 A 2012 paper in "Nature" projected that climate change could lead to floods that should occur only once a century to happening every three to twenty years.In the case of Hurricane Sandy, two major factors contributing to the size and strength of the storm were unusually warm ocean surface temperatures and an increase in blocking patterns, both of which are expected to occur more frequently due to global warming.As they drift north, Atlantic hurricanes are typically moved to the east and out to sea by the jet stream's prevailing winds.