A Nor’easter is set to slam into the East Coast. Climate Change is making it stronger

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on The Independent or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: A powerful nor’easter is expected to bring coastal flooding, heavy rain and strong winds from the Mid-Atlantic to New England, with impacts potentially lasting into next week
• Scientists say unusually warm ocean waters and higher sea levels linked to human-caused climate change are increasing the storm’s potential impacts

🔭 The context: Climate Central estimates that the exceptionally warm waters involved were made 10–50 times more likely by climate change
• The storm is also arriving against a higher sea-level baseline, increasing the risk of coastal flooding and erosion; states of emergency were declared in New York and New Jersey

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Climate change does not necessarily create individual storms, but warmer oceans and rising seas can amplify some storms’ intensity and coastal impacts
• Higher baseline sea levels mean that the same storm surge can produce greater flooding and erosion

⏭️ What’s next: Forecasters expect dangerous coastal conditions, with wind gusts above 50 mph possible in eastern Long Island and southeastern New England
• Authorities are preparing for flooding, power outages, tree damage and difficult travel through the weekend and into next week

💬 One quote: “Climate change is raising sea levels along the East Coast, so coastal communities are starting every storm from a higher water level.” — Zachary Labe, Climate Central

📈 One stat: 10–50 times — the estimated increase in the likelihood of the storm’s exceptionally warm ocean temperatures due to human-caused climate change, according to Climate Central

Subscribe to our free newsletters to never miss a beat in sustainability.

The world needs sustainability knowledge. At illuminem, no interest group or shareholder can influence our work. Thank you for supporting our mission to make high-quality and independent sustainability information free for all. Every contribution helps