{"id":6050,"date":"2025-07-15T12:17:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T16:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/us.weatheramerica.com\/?p=6050"},"modified":"2025-07-15T12:17:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T16:17:40","slug":"weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/","title":{"rendered":"Weather warning: East Coast storms may become even more powerful"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"storms-1507\"<\/strong>The next ‘storm of the century’ could be even stronger<\/strong><\/p>\n

New York, Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (9:00 AM local time)<\/strong> \u2013 The most destructive nor\u2019easters<\/strong>\u2014those devastating, often deadly storms<\/em> that hammer the East Coast of the United States<\/strong> with torrential rain, heavy snow, and widespread flooding<\/strong>\u2014are gaining strength<\/strong> as a direct result of climate pollution<\/strong>, according to a new study<\/strong> by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

These powerful weather systems<\/strong>, which usually form between September<\/strong> and April<\/strong>, are driven by the temperature contrast<\/strong> between cold Arctic air<\/strong> and warm, moist Atlantic air<\/strong>. In a warming world<\/strong>, that contrast is diminishing. Yet, researchers now say fewer storms<\/strong> doesn\u2019t mean less danger<\/strong>\u2014because the intensity<\/strong> of the strongest ones is on the rise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Michael Mann<\/strong>, a climate scientist<\/strong> and lead author of the study, began his investigation after being stranded in a Philadelphia hotel<\/strong> for three days during the 2010 ‘Snowmageddon’<\/strong>, a paralyzing blizzard that dumped over 20 inches (50 cm)<\/strong> of snow across parts of Pennsylvania<\/strong>, Maryland<\/strong>, Virginia<\/strong>, and West Virginia<\/strong>, killing 41 people<\/strong> and cutting power to hundreds of thousands. That storm, Mann said, sparked a lasting question: How will global warming reshape the strongest nor\u2019easters?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fifteen years later, his team has answers. By analyzing historical data<\/strong> from 1940 through 2025<\/strong>, using a sophisticated cyclone-tracking algorithm<\/strong>, the researchers built a digital atlas<\/strong> of nearly 900 nor\u2019easters<\/strong>. Their results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em>, reveal that the peak wind speeds<\/strong> of the most extreme nor\u2019easters<\/strong> have increased by around 6%<\/strong> since 1940.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While 6% may sound minor, it translates to a 20% jump in destructive potential<\/strong>, Mann explained. \u201cThat\u2019s substantial<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also found a 10% rise in precipitation<\/strong>, both in rainfall<\/strong> and snowfall<\/strong>. Warmer oceans and atmosphere\u2014basic physics<\/strong>, Mann noted\u2014mean more evaporation<\/strong> and more moisture<\/strong> in the air, which ultimately leads to heavier downpours<\/strong> or blizzards<\/strong> when those systems make landfall.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The March 1993 ‘Storm of the Century’<\/strong>, one of the most violent on record, serves as a sobering benchmark. With winds topping 100 mph (160 km\/h)<\/strong> and snow accumulations exceeding 4.9 feet (1.5 meters)<\/strong> in some areas, it caused more than 200 deaths<\/strong> and billions in damages<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another infamous example, the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962<\/strong>, left a path of destruction along the East Coast<\/strong> equivalent to that of a major hurricane<\/strong>, with economic losses in today’s dollars in the tens of billions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While the number of nor\u2019easters may decrease as the Arctic warms faster<\/strong> than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere<\/strong>, reducing the fuel that drives them, the most powerful ones<\/strong> are getting worse<\/strong>\u2014a fact that raises serious concerns for coastal cities<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The study also suggests that flood risks<\/strong> in many East Coast urban areas<\/strong> may be significantly underestimated<\/strong>. \u201cNor\u2019easters have been overlooked<\/strong>,\u201d Mann said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s adding to the rising coastal threat<\/strong> we haven\u2019t paid enough attention to.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jennifer Francis<\/strong>, a senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center<\/strong>, who was not involved in the research, emphasized the urgency of proactive planning<\/strong> in northeastern coastal communities<\/strong>. \u201cPreparedness<\/strong> is always cheaper than disaster recovery<\/strong>,\u201d she said in an interview.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Judah Cohen<\/strong>, a climate researcher at MIT<\/strong>, added that these findings highlight the unpredictable impacts<\/strong> of the climate crisis<\/strong>. \u201cIt\u2019s counterintuitive,\u201d he said. \u201cGlobal warming<\/strong> can actually lead to episodes of extreme winter weather<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Even as snow seasons shorten<\/strong> in much of the United States<\/strong>, individual storms may become more intense<\/strong>, with periods of deep cold<\/strong> and heavy snow<\/strong> still very much part of the forecast. As Mann put it, \u201cSingle events<\/strong> could become even more extreme<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The next ‘storm of the century’ could be even stronger New York, Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (9:00 AM local time) \u2013 The most destructive nor\u2019easters\u2014those devastating, often deadly storms that hammer the East Coast of the United States with torrential rain, heavy snow, and widespread flooding\u2014are gaining strength as a direct result of climate pollution, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":6051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWeather warning: East Coast storms may become even more powerful - United States - Weather America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weather warning: East Coast storms may become even more powerful - United States - Weather America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The next ‘storm of the century’ could be even stronger New York, Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (9:00 AM local time) \u2013 The most destructive nor\u2019easters\u2014those devastating, often deadly storms that hammer the East Coast of the United States with torrential rain, heavy snow, and widespread flooding\u2014are gaining strength as a direct result of climate pollution, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"United States - Weather America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-15T16:17:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/storms-1507.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2308\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1298\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Liam Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Liam Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Liam Smith\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/d9b79a764c539fbe4d1ab6e9a31d7e72\"},\"headline\":\"Weather warning: East Coast storms may become even more powerful\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-15T16:17:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/\"},\"wordCount\":609,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/storms-1507.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/07\/15\/weather-warning-east-coast-storms-may-become-even-more-powerful\/\",\"name\":\"Weather warning: East Coast storms may become even more powerful - 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