Climate change

Trudy Weakens Off Mexico, Flood Risk Shifts to US Southwest

Are warmer oceans supercharging hurricanes into deadlier disasters or is the storm scare cherry-picked hype that fails every honest test?

2 hours ago·Updated 1 hour ago

Trudy Weakens Off Mexico, Flood Risk Shifts to US Southwest

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Above: Hurricane Trudy on Oct. 19. Image credit: ABC7News via X

The Facts

Trudy weakened into a tropical storm overnight Sunday as it moved away from Mexico's central Pacific coast, dropping to maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (97 kph) with no watches or warnings in effect. Forecasters expected rapid weakening to continue.
The Guardian
UPI
Mexican authorities scaled back and later discontinued hurricane warnings along the Pacific coast Sunday as Trudy pulled away from the mainland. Floodwaters linked to a separate cold front affected more than 1,500 homes in Veracruz.
Newsweek
Reuters
Trudy was a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds early Sunday, and the hurricane center urged coastal residents of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco to prepare for 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain and possible life-threatening flooding and mudslides.
Independent
CBS News
A hurricane warning stretched from Manzanillo in Colima state to Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco on Saturday as Trudy reached Category 2 strength with 100 mph winds. In Guerrero, authorities suspended classes across all 85 municipalities.
The Latin Times
Al Jazeera
New York Post
Trudy intensified rapidly Thursday, climbing from a 75 mph Category 1 to a 120 mph Category 3, AccuWeather said. The National Hurricane Center later reported that satellite wind data showed the storm was weaker than indicated early Friday.
The Associated Press
Accuweather
Moisture from Trudy is forecast to stream into the southwestern United States this week, fueling a multiday flood risk across seven states from California to Colorado, with rainfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour possible Wednesday.
Accuweather
The Weather Channel

Sources Split

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The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Warmer oceans are juicing these storms, and the payoff is heavier downpours, bigger surge and mudslides that tear through already soaked hillsides. Storms that balloon in strength overnight keep catching forecasters and families off guard, which is exactly why they turn so deadly and so costly. Treating the ocean warming link as background noise leaves coastlines unprepared.

Climate Central

The Guardian

Independent

Climate-skeptic narrative

A theory that can never be proven wrong is not science, and the storm scare has dodged every honest test. Energy measures across the ocean basins show no steady climb, yet every frightening landfall gets blamed on emissions while the quiet seasons get ignored. Cherry-picking scary storms sells headlines, but it does not establish a trend.

Michael Shellenberger on X

Climate Change Dispatch