Episode description

The 2017 hurricane season was a record-setting year for hurricanes. Hurricane Harvey dumped more rain on Houston than ever recorded in any US city. Hurricane Irma was the longest-lasting powerful hurricane or typhoon ever recorded worldwide. Hurricane Maria is regarded as the worst natural disaster on record for Puerto Rico and was the second in a line of powerful hurricanes to hit the island in a span of just 2 weeks. Hurricane Ophelia was the strongest eastern Atlantic hurricane on record. Are hurricanes getting stronger and more frequent? Could this be attributed to climate change? Was the 2017 hurricane season evidence for a new normal of hurricane strength and frequency? What exactly do we mean by an extreme event? How should we rebuild our coastal cities to be resilient to more intense hurricanes? Listen in as UREx SRN graduate fellow Robert Hobbins interviews several researchers in the UREx SRN about their thoughts regarding each of these critical questions.