Climate Change Seen With Hurricane Otis' Rapid Intensification; Scientists Say It Will Occur Often

Scientists said that the rapid intensification of Hurricane Otis could be due to climate crisis.

They warned that this kind of phenomenon is seen to happen more often.

(Photo : Getty Images/Salvador Valadez)

Explosion Of Otis

Meteorologists said that the rapid explosion of Otis had transpired before it unleashed heavy rains towards southern Mexico.

They underscored that the climate change, causing this phenomenon, was caused by human-related activities. Experts warned that this weather events have become more frequent.

The National Hurricane Center said that a nightmare scenario unfolded for southern Mexico due to the rapid intensification while the weather disturbance approached the country's coastline.

Weather experts said that Otis' strengthening was extremely unusual as it transpired right before making landfall over Mexico.

They noted that if this had occurred in the open ocean, the effects of the phenomenon will still be very remarkable.

Officials explained that tropical storms usually take several days to grow into powerful hurricanes, but because of the human-caused climate change, rapid intensification has become a more common occurrence.

Hurricane Otis killed at least 39 in Mexico, with officials saying that the hurricane had adversely impacted 220,035 homes and 80 percent of the area's hotels have been damaged.

The government said that the electrical sector has 37 transmission lines out of service, 26 electrical substations, a generation plant as well as 10,000 fallen light poles.

When it comes to power outages, at least 513,524 users affected.

The health sector also reported that two hospitals have been affected: Renacimiento General Hospital, due to flooding on the ground floor, and Regional General Hospital 1, affecting electromechanical equipment and supply of medicinal gases.

Rapid Intensification

The NHC said that rapid intensification is an increase in the maximum sustained winds of a tropical cyclone of at least 30 kt in a 24-h period.

Experts have already shed some light on why this forecasting challenge has been so difficult to overcome.

They explained that there is more than one mechanism that causes rapid intensification.

A new research by scientists at the United States National Science Foundation (NSF) National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) used the latest computer modeling techniques to identify two entirely different modes of rapid intensification.

They said that the findings could lead to better understanding and prediction of these dangerous events.

Scientists said that there are at least two different modes or flavors of rapid intensification, noting that each one has a different set of conditions that must be met in order for the storm to strengthen so quickly.

One of the modes discussed by Falko Judt as well as his co-authors has occurred when a hurricane intensifies symmetrically and this was fueled by favorable environmental conditions such as warm surface waters and low wind shear.

They also identified a second mode of rapid intensification that had previously been overlooked because it does not lead to peak winds reaching such destructive levels.

The researchers said that in the case of this mode, the strengthening can be linked to major bursts of thunderstorms far from the storm's center.