Hurricanes are now also more likely to strengthen rapidly off the U.S. East Coast and in the Caribbean Sea, but slower to gain steam in the Gulf of Mexico.
"It's become more common for storms to intensify near the U.S. East Coast," said study author Andra Garner, a meteorologist at Rowan University in the United States.
"Those areas do need to be thinking about how they prepare for the possibility of having storms strengthen especially quickly in their region."
Four of the five costliest Atlantic hurricanes have occurred since 2017.
The research, which analyzed wind speed changes over the lifespan of Atlantic hurricanes in a national database, notes the rapid intensification of these storms is likely due to warmer ocean temperatures.
Persons:
It's, Andra Garner, Gloria Dickie, Miral
Organizations:
Hurricanes, U.S, U.S ., Rowan University, Thomson
Locations:
East Coast, U.S . East Coast, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, U.S, United States, London