"Hurricane Sandy cannot be attributed to climate change, but warming does mean there is more moisture in the atmosphere," concludes Chris Mooney for the Guardian.
Scientists are uncertain whether hurricane Sandy is related to climate change. What is very unique about this storm is its collision with a winter storm system. Global warming induced sea level rise is making storm surges more frequent. In addition, warm ocean surface temperatures are like jet fuel for hurricanes. Sandy is larger than usual and it is a hybrid storm, as it has features of a tropical cyclone from some aspect and it gets its energy from the warm ocean surface, however, it is also like a winter cyclone in the sense that it receives energy from temperature differences in the atmosphere.