LONG BEACH, Calif. — A run of powerful, long-lasting hurricanes in the Pacific has broken a record for storm energy east of the international date line, driven by a supersized El Niño, scientists said, according to the Associated Press via KTAR News.
The key measure, accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE, combines a storm’s wind speed and how long it lasts. On Sunday, the region that brews storms headed for Hawaii, Mexico and the U.S. West Coast passed the old mark set in 2018, Colorado State University researcher Phil Klotzbach said.
“Since September 20th, when Odalys formed, it’s been berserk,” Klotzbach said. He said the Pacific is also on track to tie the record for most days with a hurricane spinning on Tuesday.
“It feels like almost everything that can spin up does spin up,” said University of Arizona atmospheric scientist Kim Wood.
El Niño weakens and shifts the high-altitude winds that can tear storms apart. In the Pacific, those winds now run with storms like a tailwind, Klotzbach said, while in the Atlantic they act as a headwind. Atlantic ACE is less than 18% of normal for this time of year.
Warm ocean water, which fuels hurricanes, has added to the effect. Remnant moisture from eastern Pacific storms is also a common source of fall rain in Arizona.
Sources: Associated Press via KTAR News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: GOES imagery: CSU/CIRA & NOAA / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
