricanes.

"As Helene approached the US, it strengthened from a Category 2 to a Category 4 hurricane in just ten hours.

"This rapid intensification is happening more often with climate change. If humans keep heating the climate, we will keep seeing storms rapidly morph into monster hurricanes, leading to more destruction."

The report also warns that much of the infrastructure in the area hit by Hurricane Helene has been neglected, increasing the danger caused by the storm.

"Along the inland path of Hurricane Helene a network of dams and drainage systems exists, that has long been identified as highly exposed to hazards and in a general state of disrepair. A catastrophic dam failure was ultimately avoided.

"However current flood protection infrastructure is not accounting for heavy rain cascading into landslides and mudslides in mountainous regions."

The study was carried out by 21 researchers from universities and meteorological agencies in the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK.