New government data released Monday revealed that the U.S. has already experienced more billion-dollar weather disasters in 2023 than in any other year since authorities started tracking such data 40-plus years ago.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tallied 23 weather events from January through August that cost at least $1 billion, surpassing the previous record of 22 set in 2020. This data has been tracked by the NOAA since 1980.
These events accounted for “253 direct and indirect fatalities and resulted in over $57.6 billion in damages,” according to the NOAA report, which also mentioned that these numbers might increase as more events are accounted for.
The report added that other potential billion-dollar events from 2023 that are still under review include Tropical Storm Hilary, which impacted Southern California, and the Southern/Midwestern drought. It is noteworthy that Hilary marked the first-ever tropical storm warning issued in the region.
In total, the billion-dollar disasters in 2023 include 18 severe storms, two floods, a tropical cyclone, a winter storm, and the devastating wildfire event that struck Maui last month. The fire resulted in the confirmed deaths of 115 people, with over 100 others still missing.
Scientists warn that these types of weather events are becoming more frequent and extreme due to global warming caused by human reliance on fossil fuels. July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded, averaging 62.51 degrees Fahrenheit, according to European scientists. Researchers predict a very high chance that 2023 will be the hottest year on record.
Despite having a high number of billion-dollar weather disasters, 2023 still falls far behind 2017 in terms of total costs. That year, a deadly combination of successive hurricanes and a massive wildfire season in California led to $383 billion in damages.
The NOAA also reported data on August temperatures, ranking it as the ninth-hottest August in 129 years of record-keeping. However, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi experienced their hottest Augusts on record.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
