2022’s US climate disasters, from storms and floods to heat waves and droughts

It will be remembered for its devastating flooding and storms, as well as for its extreme heat waves.

The US had seen 15 disasters that caused more than $1 billion in damage by October. Millions of people were affected by severe winter storms from Texas to Maine. The most reported tornadoes in the month of March were 233.

St. Louis, eastern Kentucky, southern Illinois, California's Death Valley, and Dallas all experienced flash floods during the summer. Jackson's water supply was disrupted due to flooding in Mississippi. Large areas of the park were evacuated due to a historic flood in Montana.

Florida and Puerto Rico were flooded with over 2 feet of rain and deadly storm surge in the fall of 2011. Ian was one of the most expensive hurricanes. A typhoon hit the coast of Alaska.

Extreme heat and little precipitation made the risks worse.

Many parts of the country experienced persistent heat waves. The Southwest US has experienced at least 1,200 years of extreme weather, but this is the worst it has ever seen.

In the fall, the Mississippi River near Memphis was so low that barges couldn't get through. Grain shipping was snarled due to that. Even tighter water use restrictions were discussed along the Colorado River as water levels neared dangerous lows.

There were many climate disasters in the United States.

More than 1,500 people were killed in Pakistan when the monsoon rains hit. Billions of people in India and China were at risk of not having enough food due to heat waves and shortages of power. Hundreds of people were killed in floods and mudslides in South Africa, Brazil, and Nigeria.

In Europe, heat waves set record temperatures in Britain and other parts of the continent, leading to severe droughts, low river flows and fires. According to the United Nations, millions of people are at risk of food shortages and starvation in East Africa because of a multiyear dry spell.

Extreme events are occurring with increasing Frequency and Intensity.

Climate change is intensifying these disasters

According to the most recent global climate assessment from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there has been an increase in extreme temperature and precipitation events.

Despite an improving capacity to manage climate risks, extreme flooding and droughts are getting worse and more expensive. Extreme events, enhanced by climate change, often exceed the community's management capabilities.

Extreme events are usually rare. There is a 1% chance of a flood in a 100 years. Such events are indicative of a changing climate state when they occur with increasing frequencies and intensities.

Climate models showed these risks were coming

Climate models are able to understand and reproduce much of this.

A shift in temperature distribution can lead to more extreme weather. A 1 Celsius increase in average temperature is associated with a 1.2 C to 1.9 C increase in maximum temperature.

Changes in the atmosphere and ocean are caused by global warming. Global wind is caused by the temperature difference between the equator and the poles. The reduced temperature difference between the equator and the polar regions leads to a more meandering jet stream.

A persistent high-pressure system and atmospheric blocking can cause more intense heat waves. In June and September, there were heat domes over the Southern Plains and South.

Buckle in the jet stream can explain how it reached 38°C (100°F) in Canada while dropping significant cold down west and east coasts of North America simultaneously.

Very chilly in eastern Canada and Northeast US states. Around record cold here for the time of year. pic.twitter.com/6hY25JoTpx