Baldwin quoted on Hurricane Hilary

AirUCI faculty Jane Baldwin is quoted in an August 20th Los Angeles Times article discussing the compound climate issues that allowed Hurricane Hilary to affect Southern California, the first hurricane here since 1939.  Generally California has been protected from hurricanes by a combination of ocean currents and wind patterns, however unusual conditions have combined to open a path for Hilary to move much farther north than most Eastern Pacific hurricanes ever approach.  “Broadly speaking, as the climate warms, sea surface and ocean temperatures generally tend to get warmer, and that adds more fuel to intensify tropical cyclones,” said Jane. “So having Hurricane Hilary develop is consistent with the fact that we expect more intense tropical cyclones to be more likely with climate change. It’s certainly unusual for any tropical storm to take the path that Hilary has — much less one that’s this intense,”  Read the article