The catastrophic 2017 hurricane season – which included such monsters as Harvey, Irma and Maria – was fueled in part by unusually warm ocean water, a new study suggests.

And because of human-caused global warming, the study said similar favorable conditions for fierce hurricanes will be present in the years and decades to come.

“We will see more active hurricane seasons like 2017 in the future,” said lead author Hiro Murakami, climate scientist and hurricane expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Last year, six major hurricanes formed, twice the recent average. By 2100, that average could soar to five to eight major hurricanes a year, according to the study published Thursday in the journal Science.

Source: Unusually warm sea water boosted 2017’s catastrophic hurricane season