Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
View more of the Sun's opinion section
It is too early to establish a definitive link between Hurricane Harvey and global warming. However, it is known that Harvey occurred near the end of summer, that the Gulf of Mexico was warmer than average, that when on land Harvey drew abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, and Harvey demolished multiple rainfall and flooding records.
The year of Hurricane Katrina, 2005, was then the warmest year since records began in 1880. According to the National Oceanic AND Atmospheric Administration, 2014 was warmer than 2005. Then 2015 became warmer than 2014. Then 2016 became warmer than 2015.
In early 2018, it will be curious if 2017 will rank among the five hottest years. Due to Harvey, far over 200,000 people lost power or became refugees from their homes. A United Nations study indicated there may be as many as 200 million global warming refugees by 2050.
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