I should feel dumb?**** It's you that apparently thinks Desantis is some sort of climate scientist, bonehead.
The data just doesn't support the premise that "climate change is causing more frequent and severe named storms.**** Sorry, but it doesn't.**** Check out the data here:
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdec.shtml **** This data goes back to 1851.**** Page 15 here updates the data for through 2010. ****
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/nws-nhc-6.pdf.
Even this data is problematic in a couple ways:
1) the hurricane ranking scale we use today (Cat 1 - Cat 5) has been around only since 1971.**** The create the table on page 15, NOAA had to go back and extrapolate rankings from available data. ****
2) Of course, the further back in time you go, the less reliable and consistent that data will be. ****
Be that as it may, it appears that the frequency and severity of named storms has actually been DECREASING slightly.**** That's true if you look back to 1851, but it's also true if you look at just the last 50 years.**** In the last 50 years, the average total named storms by decade is 14.29 versus the historical average of 17.7.**** Also, in the last 50 years, the average of named storms Cat 3 or greater is 5.43 versus the historical average of 6. ****
Those historical averages include Katrina in 2005, which was one of the worst storms of the last 150 years in terms of financial impact and severity.