(Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Michael is drawing strength from abnormally warm water in the Gulf of Mexico following Florida's hottest September on record.
“You are seeing the influence of record warm ocean temperatures to enable this,'' said Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground in Ann Arbor, Michigan, an IBM company. “Water temperature in that part of the Gulf is 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.''
Florida and six other states posted their warmest Septembers on record dating to 1895, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, North Carolina. The average monthly temperature was 82.3 degrees Fahrenheit (27.9 Celsius), or 3.2 degrees above the 20th century average.
To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6@bloomberg.net, Joe Ryan, Tina Davis
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
