J. Marshall Shepherd, director of the atmospheric sciences program in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about how changing weather patterns are making hurricanes more severe.
Warmer waters supercharge storms, allowing them to unleash greater destruction at landfall before gradually weakening over land, “just like it takes your car longer to slow down if you’re going 100 mph versus 50 mph,” Shepherd said.
Recent major hurricanes — such as Helene in 2024, Idalia in 2023 and Michael in 2018 — have proved that “preparation for hurricanes is no longer a coastal matter,” according to Shepherd.