Recent forecasts indicate that the upcoming storm, Debby, is expected to slow down significantly over the southeastern United States, leading to prolonged periods of heavy rainfall. This phenomenon, where storms linger over a specific area, has become more common in recent years due to the warming of the planet's atmosphere caused by fossil fuel pollution.
A study conducted in 2018 revealed that the forward speed of tropical cyclones globally decreased by 10% between 1949 and 2016. The slowdown is even more pronounced over land areas affected by North Atlantic and North Pacific tropical cyclones, with a 20% to 30% reduction in speed.
Notably, tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere have experienced more significant slowdowns, which is concerning given that a majority of storms occur in this region each year. This trend has been exemplified by recent extreme weather events such as Hurricane Florence in 2018 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which set a record for the highest rainfall from a tropical cyclone in the United States with over 60 inches of rain in Texas.
As tropical cyclones slow down, they have the potential to unleash historic amounts of rainfall over a prolonged period, posing significant risks to communities in their path. Understanding and monitoring these changes in storm behavior is crucial for preparedness and response efforts to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events.
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