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- A shocking satellite image shows five tropical cyclones churning in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
- The cyclones tie another record in an extremely active hurricane season.
- The image also captures smoke swirling across the US from historic wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington.
- Climate change is making wildfires and hurricanes more extreme.
- Visit the Insider home page for more stories.
An astonishing satellite photo shows five tropical cyclones spinning in the Atlantic basin at once.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) captured the image Monday afternoon. It shows Tropical Depression Rene, Tropical Storms Teddy and Vicky, and Hurricanes Sally and Paulette.
“This ties the record for the largest number of tropical cyclones in that basin at the same time,” the National Weather Service said. tweeted Monday.
The Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico have only weathered so many storms once, in September 1971.
Tropical Depression René dissipated Monday night, but the other four storms in the image persist. Here’s what the satellite images showed on Tuesday morning:
NOAA GOES-East
Hurricane Sally is currently heading toward Louisiana and Mississippi, where the NHC expects it to bring “historic, life-threatening flash floods.”
The Atlantic group of cyclones arrives at the peak of the hurricane season, which has been especially active so far this year, with 20 named storms. Only one name, Wilfred, remains on the 2020 Atlantic cyclone name list. If the National Hurricane Center runs out of conventional names, it will have to start using the Greek alphabet.
Hot weather makes hurricanes (and fires) more extreme
Satellite images on Monday and Tuesday also show smoke swirling toward the east coast from record-breaking wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington.
Experts attribute both the unprecedented scope of the fires and the overly active hurricane season to climate change.
These satellite images show Oregon and Northern California on August 8 on the left and September 8 on the right.
NASA Worldview
In the case of fires, longer and more severe dry seasons fuel larger fires, which can start earlier and last later in the year.
In the Atlantic basin, warming waters and air make hurricanes stronger, slower, and more humid.
Tropical cyclones feed on warm water. Higher water temperatures also cause sea level rise, which in turn increases the risk of flooding during high tides and in the event of storm surge. What’s more, warmer air contains more atmospheric water vapor, allowing tropical storms to strengthen and unleash more precipitation.
In a recent study, researchers found that each new decade for the past 40 years has brought an 8% increase in the probability of a storm becoming a major hurricane.
“Most of the damage and mortality caused by hurricanes is caused by major hurricanes,” NOAA atmospheric scientist James Kossin, who led the study, told CNN. “Increasing the probability of a major hurricane will certainly increase this risk.”
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