There is a strong likelihood that the climate change phenomenon is increasing the intensity of hurricanes in the Atlantic. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) There is also considerable evidence that warmer oceans will also lead to an increase in the number of hurricanes. The number of hurricanes has clearly increased since 1995 (from an average of 5 hurricanes per year to an average of 8 since 1996), but there is some ongoing scientific debate about whether this is due to global warming. (The Pew Center on Global Climate Change)