Experts: Era of monster hurricanes roiling Atlantic

Warmer ocean temperatures fueling storms

In this Sept. 1 photo, homes are submerged by water from the flooded Brazos River in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey near Freeport, Tex. Its not just this year. The monster hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, Jose and now Lee that have raged across the Atlantic are contributing to what appears to be the most active period for major storms on record. - photo by Associated Press

W sciencesays — In this Sept. 1 photo, homes are submerged by water from the flooded Brazos River in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey near Freeport, Tex. Its not just this year. The monster hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, Jose and now Lee that have raged across the Atlantic are contributing to what appears to be the most active period for major storms on record. - photo by Associated Press

WASHINGTON — It's not just this year. The monster hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, Jose and Lee that have raged across the Atlantic are contributing to what appears to be the most active period for major storms on record.And the busiest part of hurricane season isn't even over.An analysis of 167 years of federal storm data by The Associated Press found that no 30-year period in history has seen this many major hurricanes, this many days of those whoppers spinning in the Atlantic, or this much overall energy generated by those powerful storms.Scientists caution it is too soon to draw conclusions from the data, and they don't say the intense activity confirms a trend. Storms in the distant past may have gone unnoticed, which could make earlier generations appear quieter than they were.