Unprecedented Tropical Storm Tomas Forms off S America

[FourScore]

Unprecedented Tropical Storm Tomas Forms off S America
by FishOutofWater
Fri Oct 29, 2010 at 04:46:54 PM PDT

Never in historic records has a tropical storm formed so far south and east in the north Atlantic this late in the season. Never. And Tomas has the potential to become a major hurricane in the Caribbean, possibly threatening Haiti, Jamaica or Cuba next week...



SNIP

...Climate change is not increasing the number of tropical storms globally, but it may be increasing the area of the Atlantic basin where the water is warm enough to support tropical storms. It may also be extending the length of the hurricane season in the fall. Because satellites have made identification of storms in the open ocean easier than before satellites observed storms, hurricane specialists debate these issues.

What we know for certain is that heat is being added to the Atlantic ocean by global warming. That heat has the potential to produce more water vapor to support stronger storms.

While unprecedented weather happens more and more frequently, Republican politicians become more and more adamant in their denial of reality. Human activity is changing the climate, loading the dice towards more record high temperatures and more extreme storms.

Vote like people's lives depend on it. They do.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/10/29/914912/-Unprecedented-Tropical-Storm-Tomas-Forms-off-S-America

[Adsos Letter]

1. Oh man, Haiti sure doesn't need any more trouble.

Nobody down there does, but this could really be an unmitigated disaster for the Haitians, given their current state of misery.

[SheilaT]

2. There's always a first time.

Our records don't really go back that far, but my money's on global warming being the culprit here.