Query: Nine years into that 11-year hurricane drought, a NASA scientist computed it as a 1-in-177-year event.

Relevant passages:
Global warming controversy <=SEP=> The global warming controversy concerns the public debate over whether global warming is occurring , how much has occurred in modern times , what has caused it , what its effects will be , whether any action should be taken to curb it , and if so what that action should be . In the scientific literature , there is a strong consensus that global surface temperatures have increased in recent decades and that the trend is caused by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases . No scientific body of national or international standing disagrees with this view , though a few organizations with members in extractive industries hold non-committal positions . Disputes over the key scientific facts of global warming are more prevalent in the media than in the scientific literature , where such issues are treated as resolved , and such disputes are more prevalent in the United States than globally .   Political and popular debate concerning the existence and cause of climate change includes the reasons for the increase seen in the instrumental temperature record , whether the warming trend exceeds normal climatic variations , and whether human activities have contributed significantly to it . Scientists have resolved these questions decisively in favour of the view that the current warming trend exists and is ongoing , that human activity is the cause , and that it is without precedent in at least 2000 years . Public disputes that also reflect scientific debate include estimates of how responsive the climate system might be to any given level of greenhouse gases ( climate sensitivity ) , how global climate change will play out at local and regional scales , and what the consequences of global warming will be .   Global warming remains an issue of widespread political debate , often split along party political lines , especially in the United States . Many of the issues that are settled within the scientific community , such as human responsibility for global warming , remain the subject of politically or economically motivated attempts to downplay , dismiss or deny them -- an ideological phenomenon categorised by academics and scientists as climate change denial . The sources of funding for those involved with climate science -- both supporting and opposing mainstream scientific positions -- have been questioned by both sides . There are debates about the best policy responses to the science , their cost-effectiveness and their urgency . Climate scientists , especially in the United States , have reported official and oil-industry pressure to censor or suppress their work and hide scientific data , with directives not to discuss the subject in public communications . Legal cases regarding global warming , its effects , and measures to reduce it have reached American courts . The fossil fuels lobby has been identified as overtly or covertly supporting efforts to undermine or discredit the scientific consensus on global warming .

Hurricane Floyd <=SEP=> Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the east coast of the United States . It was the sixth named storm , fourth hurricane , and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season . Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history ( behind Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Rita ) when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states were ordered from their homes as it approached . The Cape Verde-type hurricane formed off the coast of Africa and lasted from September 7 to September 19 , peaking in strength as a very strong Category 4 hurricane -- just 2 mph short of the highest possible rating on the Saffir -- Simpson Hurricane Scale . It was among the largest Atlantic hurricanes of its strength ever recorded .   Floyd was once forecast to strike Florida , but turned away . Instead , Floyd struck The Bahamas at peak strength , causing heavy damage . It then paralleled the East Coast of the United States , causing massive evacuations and costly preparations from Florida through the Mid-Atlantic states . The storm weakened significantly , however , before striking the Cape Fear region , North Carolina as a very strong Category 2 hurricane , and caused further damage as it traveled up the Mid-Atlantic region and into New England .   The hurricane produced torrential rainfall in Eastern North Carolina , adding more rain to an area hit by Hurricane Dennis just weeks earlier . The rains caused widespread flooding over a period of several weeks ; nearly every river basin in the eastern part of the state exceeded 500-year flood levels . In total , Floyd was responsible for 57 fatalities and $ 6.9 billion ( 1999 USD ; $ USD ) in damage . Due to the destruction , the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Floyd .

Climate of Florida <=SEP=> The climate of the north and central parts of the US state of Florida is humid subtropical . South Florida has a tropical climate . There is a defined rainy season from May through October , when air mass thundershowers that build in the heat of the day drop heavy but brief summer rainfall . Late summer and early fall bring decaying tropical lows ( and occasionally landfalling tropical cyclones ) that contribute to late summer and early fall rains   In October the dry season sets in across much of Florida ( starting early in the month in northern Florida and near the end of the month in deep southern Florida ) and lasts until late April in most years . Fronts from mid-latitude storms north of Florida occasionally pass through northern and central parts of the state which bring light and brief winter rainfall . Mid and late winter can become severely dry in Florida . In some years the dry season becomes quite severe and water restrictions are imposed to conserve water . While most areas of Florida do not experience any type of frozen precipitation , north Florida can see fleeting snow or sleet a few times each decade .   The Gulf Stream running through the Florida Straits and then north off the Florida East Coast keeps temperatures moderate a few miles inland from around Stuart on the east coast to Ft. Myers on the west side of the state year round , with few extremes in temperature . The tropical ocean current also provides warm sea surface temperatures , giving Florida beaches the warmest ocean surf waters on the United States mainland .

Natural disaster <=SEP=> A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth ; examples include floods , hurricanes , tornadoes , volcanic eruptions , earthquakes , tsunamis , and other geologic processes . A natural disaster can cause loss of life or property damage , and typically leaves some economic damage in its wake , the severity of which depends on the affected population 's resilience , or ability to recover and also on the infrastructure available .   An adverse event will not rise to the level of a disaster if it occurs in an area without vulnerable population . In a vulnerable area , however , such as Nepal during the 2015 earthquake , an earthquake can have disastrous consequences and leave lasting damage , requiring years to repair .

Physical impacts of climate change <=SEP=> This article is about the physical impacts of climate change . For some of these physical impacts , their effect on social and economic systems are also described .   This article refers to reports produced by the IPCC . In their usage , `` climate change '' refers to a change in the state of the climate that can be identified by changes in the mean and/or variability of its properties , and that persists for extended periods , typically decades or longer ( IPCC , 2007d :30 ) . The climate change referred to may be due to natural causes and/or the result of human activity .