“Rapid intensification.” That’s a phrase that has been bandied about over the past few years when it comes to hurricanes. So what does that mean, exactly?
That’s when a hurricane’s wind speed jumps by 56 km/h over a 24-hour period.
Hurricane Melissa did that, and more.
The storm experienced what Winkley said was “extreme rapid intensification.” As he said, its winds “exploded” by 113 km/h in 24 hours.
These types of storms are on the rise, thanks to record-warmth in our oceans.
“This hurricane season specifically, we’ve had five hurricanes and now four of them have undergone this extreme rapid intensification. This is something that we didn’t see a couple decades ago, but that we’re now seeing at least every season,” Winkley said.
