Popular tourist destination suffers aftermath of rare weather phenomenon: 'Extending to the rest of the territory'

With winds topping out at 115 mph, Cyclone Gabrielle struck Portugal's Azores Islands, causing widespread damage and 103 incident reports, according to Euronews.

What's happening?

Located in the mid-Atlantic between Portugal and Canada, the Azores consist of nine major islands that are home to 250,000 people. While the archipelago did experience those extreme winds, Cyclone Gabrielle did not cause as much damage as feared, according to Reuters.

While the storm toppled trees and damaged roofs, no casualties were reported. 

"Fortunately, with the collaboration of the people and respect for self-protection measures, we were able to mitigate the effects of this cyclone," said Alonso Miguel, regional secretary for the environment and climate action, according to Euronews. 

Authorities said to expect continued high winds and rainfall, but the worst of the storm appeared to have passed, leaving the island chain relatively unscathed. 

"Periods of rain or showers are expected, which may occasionally be accompanied by thunderstorms, extending to the rest of the territory," the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere said in a statement. 

Why is it important?

The presence of Cyclone Gabrielle was unusual for the Azores Islands because the chain is relatively far north, where ocean waters typically are too cool to sustain storms of that magnitude, according to Euronews. 

For years, experts have warned that rising global temperatures would fuel more powerful storms, leading to greater devastation. While the Azores made it through Cyclone Gabrielle with little damage, the storm served as a warning of what the future might hold. 

As global temperatures have risen, the world's oceans have absorbed a large amount of the excess heat. 

"More than 90% of the warming that has happened on Earth over the past 50 years has occurred in the ocean," Climate.gov states.

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The Environmental Defense Fund has explained why these warmer ocean temperatures produce more violent storms. 

"Evaporation intensifies as temperatures rise, and so does the transfer of heat from the oceans to the air," it said. "As the storms travel across warm oceans, they pull in more water vapor and heat, adding more energy to the storm.

"That means heavier rainfall, stronger wind and more flooding when the storms hit land." 

These more severe storms can kill people; destroy homes, businesses, and crops; and causing food prices and insurance premiums to increase well beyond the area directly impacted. 

What's being done about it?

While governments around the world have scrambled to install early warning systems and to improve infrastructure to make their cities and rural areas more resilient, the only way to turn the tide on increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events is to reduce the amount of planet-overheating pollution entering the atmosphere. 

To help make a difference, you can push for political change by using your voice, contacting your elected representatives, and voting for candidates who make addressing rising global temperatures a priority. 

To go even further, you can reduce heat-trapping pollution while also saving money on your electricity bill by installing solar panels on your home. To make your house more resilient in the event of extreme weather-related power outages, you can also pair solar panels with a home battery system, which ensures that you and your family have the power you need when you need it most. 

EnergySage takes the confusion out of home solar with free online tools that allow you to do everything from compare quotes from vetted local installers to see the average price of a solar installation in your area to find out which rebates and other financial incentives are available. 

However, with federal tax credits for home solar ending Dec. 31, you must act now to take advantage of thousands of dollars in savings. 

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