Hurricane Patricia's Effect on America

Patricia is currently making landfall in Mexico and breaking world records.  There are many people whose lives are in danger because of this hurricane. Some people have taken this situation to make claims about climate change and global warming without even considering the people who are in danger.  So before I start my writing of this blog I would like to say that my thoughts and prayers go out to those who are in the path of this monster hurricane.

Patricia

Patricia is the strongest hurricane ever! Why?  There are many different stories as to why this is the case, but a lot of modern weather writers are claiming it to be caused by global warming or climate change.  For the sake of this blog I’m going to group those two terms together, because they mean the same thing. Patricia began in the waters of Pacific Ocean.  Now she is making landfall and changing history.

What Are The Experts Saying?

Michael Mann, a climate researcher at Penn State University claims, “As ocean temperatures continue to warm as a result of human-caused climate change, we expect hurricanes to intensify, and we expect to cross new thresholds. Hurricane Patricia and her unprecedented 200 mile-per-hour sustained winds, appears to be one of them now, unfortunately.”  This expert is trying to once again push a climate change agenda instead of focusing on the world as a whole.  Another expert writes. “Record-breaking hurricanes raise questions about longstanding predictions that global warming, by raising ocean temperatures, should also strengthen these storms.”  There is a truth lying just beneath the false thinking that climate change is the main reason for this size hurricane.  What truth?  Warm Waters!  There are a few main reasons for Patricia being as large as she is and warm water is the main one.  However, warmth not by climate change, but by El Niño!

Patricia and El Niño

There is little doubt warm water is the cause for the strength of Patricia.  And some have even correctly looked at the data and said “It still requires the right set up to convert…into an intense storm but the environment is surely ripe. That consists, of course, of a substantial El Niño-related component.”  The El Niño having a large impact on the global and it is starting off just like accurate models showed – Rain then Cold!  For more information on the El Niño check out our earlier blog here: http://www.eheat.com/blog/el-nio-and-the-winter-of-2015/

Patricia and the USA

So what does this have to do with the USA? This hurricane gives the USA some confidence that the predictions about the El Niño causing a change in weather behaviors are true.  The predictions were that rain would come early and first in the South (look out Texas), and then very cold weather would come to the North.  It is sometimes a scary thing to see weather actually follow in the predicted steps, but this is great news for us who can prepare for what is next.  On a side step note, there is still “the Blob” sitting out there in the North West Pacific that is a large question mark for meteorologist.  However, it does not seem to be factoring in just yet. We will just have to wait and see what happens!

5 Major Takeaways

• Patricia is the strongest hurricane ever on record!
• Keep the people of Mexico in your thoughts and prayers
• Prepare for flooding if you live in the South
• Predictions are becoming true about the El Niño
• Cold is coming!

Stay dry and Stay warm!