Consider This from NPR It's not your imagination. Hurricanes are getting more severe.
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Aug 21, 2025 The devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina serves as a crucial lesson in understanding the escalating severity of hurricanes today. The podcast highlights the evolution of storms like Harvey and Ian, showcasing the alarming intensification linked to climate change. Significant advancements in hurricane forecasting since Katrina are discussed, particularly the role of technology and real-time data in improving predictions. However, challenges remain as rising ocean temperatures continue to drive storm intensity, raising concerns about future preparedness.
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Katrina's Devastating Wake
- Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 devastated New Orleans and left over 1,300 people dead.
- The storm flooded 80% of the city and caused about $125 billion in losses, shocking the nation.
Forecasting Leap Since Katrina
- Post-Katrina efforts dramatically improved hurricane forecasting models and observations over two decades.
- By last year, a five-day forecast matched the accuracy of a two-day 2005 forecast, a huge gain.
HFIP's Ambitious Success
- The Hurricane Forecasting Improvement Project (HFIP) set a goal to halve track and intensity errors within 10 years and exceeded it.
- Progress combined better computer models with richer storm observations to drive accuracy gains.