The US has been hit by a record 15 weather and climate disasters that have cost $1 billion or more in losses and economic damage this year through July — before this month’s deadly wildfires in Hawaii.
The tally, the most for the first seven months of any year since data starts in 1980, includes 13 severe storm, hail and tornado events that ripped the central US from March to June. Also included is the winter flooding in California and a cold snap in the Northeast in February.
With recent damage from several more floods across the US, as well as the Midwest drought and the tragic fire in Maui, 2023 could end up surpassing 2020 as the worst year on record for the costly disasters, Adam Smith, a scientist with the National Centers for Environmental Information, said in a media call. In 2020, there were 22 for the entire year.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Each extra ton of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes the situation worse, said Sarah Kapnick, chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “We need to be prepared for the impacts of climate change that are happening now,” she said.
In addition to the disasters, NOAA ranked July as the hottest month on record and the first seven months of the year as the third-warmest in data going back to 1850. There is a 50% chance 2023 could end up as the Earth’s warmest, and a 70% chance it will be the second hottest, said Karin Gleason, a climatologist with the national centers.
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