Jonah,
Your correspondent really should pay attention to the science. The latest work on this subject is a study by P.J. Klotzbach in a very recent edition of Geophysical Research Letters. He finds:
“The data indicate a large increasing trend in tropical cyclone intensity and longevity for the North Atlantic basin and a considerable decreasing trend for the Northeast Pacific. All other basins showed small trends, and there has been no significant change in global net tropical cyclone activity. There has been a small increase in global Category 4–5 hurricanes from the period 1986–1995 to the period 1996–2005. Most of this increase is likely due to improved observational technology. These findings indicate that other important factors govern intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones besides SSTs [sea surface temperatures].”
The question of whether there is any global warming signal in hurricane activity at all is therefore in serious dispute within the scientific community. The alarmists are, surprise surprise, being alarmist again.