The US has faced a record-breaking number of weather disasters in the first eight months of 2023, costing more than $57.6 billion and claiming at least 253 lives. The country has experienced 23 extreme events that caused at least $1 billion in damages each, surpassing the previous record of 22 set in 2020.
According to a NOAA climatologist and economist, Adam Smith, these disasters are driven by three factors: climate change, exposure and vulnerability. “We’re seeing more frequent and intense extreme weather events as a result of climate change. And we’re also seeing more people and assets exposed to these hazards. And we’re also seeing more vulnerability in terms of our ability to cope and recover from these events,” he said.
Some of the recent disasters that have hit the US include:
– The firestorm in Hawaii, which burned more than 400,000 acres and destroyed over 2,000 homes and businesses in August. The firestorm was so intense that it created its own weather system, generating pyrocumulus clouds that produced dry lightning and strong winds that fanned the flames.
– Hurricane Idalia, which slammed into the Gulf Coast in September, causing widespread flooding and power outages in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The storm was the strongest to hit the region since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with winds of up to 150 mph and storm surges of up to 15 feet.
– Severe storms and floods that affected various states in July and August, such as Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas and Wisconsin. These events triggered flash floods, landslides, hailstorms, tornadoes and lightning strikes that damaged homes, roads, bridges and crops.
The US is not alone in facing the impacts of climate change. The world has witnessed a series of devastating weather and climate events in 2021, such as the European floods, the North American heat dome, the Amazon drought and fires, the Siberian wildfires, the China floods, the Madagascar famine and the La Niña event.
These events have highlighted the urgency of taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changing climate. As Washington Governor Jay Inslee said after his state experienced record-breaking temperatures in June: “This is not normal. This is not how our grandparents lived. This is not how we want our grandchildren to live.”
Relevant articles:
– US sets record for expensive weather disasters in a year — with four months yet to go, ABC News, September 11, 2023
– 2021 U.S. billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in historical context, Yale Climate Connections, January 24, 2022
– The top 10 global weather and climate change events of 2021, Yale Climate Connections, January 11, 2022