Enlarge / Don briefly reached hurricane status in July 2023. (credit: NOAA)
As July came to a close, the Atlantic Ocean was absolutely sizzling, particularly in areas where hurricanes commonly form.
In the “main development region,” a stretch of tropical water between Africa and the Caribbean Sea where most major Atlantic hurricanes develop, the sea surface temperature averaged 82.4° Fahrenheit, a full degree above any previous July.
This kind of temperature, at least partly fueled by a changing climate, has only rarely been seen in past hurricane seasons—and then only during September or early October, when temperatures in the tropical Atlantic typically reach their peak.
Read 12 remaining paragraphs | Comments