Visualizing Hurricanes

In this article, John Nelson (http://uxblog.idvsolutions.com/) showcases the history of hurricanes since 1851. The center of the visualization is Antarctica and the dark circle is the equator, which hurricanes avoid like the plague.

What the data also tells us is that storms are growing in intensity. Could it be global warming and climate change? I think the answer is yes. What do you think?