Same number of storms, better detection

According to a NY Times article, the number of named storms has increased not because the weather is truly stormier, but because improved meteorological methods means more storms are being discovered which, in years past, wouldn't have been noticed.

In other words, global warming is not causing stormier weather!

Also, sediment analysis shows that in the years 900 to 1200, the Atlantic was even stormier than it is today.

Comments

[Peter]

Another issue is that hurricanes have become more destructive in terms of the property damage they cause (though not deadlier, on account of better warnings), because the availability of taxpayer-subsidized federal flood insurance makes it possible for people to build in high-risk coastal areas.

[sabril]

It also should be noted that the number of people killed per year in hurricanes has dropped dramatically over the past 100 years has dropped dramatically.

Not because of global warming, but because of economic and technological development.

Any sane person with a little common sense would realize that they key to improving human well being is economic and technological development. But of course, that would require lauding whites and jews instead of trashing them.

[Kevin K]

Though to be fair, if you aren't detecting something you don't know what the trend is. Plus storms are weather not climate. The heat content of the ocean would be a useful thing to watch not storms which are highly variable.

[sn]

OT, http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/women-prefer-poaching.html#comments

[DaveinHackensack]

"Plus storms are weather not climate."

Is that why the image of a hurricane was used in the ads and posters for "An Inconvenient Truth"?

[Kevin K]

"Is that why the image of a hurricane was used in the ads and posters for "An Inconvenient Truth"?"

If you want to argue. a lot of the people associated with marketing AGW are hysterical idiots. I would be forced to agree.

[GMR]

Ilkka Kokarinen is back, by the way.

http://fourthcheckraise.blogspot.com

[J1]

"Plus storms are weather not climate"

Not exactly. To be more specific, storms (and other weather phenomena) are weather, not climate, when their occurrence refutes the contention that AGW is a problem. When they support that contention, they're irrefutable proof of it's validity.

[The Undiscovered Jew]

OT,

Sigma, do you have any thoughts on this Andrew Gelman post?

Rich people are more likely to be Republican but not more likely to be conservative

http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~cook/movabletype/archives/2009/08/rich_people_are.html