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Often it seems they're all different. But today it's clear that you can draw 

clear connections between all the crazy major weather stories and climate change.

https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/status/905051107113582592

Irma intensified into an "extremely dangerous" Category 5 hurricane

 overnight. This storm is just plain scary to look at on satellite. It's extremely well organized. It has a compact eye wall structure and shows near perfect symmetry. The ragged outer bands add that classic "buzz-saw" structure.

https://twitter.com/MPRweather/status/905051764172390400

With top sustained winds at 150 knots (175 mph), Hurricane Irma has now achieved "super typhoon" strength. Here's the definition of a super typhoon from the 

Hurricane Irma remains in the almost ideal warm water, low wind shear environment to assure Category 4 or 5 strength at landfall. Irma is likely to have catastrophic level winds of at least 150 mph as she approaches landfall.

https://twitter.com/RyanMaue/status/905087522392428544

The overnight model runs did not do Florida any favors. We are now just three to four days away from likely effects from Irma in Florida. Tropical storm conditions could arrive as soon as Friday night.

The spaghetti plots do not look good for Florida and the southeast U.S. this weekend.

Track forecasts can still change. Here's a look at the evolution of the National Hurricane Center's  official track.

https://twitter.com/JimCantore/status/904996215972036608

It's worrisome that two of our most reliable models (The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System) continue to track Irma toward Florida this weekend.

https://twitter.com/MPRweather/status/904924495412166657

The overnight European mode run trended slightly west, but still did not do Florida any big favors.

 Irma is now among the strongest hurricanes in in Atlantic history. Irma's 175 mph wind speed ties for the 3rd strongest in Atlantic history. Irma is a major threat to Florida and the southeast U.S. this weekend. People in Florida and the southeast U.S. should be in calm but extremely focused hurricane preparation.

https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/status/905037369627222016

What can we say about Irma and climate change? All hurricanes feed off warm water. Ocean temperatures are measurably warmer in recent decades as earth's climate warms. Ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic are indeed warmer than average as Irma tracks westward.

As we saw with Hurricane Harvey, a super-heated ocean fuels rapid intensification with hurricanes. There is strong evidence to suggest Irma is stronger because of warmer waters in the Atlantic. Climate scientists draw a 

strong link between warmer oceans and stronger hurricanes

https://twitter.com/MichaelEMann/status/905063308222496768

Climate links: Hurricane Harvey and the Texas flood

The Houston area is still in full recovery mode from massive flooding after Hurricane Harvey. Again, warmer oceans likely played a role in Harvey's rapid intensification. A more tenuous link under study is 

a slower jet stream and stalled weather pattern

 that kept Harvey swirling in place for several days.

Weather Underground hurricane and climate expert Bob Henson and I discussed Harvey's attributable climate connections last week on the 

In case you missed it in all the hurricane news, significant wildfires are burning just east of Portland, Ore.

https://twitter.com/BMacTV/status/904941330735931394

Smoke is so thick in Eugene, Ore., it's reached hazardous levels.

https://twitter.com/KEZI9/status/905057942512250882

https://twitter.com/tyrussma/status/905074012140716032

Wildfires have always burned in the west. But the number of large fires is showing a strong and measurable trend int he past 40 years. The best climate science finds an 

I can't remember a summer where we've seen this many smoky sky days over Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

https://twitter.com/NWSSiouxFalls/status/904882849647603714

Sunday's smoke plume stretched across the length of the United States.

https://twitter.com/UWCIMSS/status/904837092005564416

As the number of fires in the western U.S. and Canada continue to grow in a warmer climate, we can expect to see more wildfire smoke drifting east in the prevailing winds aloft. That smoke will mix down to ground level at times as it did this past weekend.

Houston is heavily damaged. Florida and the wider southeast U.S. are bracing for a possible devastating hurricane strike. Portland is choking on dense wildfire smoke. And massive smoke plumes are visible over much of the USA.

As you follow seemingly unrelated weather news events like Harvey's floods, Irma's intensity, Oregon's wildfires and see smoke overhead, realize there is likely a climate change connection to all of them.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Extreme weather news shows climate connections.

Paul Huttner talks to climate & hurricane expert Bob Henson of Weather Underground about Hurricane Harvey, before being downgraded to a tropical storm.

Climate Cast: Harvey's climate change connections

9 5 120644_earliest_reasonable_toa_no_wsp_34

Climate Gone Wild: Climate connections to fire, smoke, flood, and 175 mph Irma

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