Tropical Storm Henri Is Bringing High Winds, Heavy Rain And Flooding. Is It Climate Change?

Jacob Tebecio climbs from his friend’s car into his own which was stuck in Manchester, Conn., thanks flooding caused by Tropical Storm Henri. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public/NENC)

As Tropical Storm Henri batters much of New England this weekend with damaging winds, heavy rainfall, storm surges and a large possibility of inland flooding, it may feel like one more item to add to the list of abnormal weather events we’ve seen this year.

And what a year it’s been — from wildfires out west and record heat here in New England, to deadly flooding in Germany and China — weather events in 2021 have led many to ask, “Is this climate change?”

To understand what the latest science tells us about the connection between climate change and hurricanes, we called Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at MIT and an expert on how climate change affects extreme weather.

Check out the full conversation at wbur.org.