Is Hurricane Harvey Related to Climate Change? Scientists Have a Better Answer

5 minute read

As Hurricane Harvey approaches Texas, an old argument has again resurfaced about whether climate change is to blame.

In the past, scientists have had a rather unsatisfying answer for both environmentalists and skeptics, essentially saying that while climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather, no individual event could be attributed to it.

But that may be changing.

Climate scientists now say that they can use models and historical data to evaluate with increased precision how global warming has affected the odds of a given individual weather event.

Known collectively as the World Weather Attribution group, a group of scientists formed in 2014 to conduct studies on the subject, developing a series of steps they have worked to perfect for case studies. The team begins every project with an announcement that it will undertake the project and a promise to publish the results, even if the impact of climate change on a particular event is shown to be negligible.

The researchers use both observational data and climate models to double check results.

In the U.S., observational data dates back more than a century from thousands of weather stations and provides a historical record of how the likelihood of extreme weather has changed occurred over time. The climate models go back further, essentially creating alternate realities that could have played out under prescribed conditions over centuries.

One notable example of an extreme weather event assessed by the WWA was flooding that occurred in Louisiana after an August 2016 thunderstorm. The storm lacked the high wind speeds to earn a designation as a hurricane and, at first, did not draw widespread attention.

But over the course of a week it dumped enough water—more than 30 inches in some places—to lead the Red Cross to declare it the worst storm since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The extreme weather event killed 13 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.

To study it, researchers looked at data from more than 300 stations in a government database as observational data.

To run models quickly, the team used models NOAA had already run that could be analyzed easily. In this case, scientists look at weather conditions with manmade climate change and without. Running the simulation repeatedly gives a high-confidence model to assess how likely an event is to have occurred in a given year with or without climate change.

In southern Louisiana, as with many other locations around the globe, the likelihood of an extreme precipitation event has increased over the past century alongside carbon dioxide emissions. The WWA study found that climate change as much as doubled the chances of the Louisiana extreme weather event and at the very least increased the odds by 40%.

“You fit all the data together and ask what is the likelihood for a 100 millimeters, 200 millimeters of precipitation,” says study co-author Sarah Kapnick, a researcher at the NOAA. “As you get to higher and higher values of precipitation it becomes less and less likely without climate change.”

So far, scientists have not found an extreme weather event that could not have occurred without climate change, but they have found several instances where it multiplied the odds of one that occurred.

As extreme weather events increase in severity and frequency in the coming years, scientists say the odds are increasing that there eventually will be a storm that they can unequivocally say would not have occurred without climate change.

But the inability to say with certainty an individual storm was caused by climate does not necessarily mean that scientists should continue repeating the phrase that climate change cannot be blamed for individual storms, says Heidi Cullen, chief scientist at Climate Central and a study co-author. Cullen likens blaming climate change for extreme weather events storms to blaming a smoker’s lung cancer on smoking habits. A doctor cannot definitively and scientifically say that one patient’s smoking caused his or her lung cancer, but the idea that smoking causes lung cancer is widely accepted.

“Sometimes we put a burden of proof on the climate community that isn’t realistic,” says Cullen. “All of it is probabilistic.”

The science of attributing specific extreme weather events to climate change has come a long way since one of the first studies that made the connection, which evaluated the 2003 European heat wave. In recent years, the linkage has received a stamp of approval from the National Academy of Sciences and the National Climate Assessment, two scientific bodies that represent the consensus scientific view. The work has received the attention of the insurance industry, even if it has not yet begun a crucial component of their models.

Still, the science has a long way to go. Extreme weather events that involve extreme heat or flooding are easier to assess than more complicated extreme weather events like hurricanes.

But scientists remain committed to advancing their understanding. Attributing storms to climate change has a practical significance beyond the scientific novelty. The Red Cross often requests the analysis in the days following an extreme weather event to inform rebuilding efforts that often get off the ground just a few weeks after a storm. More broadly, understanding a storm’s precise link to global warming helps the public understand the risks posed by climate change.

A Look at the Devastating Destruction Caused by Hurricane Harvey

Samaritans help push a boat with evacuees to high ground during a rain storm caused by Tropical Storm Harvey along Tidwell Road in east Houston
Samaritans help push a boat with evacuees to high ground during a rain storm caused by Tropical Storm Harvey along Tidwell Road in east Houston, on Aug. 28, 2017. Adrees Latif—Reuters
Rescue boats fill a flooded street as flood victims are evacuated floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise, Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.
Rescue boats fill a flooded street as flood victims are evacuated floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise, Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.David J. Phillip—AP
APTOPIX Harvey
Alexendre Jorge evacuates Ethan Colman, 4, from a neighborhood inundated by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, on Aug. 28, 2017.Charlie Riedel—AP
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston. Joe Raedle—Getty Images
People wait to be rescued from their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
People wait to be rescued from their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.Joe Raedle—Getty Images
Rescue workers and civilians wait for emergency crews in Houston, Aug. 27, 2017.
Rescue workers and civilians wait for emergency crews in Houston, Aug. 27, 2017.Alyssa Schukar—The New York Times
Residents with a dog sit in the back of a truck while waiting to be rescued from rising floodwaters due to Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, on Aug. 28, 2017.
Residents with a dog sit in the back of a truck while waiting to be rescued from rising floodwaters due to Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, on Aug. 28, 2017.Luke Sharrett—Bloomberg/Getty Images
People wait to be rescued from their flooded homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
People wait to be rescued from their flooded homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Joe Raedle—Getty Images
A person waves to rescuers as he walks through a flooded street after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
A person waves to rescuers as he walks through a flooded street after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.Joe Raedle—Getty Images
Rescuers help a man and children from flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
Rescuers help a man and children from flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston. Joe Raedle—Getty Images
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.Joe Raedle—Getty Images
Evacuees from areas of the city flooded by Hurricane Harvey arrive in the back of city dump trucks at a red cross shelter set up at a convention center on Aug. 27.
Evacuees from areas of the city flooded by Hurricane Harvey arrive in the back of city dump trucks at a red cross shelter set up at a convention center on Aug. 27.Michael Stravato—Polaris
A stalled car gets a push amid heavy rain on a section of Interstate 610 in Houston, Aug. 27, 2017.
A stalled car gets a push amid heavy rain on a section of Interstate 610 in Houston, Aug. 27, 2017.Alyssa Schukar—The New York Time
Evacuees wade down a flooded section of Interstate 610 as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
Evacuees wade down a flooded section of Interstate 610 as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.David J. Phillip—AP
A truck driver walks while checking the depth of an underpass during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
A truck driver walks while checking the depth of an underpass during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
A woman looks out from a door at a shelter in the George R. Brown Convention Center during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston.
A woman looks out from a door at a shelter in the George R. Brown Convention Center during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
Flooded downtown is seen from JP Morgan Chase Tower after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Texas Gulf coast with rain causing widespread flooding, in Houston
Flooded downtown is seen from JP Morgan Chase Tower after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Texas Gulf coast with rain causing widespread flooding, in Houston, Texas, U.S. August 27, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. Christian Tycksen—Reuters
Wilford Martinez, Richard Wagner
Wilford Martinez, bottom, grabs the median as he is rescued from his flooded car along Interstate 610 in floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston. David J. Phillip—AP
Harvey
A child makes his way through floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey while checking on neighbors at his apartment complex in Houston, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. The remnants of Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground. (AP Photo/LM Otero)LM Otero—AP
Waters rush from a large sinkhole on Highway FM 762 in Rosenberg, Texas, near Houston, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017.
Waters rush from a large sinkhole on Highway FM 762 in Rosenberg, Texas, near Houston, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017.John Mone—AP
People wait in a city dump truck on an I-610 overpass for evacuation during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Aug. 27, 2017 in Houston.
People wait in a city dump truck on an I-610 overpass for evacuation during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Aug. 27, 2017 in Houston.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT-US-WEATHER-STORM-HARVEY
Evacuation residents from the Meyerland wait on an I-610 overpass for further help during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Aug. 27, 2017 in Houston.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Harvey
After helping the driver of the submerged truck get to safety, a man floats on the freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017, near downtown Houston.Charlie Riedel—AP
Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, on Aug. 27, 2017.
Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, on Aug. 27, 2017. David J. Phillip—AP
Neighbors used their personal boats to rescue Jane Rhodes in Friendswood, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2017.
Neighbors used their personal boats to rescue Jane Rhodes in Friendswood, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2017. Steve Gonzales—AP
Hurricane Harvey Slams Into Texas Gulf Coast
Donna Raney makes her way out of the wreckage of her home as Daisy Graham tells her she will help her out of the window after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the apartment in Rockport, Texas, on Aug. 26, 2017. Joe Raedle—Getty Images
Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas, Aug. 26, 2017.
Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas, Aug. 26, 2017.Adrees Latif—Reuters

 

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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com