6 of the 10 most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record (in terms of central pressure) have occurred withing the last 10 years, with 5 of those occurring in the last 4 years.

1 Hurricane Wilma, 882 mbar — 2005 2 Hurricane Gilbert, 888 mbar — 1988 3 Labor Day Hurricane, 892 mbar — 1935 4 Hurricane Rita, 895 mbar — 2005 5 Hurricane Allen, 899 mbar — 1980 6 Hurricane Katrina, 902 mbar — 2005 7 Hurricane Camille, 905 mbar — 1969 8 Hurricane Mitch, 905 mbar — 1998 9 Hurricane Dean, 906 mbar — 2007 10 Hurricane Ivan, 910 mbar — 2004

This represents a clear and significant uptick in the strength of the strongest storms. Global warming is not just a problem the future will have to deal with, it is currently happening on a destructive and deadly scale.