New climate study finds that more severe hurricanes are expected to hit Gulf Coast in coming years

By Adam Vos,

Published May 3, 2023 at 3:10 PM CDT

Warm, moist air above the Eastern Pacific is less dense than cold, drier air. This difference in density leads to convection and, ultimately, the generation of Rossby waves. Rossby waves create atmospheric circulation changes depicted here as two rotating circles—cyclone in blue and anticyclone in white. Closer to the sea surface, air moves in a clockwise direction. Higher in the atmosphere, air moves counterclockwise.

The state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority board has approved the final version of Louisiana’s latest Coastal Master Plan. It’s a massive 50-year, $50 billion plan meant to protect the state’s eroding coastline. WWNO coastal desk reporter Halle Parker tells us more.

A new climate study published in the Science Advances journal has found that more severe hurricanes are likely to travel closer to the Gulf Coast in the coming years. According to the study, this is largely due to the warming of tropical waters, which can trigger changes in the wind that push stronger storms toward the Southeast.

Karthik Balaguru, a climate scientist from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, tells us more about this study and what sets it apart from other research into hurricane frequency.

New Orleans was recently awarded a federal grant to help make residents aware of the availability of free broadband internet for those who can’t afford it. This new outreach campaign is part of the Affordable Connectivity Program, which comes to the Crescent City roughly a year after the demise of the “smart city” plan.

Kimberly LaGrue, chief information officer for the City of New Orleans, joins us for more on the importance of increased access to broadband and how this program will offer federal subsidies for high-speed internet in low-income households.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our digital editor is Katelyn Umholtz. Our engineers are Garrett Pittman and Aubry Procell.

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