Power of average Atlantic hurricane also likely to stay unchanged during next century

Willis: Hurricane damage to remain stable in 21st century

Research from the Willis Research Network (WRN) suggests that damage as a result of Atlantic storms in the 21st Century will mirror those of the previous hundred years, despite an anticipated change in storm patterns due to global warming.

Scientists have previously predicted that global warming will likely lead to stronger tropical storms, despite suggesting that the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes overall looks set to decrease.

Research was conducted by Willis Research Network scientist Tom Knutson and colleagues at the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and relied on the use of sophisticated climate model projections.

The findings suggest that the potential decrease in hurricane frequency may offset the increase in their severity. If correct this would mean that the average power of Atlantic hurricanes will likely remain stable during the coming century.