Bermuda Breathes Sigh of Relief as Hurricane Melissa Hurries Away
A Category 5 hurricane that brought hurricane-force gusts and heavy rains to Bermuda overnight has sped past the British territory, bringing an end to a storm warning for the area. According to the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Melissa's winds had weakened from 100mph to 90mph after making landfall in Jamaica and eastern Cuba earlier this week.
The storm's rapid intensification into a major hurricane is attributed to above-average Atlantic Ocean temperatures, fueled by climate change. The warmer ocean waters provided a vast reservoir of energy for the storm, leading to stronger winds, heavier rainfall, and higher sea level rise that made the storm surge more intense.
Melissa's forecast path shows the storm hurrying northeast through the Atlantic's cooler waters at 41mph, with its core located about 255 miles north of Bermuda. The hurricane center predicts that Melissa will pass to the south of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland (Canada) as a post-tropical cyclone tonight, followed by gradual weakening over the weekend.
However, swells generated by Melissa are expected to continue affecting portions of Hispaniola (the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Cuba, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Bermuda during the next couple of days. The swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions in the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada.
Climate scientists attribute Melissa's rapid intensification to climate change, which has made the Atlantic Ocean extremely warm, with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) - 2 to 3 degrees above normal. This warmer environment provides a vast reservoir of energy for storms, increasing the likelihood of rapid or super-rapid intensification.
While Hurricane Melissa has passed Bermuda, its impact serves as a reminder of the devastating effects of climate change on our weather patterns and the importance of addressing this pressing global issue.
A Category 5 hurricane that brought hurricane-force gusts and heavy rains to Bermuda overnight has sped past the British territory, bringing an end to a storm warning for the area. According to the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Melissa's winds had weakened from 100mph to 90mph after making landfall in Jamaica and eastern Cuba earlier this week.
The storm's rapid intensification into a major hurricane is attributed to above-average Atlantic Ocean temperatures, fueled by climate change. The warmer ocean waters provided a vast reservoir of energy for the storm, leading to stronger winds, heavier rainfall, and higher sea level rise that made the storm surge more intense.
Melissa's forecast path shows the storm hurrying northeast through the Atlantic's cooler waters at 41mph, with its core located about 255 miles north of Bermuda. The hurricane center predicts that Melissa will pass to the south of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland (Canada) as a post-tropical cyclone tonight, followed by gradual weakening over the weekend.
However, swells generated by Melissa are expected to continue affecting portions of Hispaniola (the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Cuba, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Bermuda during the next couple of days. The swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions in the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada.
Climate scientists attribute Melissa's rapid intensification to climate change, which has made the Atlantic Ocean extremely warm, with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) - 2 to 3 degrees above normal. This warmer environment provides a vast reservoir of energy for storms, increasing the likelihood of rapid or super-rapid intensification.
While Hurricane Melissa has passed Bermuda, its impact serves as a reminder of the devastating effects of climate change on our weather patterns and the importance of addressing this pressing global issue.
. I mean, what's next? Are we gonna see Category 6 storms every year? It's crazy how fast the science has shown us that warming oceans can lead to super powerful storms. We need to take action now, not just for Bermuda and Jamaica but for the entire world! The US National Hurricane Center saying it's due to above-average Atlantic Ocean temperatures is spot on 
. If we don't address climate change, our weather patterns will continue to get more unpredictable and intense.
. Anyway, swells generated by Melissa are still gonna be a problem for many places, including the US Northeast. We need to work on our disaster response systems so we're better prepared for these types of situations 
.
. Either way, it's time to take responsibility and do something about it. Can't we all just get along... I mean, work together on this? 
! I mean, can you believe that hurricane just sped past 'em? It's crazy to think about how fast Melissa went from being a Category 5 to barely a tropical storm - 100mph to 90mph in like 24 hours 
. Climate change is wild, right? The warmer ocean temps are like, super fuel for those storms... it's no wonder they're getting stronger and more intense 
! Swells and rip currents everywhere... just thinking about it gives me the chills 
. It's a good reminder to keep an eye on those Atlantic storms and, you know, take care of the planet while we can 
. I mean, climate change is no joke, folks... we gotta be proactive about this stuff 
.
. So glad they got some warning time tho, didn't wanna be stuck there when the storm hit 
. Climate change is def on another level rn, like those Atlantic temps just gone haywire 
! 30 degrees above normal? That's wild 
. And it's so sad that this reminds us again about the devastating effects of climate change 
and it was just fueled by warmer ocean temps due to climate change. its sad really, all those islands getting hit by massive swells and life-threatening surf... i wonder if ppl are prepared for this stuff? 
also what's with the storm surge? how does that work exactly? 
? shouldn't we b talkin' about how 2 avoid these things instead?
. And all this talk about swells and surf conditions in different places, honestly it sounds like a lot of hassle to me... can't people just stay home for a week or two and enjoy some Netflix? 
. we need to do more to address climate change and take care of our planet, for future generations too 
.
. and on a side note, those swells are gonna be wild 
, which is gonna be wild 
, and that just makes storms like Melissa even more intense 
. It's like, we need to get a grip on this ASAP 
. We can't keep waiting around for natural disasters to hit us before we do something about it 
.
. Bermuda's lucky it just sped past 'em, could've been way worse 
Swells and all that jazz are gonna be a bummer for some people, but let's not forget there are more important things to worry about... like how many avocado toast spots we're gonna lose in the next big flood 
can we slow it down a bit? the Bahamas are gonna need some time to recover from this one too 
. I mean, think about it - warmer ocean temps, more energy for storms... it's like they're tryin' to send us a message or somethin'. And don't even get me started on climate change 
️). It's like the Earth is one big oven, and we're all just standing around trying to stay cool 