Experts have predicted for years that as climate change worsens, extreme weather events will become both more intense and more frequent. Among other things, scientists observe that tropical storms will more often turn into hurricanes as they hit warmer waters while heading to the shore. That very thing appears to now be happening with Tropical Storm Idalia. As the super-storm barrels through Cuba en route to Florida, it is heading toward warmer-than-usual waters that are expected to turn it into a full-fledged hurricane that will hit the mainland later this week.
"Idalia is now forecast to become a major hurricane before it reaches the Gulf coast of Florida," explained the National Hurricane Center in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "The risk continues to increase for life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds along portions of the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle beginning as early as late Tuesday."
