New research suggests that nor'easters — large-scale Atlantic storms that typically form near the stretch of coast between North Carolina and Massachusetts — are rising in intensity, fueled by higher oceanic temperatures and atmospheric moisture.

What's happening?

Nor'easters tend to originate when cooler air masses from the North collide with warmer, wetter air over the Gulf Stream Atlantic current, coming together with a level of spin that creates a cyclone. 

According to Inside Climate News, nor'easters today are "significantly windier and rainier than they were in the middle of the 20th century," making the threat to our homes and lives more perilous than ever.

The research, conducted by climate scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, established a trend of rising wind speeds over 900 different nor'easters from 1940 to the present day. 

Why are intensifying nor'easters concerning?

Taking into account that the destructive potential of a storm is proportional to the cube of its wind speed, the study's Michael Mann noted that the increasing nor'easter wind speeds over the years are even more alarming than they seem, amounting to a rise in destructive potential of over 17%. This translates to greater infrastructure damage when these storms make landfall, as well as more civilian lives endangered — not to mention the economic burden of rebuilding and relocation.

But more severe storms and similar weather events are only one symptom of the ongoing issue of human-induced changes to the climate, fueled by large-scale carbon pollution that traps heat within our atmosphere. While isolated weather phenomena aren't by any means unnatural, higher atmospheric moisture and higher sea levels due to melting Arctic ice sheets supercharge these events to devastating consequences.

What's being done about extreme weather?

If you're worried about nor'easters or similar weather phenomena in your area, consider making your home more resilient by installing solar panels in conjunction with a battery system to keep your power running during an emergency.

To address the ongoing issue of supercharged storms in the long term, however, we need to cut down on our carbon pollution. Even small switches — like taking public transportation instead of driving or upgrading to energy-efficient appliances at home — can make a difference.

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