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UNC climate scientist: growing evidence wetter, slower hurricanes will increase amid climate change

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston-Riggs
Published October 4, 2022 at 9:39 AM EDT
Dr. Rick Luettich is the Director of the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City.
(Photo credit: UNC)
Dr. Rick Luettich is the Director of the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City.

A North Carolina researcher says there is growing evidence that wetter, slower hurricanes will increase as the climate continues to change.

Dr. Rick Luettich is the Director of the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City and says increasing air temperatures which will allow the storms to carry more moisture – increasing the rainfall they produce and the flooding that may be seen as a result.

He added that a warming Atlantic Ocean will also help them pack on the moisture.

Climate change, Leuttich said, is also likely causing the storms to meander along more slowly, as we saw with Hurricane Florence, allowing them to drop more rainfall over the areas they impact.

Annette Weston-Riggs
Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. She has been involved in the media industry in eastern North Carolina for more than three years. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to ENC to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of toddler and baby cuddling, reading, designing costumes for children’s theater and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
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