It will come as little consolation to the millions whose homes and businesses are currently being devastated by wind and flood but Irma is by no means the worst recorded storm to hit the U.S.
In recent years both Andrew (1992) and Katrina (2005) ranked higher; and the worst remains the 1935 Labor Day storm where wind speed on landfall was 160 kts – 45 kts faster than Irma.
The rankings were compiled by hurricane expert Philip Klotzbach of the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. (h/t Watts Up With That?)
This hasn’t, of course, prevented the usual suspects from trying to make political mileage out of this natural weather event.
But for those who prefer science to propaganda, here is the truth about major hurricanes in the U.S.: the frequency in the last 150 years has declined, NOT increased.
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