There is a good reason meteorologists won't link climate change/global warming/etc to hurricane strength:
Between 1924 and 2017, 32 hurricanes were recorded at Category 5 strength. No Category 5 hurricanes were observed officially before 1924.8 of those weakened from and regained cat 5 strength.
CATEGORY 5
Camille, Andrew, Dean, Felix and Irma each attained Category 5 status twice during their lifespans. Allen, Isabel and Ivan reached Category 5 intensity on three separate occasions. However, no Atlantic hurricane has reached Category 5 intensity more than three times during its lifespan. The November 1932 Cuba hurricane holds the record for most time spent as a Category 5 (although it took place before satellite or reconnaissance so the record may be somewhat suspect). Irma holds the record for longest continuous span as a Category 5 in the satellite era.
Thirty-two Category 5s have been recorded in the Atlantic basin since 1851, when records began. Only one Category 5 has been recorded in July, eight in August, nineteen in September, five in October, and one in November. There have been no officially recorded June or off-season Category 5 hurricanes.
September sees the most Category 5 hurricanes. This coincides with the climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, which occurs in early September.[8] September Category 5s reached their strengths in any of the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and open Atlantic. These places are where September tropical cyclones are likely to form.[7] Many of these hurricanes are either Cape Verde-type storms, which develop their strength by having a great deal of open water; or so-called Bahama busters, which intensify over the warm Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico.[
en.wikipedia.org]
CATEGORY 4
A total of 95 hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean Basin, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, have reached Category 4 status as their peak intensity. (Note that Category 4 storms that intensified later to Category 5 status are not included in this analysis.)[
en.wikipedia.org]
There have been a gazillion category 3s.
So, the perspective is: there has yet to be proven that climate change has an influence on hurricanes. As strong as Irma has been, there have been stronger. As much rain as Harvey rained, there have been more and about the same. There have been tropical depressions that have rained A LOT. They would probably love to say climate change is the reason - but they haven't and they don't.
Sea surface temperatures get warm, in the 80s. Hurricanes need the water temperature to be
82 degrees Fahrenheit (F) or warmer for tropical cyclone formation and sustenance for 300 feet deep. [
www.nasa.gov].
That happens every year. In the tropics and the subtropics (northern Gulf Of Mexico, a majority of the Bahamas, etc) around the world. There are a lot of factors that go into a hurricane developing.