Climate Change Now Outweighs El Niño in Pacific Hurricane Intensity, Study Finds

A World Weather Attribution and Climate Central study using Hurricane Polo found human-caused warming made storm-fueling conditions 23 times more likely, versus 14 times for El Niño. Polo peaked at about 180 mph winds and 892 mbars, holding Category 5 for two and a half days.

• Polo peaked at 180 mph winds and 892 mbars, Category 5 for 2.5 days
• Climate change raised favorable conditions 23x, El Niño 14x
• Warming added about 6 mph to peak winds, El Niño about 5 mph
• Sea-surface temperatures along Polo's path ran up to 2°C above normal