[tw]

Been watching the current tropical storms for weeks. Currently we are up to Nate. In the attached picture, Nate sits between Puerto Rico and Nova Scotia. The larger hurricane is maybe 500 miles to the NE. Notice I have also included other storms in the lower right corner. Is this a hurricane?

Katrina was a nothing the entire time it crossed the Atlantic. It only formed when it hit the Gulf Stream off of FL, made a left turn, and got into the Gulf of Mexico.

This is the problem. Surface temperatures in the Gulf have been at record levels - consistent with global warming - 85 plus degrees F. And since the temperatures are slowly getting warmer deeper every year, then hurricanes that get into the Gulf have been getting quite strong. This is not enough to prove global warming is causing more severe hurricanes. But it is why research is ongoing to better understand the process.

Andrew was a small storm that suddenly turned into a monster just as it hit the Gulf Stream. It is believed that Andrew yanked up a large warm pocket of water that suddenly charged it into a category 5 storm. It is also suspected that Katrina got same in the Gulf. Unfortuntely, last I read, we don't have data on such temperatures. Even the data buoys only monitor surface temperatures. There is much research to do in order to explain why Katrina, et al are occuring.