Increasingly warm oceans resulting from global warming are a key reason for Hurricane Melissa's wind speed doubling in less than 24 hours over the weekend, climate scientists have said.
The ferocious Category 5 storm is set to pummel Jamaica on Tuesday (28 October), with forecasters warning that it would be the strongest to hit the island since records began 174 years ago.
Experts said Melissa is the fourth Atlantic storm this year that has witnessed rapid intensification — a sudden surge in the hurricane's speed and power.
University of Reading meteorologist Akshay Deoras said scientists are seeing storms intensify quickly, more often around the world.
Climate scientists have long warned that warming oceans — driven by greenhouse gas emissions — are making such intense storm development more common.
