"Tropical Cyclones Packing More Punch Further From the Equator"

"People in heavily populated Pacific and Indian Ocean coastal regions beyond the tropics should take heed, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday, because tropical cyclones increasingly are packing their biggest punch farther from the equator.

Over the past 30 years, the location where these powerful storms reach their maximum intensity has shifted away from the equator and toward the poles in both the northern and southern hemispheres at a rate of about 35 miles (56 km) per decade, they said. That amounts to half a degree of latitude per decade.

The trend may be linked to factors that have contributed to global climate change including human activities like the burning of fossils fuels, the researchers said."

Will Dunham reports for Reuters May 15, 2014.

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"Tropical Storms Hitting Peak Strength Nearer Poles, Study Says" (NPR)