said by Scientists dispute politician' sclaims that global warming grew Sandy :»
To further complicate matters, climate scientists and hurricane experts largely conclude that as the climate warms, there will be fewer hurricanes overall, although those that hit will be stronger and wetter, according to the Associated Press.
So why was Sandy such a doozy?
Several factors contributed to the strength of the hurricane, beyond the standard elements that cause the storms to brew up in the tropics: a low-pressure trough dipping from the Arctic, higher tides thanks to a full moon, and a high-pressure system pushing the storm onshore.
"You've got three factors here that have come together in just the right pattern to create a storm of this type," David Robinson, a Rutgers University professor and New Jersey's state climatologist, told LiveScience. "That's why it's very rare."