El Huracán Otis y el Cambio Climático

Abstract

Otis, a devastating hurricane that no one seems to have seen coming, which, in 24 hours, went from tropical storm to hurricane. It was only 90 km from the coast when its terrible danger was mentioned in the warning bulletins. How can such a scenario be explained? Hurricane Otis surprised by its unprecedented intensity, reaching the maximum category. At noon on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, Otis was still only a tropical storm. Strong winds were blowing off the coast of Mexico, with gusts of just over 100 km/h. At first glance, nothing to worry about. But that changed overnight. As it approached the coast, Otis did not weaken, but rather increased in strength. Unexpectedly, it impacted Acapulco with winds of over 265 km/h. The intensity of this hurricane is related to the temperature of the Pacific Ocean, particularly along the coasts of Acapulco, in the State of Guerrero. The reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are fundamental to analyze this extreme hydrometeorological event and its relationship with climate change.