2023 Hurricane Season Ends, Marked by Storms That ‘Really Rapidly Intensified’

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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/02/us/hurricane-season-2023-rapid-intensification.html

By William B. Davis and Judson Jones, The New York Times. 

Excerpt: The 2023 hurricane seasons in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific came to an end this week, with both basins experiencing an above average number of storms, fueled by extremely warm ocean temperatures. The two basins had a combined 37 storms, 13 of which rapidly intensified, sometimes jumping multiple hurricane categories in less than a day. A high proportion of rapid-onset storms this year exceeded the standard definition of rapid intensification — an increase of at least 35 miles per hour in sustained winds, over 24 hours. Experts said that this emphasized the way hurricane seasons are changing and the need for more reliable forecast models. When storms intensify abruptly near land, it becomes more difficult to predict how severely places will be affected, and it leaves officials and residents with little time to prepare. Newer and more specific hurricane intensity models, like the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS), helped experts forecast some of this rapid strengthening, but some storms still caught meteorologists by surprise. In one major hurricane, at least 50 people died because conditions worsened precipitously in a matter of hours.... 

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