WASHINGTON — A new study has found that marine heat waves—prolonged periods of unusually warm ocean temperatures—are increasingly intensifying tropical cyclones, including hurricanes, and leading to more costly and destructive landfalls worldwide. Analyzing data from 1,600 tropical cyclones that made landfall since 1981, researchers identified a significant rise in storms that rapidly strengthened over these anomalously warm waters, causing a 60% increase in disasters resulting in at least $1 billion in inflation-adjusted damages.

Marine heat waves are defined by researchers as extended stretches of ocean surface temperatures within the top 10% of historical records. Their frequency and proximity to coastal areas are rising due to climate change, creating more favorable conditions for storms to gain intensity quickly. “These marine heat waves affect more than half of landfalling tropical cyclones,” said Gregory Foltz, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and co-author of the study published Friday in the journal *Science Advances*. “They’re happening closer to land and more frequently, so I think people need to pay attention.”

The study highlights how such heat waves serve as fuel for hurricanes, enabling rapid intensification and increasing the potential for severe damage upon landfall. The researchers pointed to several examples, including Hurricane Otis in October 2023, which escalated from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane within a single day before striking Acapulco, Mexico, causing approximately $16 billion in damage and 52 fatalities. The study clarifies that the rise in damages is not primarily due to increased coastal development, as storms crossing marine heat waves were compared to those hitting similarly urbanized regions without such warming, yet still showed higher destruction.

Co-author Hamed Moftakhari, a coastal engineering professor at the University of Alabama, noted the implications for storm preparedness and risk management. He referenced the rapid succession of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2023 as evidence that warmer oceans can create a cascade effect, with multiple storms intensifying rapidly over short periods. Moftakhari emphasized that evacuation strategies and infrastructure design, such as flood defenses and drainage systems, must be reconsidered in light of these findings. “Earlier warnings and triggers on when people leave may be needed when there are marine heat waves,” he said.

Study lead author Soheil Radfar of Princeton University warned that the trend toward more frequent and intense marine heat waves will pose significant challenges over the coming decades. “This is going to be really costly and frightening for the coastline environment and is going to cause more billion-dollar disasters in the future,” Radfar said.

Experts not involved in the research said the findings align with established scientific understanding of hurricane dynamics and climate change impacts. Brian Tang, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University at Albany, remarked that it is logical for marine heat waves to amplify hurricanes, as these storms draw energy from warm ocean waters through evaporation. “The dice is being loaded,” Tang said, underlining the growing risks associated with shifting climate patterns.