Since 1970 the world's oceans have gotten warmer by about 1 degree
Fahrenheit.
Since 1970 the duration & intensity of oceanic storms (hurricanes,
typhoons, cyclones, monsoons & etc.) has about doubled.
Below a certain ocean temperature there can be no hurricanes.
Above that temperature their number & strength grows exponentially
it seems.

http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/20...ricaneQA.shtml
http://news.findlaw.com/wash/s/20050...919141944.html

http://www.livescience.com/forcesofn...urricanes.html

IIRC New York City is not designed to resist a Category 5 storm.
Here is a nice little chart of projected global waming:
http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/~tk/climate_dynamics/fig1.gif
NOTE THAT IT IS IN DEGREES C so do your own conversion.

The short version: by about 2050 expect a rise of 4.5 degrees F more
.... and rising rapidly.

Maybe it's already been posted, but this from Michael Chrichton was very
much on target, in my opinion.

http://www.crichton-official.com/spe...s_quote04.html