Extreme weather events in the last year (2024)

It's not your imagination. The number of global extreme weather events has seen a "staggering rise" in the past 30 years, said the United Nations, and experts warn climate change is "supercharging" the problem, said The Associated Press.

"The risk of extreme events is growing, and they're affecting every corner of the world," Sarah Kapnick, the chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said to NPR. Below is a chronological look at the extreme weather events that have unfolded in the last year.

June 2023

June began as smoke from Canadian wildfires blew across the U.S., starting in the Northeast before spreading and causing hazardous air quality in several regions.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Later, India experienced a strong heat wave that led to several power outages and nearly 170 deaths. Heat waves are only declared in India if the "temperature is above 45 C (113 F)," said the AP. Hospitals struggled with the loss of power and cooling systems.

June also saw tornados tear through Mississippi, causing one death and several injuries, said the AP. Close to 50,000 homes were left without power.

Tropical storm Bret then formed in the Atlantic Ocean in an "unusually early and aggressive start to the Atlantic hurricane season," the AP said. "No June on record has had two storms form in the tropical Atlantic."

July 2023

July 3 through 6 were the four hottest days on record globally. On July 6, the global average temperature "climbed to an unprecedented 17.23°C (63.02°F)," said Axios. Various regions experienced heatwaves, including Europe, China, and parts of the U.S. The heat was magnified by El Niño and extremely warm oceans.

Climate change meanwhile amplified India's monsoon season, when intense flooding killed at least 100, the Post said.

August 2023

August was marked by extremely high global temperatures that led to a number of disasters. The Hawaiian island of Maui experienced a terrible wildfire that killed over 110 people.

California was then inundated by Tropical Storm Hilary, the first such storm to hit the southern part of the state in 84 years, the AP said. At the end of the month, Florida was hit by Category 3 Hurricane Idalia, which caused up to $371 million in agricultural damage.

September 2023

In September, Australia saw heatwaves that were "very uncommon for September," said Reuters. The heat "also elevated the risks of fires."

Later, Libya experienced torrential rainfall that caused devastating floods.

And lastly, tropical Storm Ophelia thrashed the Eastern Seaboard at the end of the month, prompting strong winds and floods.

October 2023

This month saw heavy rainfall all over. Following the New York City downpour, there was still a high risk of flooding. In addition, much of Northern Europe saw heavy winds and flooding. In the U.K., three people died due to the weather. "This is not usual autumn weather," Andy Page, the chief meteorologist of the U.K.'s weather forecaster the Met, said to the AP. "This is an exceptional event."

The Caribbean saw Hurricane Tammy, the seventh of the Atlantic hurricane season. The Category 1 storm brought hurricane warnings to many regions, the Orlando Sentinel said.

November 2023

November saw less extreme weather, but was still marked by high temperatures, rainfall and drought. Florida saw heavy rain leading to flooding and wind gusts of up to 60 miles.

In Asia, it was a record November for heat. "These temperatures were as much as 20 to 35 degrees above normal," said The Washington Post.

December 2023

The year closed out with a series of storms. The east coast of the U.S. saw heavy rainfall resulting in flooding and power outages. In the Northeast, 400,000 people lost power. Florida and South Carolina also endured heavy rains. "It's not just the areas that we normally see flooding, that are flood-prone," a spokesperson for Georgetown County, South Carolina Jackie Broach, said The Associated Press. "It's areas that we're not really expecting to have flooding issues."

In China, there was a rare case of snowfall. Frigid weather hit historic lows in the north of the country.

January 2024

The year had a stormy start with over 40 states under blizzard, wind, snow or flood alerts. Many U.S. locations experienced snow and power outages. In addition, “extremely cold Arctic air and severe winter weather swept southward into much of the U.S. in mid-January 2024, breaking daily low-temperature records from Montana to Texas,” said The Conversation.

Despite these cold bouts, January was the eighth consecutive month with record-high monthly temperatures, Time said. It was also the warmest January ever on record. Climate change can cause massive temperature fluctuations, bringing a polar vortex on one day and unseasonable warmth on another.

February 2024

This month saw a downpour of rain across California thanks to a “seemingly relentless barrage of atmospheric rivers,” said The Washington Post. The resulting rainfall brought extensive flooding. Northern California saw heavy snowfall as well. “It is the wettest month in 26 years,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.

Further south, Chile saw extensive wildfires which killed over 123 people, said Reuters. This makes the fires the country's worst national disaster since the 2010 earthquake. Wildfires are only expected to become more frequent as climate change worsens.

March 2024

March brought forth an earlier spring in many places. “The nation’s snow cover is at its lowest extent on record for March 1,” said The Washington Post. In addition, pollen levels began their uptick earlier than usual as some locations saw early blooms. “It’s early March and we are already seeing trees bloom," said WKYT.

Much of Texas to the U.S. midwest saw severe weather, including hail, thunderstorms and tornado warnings. “Any severe thunderstorm will carry a threat of large hail, damaging wind gusts over 60 mph and possible tornadoes,” said FOX Weather. Warmer temperatures increase the risk of thunderstorms and warmer spring weather is rapidly overtaking the already mild winter temperatures.

April 2024

April brought earthquakes, tornadoes and storms. The American Northeast saw heavy rain and around two feet of snowfall along with strong winds of over 50 mph. The storm disrupted travel by causing massive airline delays and contributed to widespread power outages. "This was pretty much a classic nor'easter," Stephen Baron, a meteorologist for the weather service in Gray, Maine, said to The Associated Press. "This is definitely a high-end storm for April. It's not crazy for us to get snow in April, but not usually getting double-digit amounts."

The Northeast also experienced an unprecedented 4.8-magnitude earthquake originating in New Jersey. The quake was the "third largest earthquake recorded in the area in the last five decades and the strongest in New Jersey in more than 240 years," said CNN. Across the globe, Taiwan experienced a deadly 7.4-magnitude earthquake, which injured hundreds of people. It was the country's strongest quake in 25 years.

Back in the U.S., deadly tornados tore through the middle of the country killing at least five people. Since the start of the weather event, "there have been more than 100 confirmed tornadoes ranging from EF-0 to EF-4," said FOX Weather.

May 2024

This month was fraught with extreme heat. Across the planet, various regions experienced heat waves. Western India had a grueling one with temperatures between three and six degrees Celsius above average. "Human-caused climate change has made this intense heat much more likely," said Dr. Andrew Pershing, VP for Science at Climate Central. "The high overnight temperatures make this event particularly alarming."

Mexico experienced a deadly heat dome that killed hundreds of animals in an animal park. "We've never seen a situation like what's happening right now," Ena Buenfil, the director of the Selva Teenek eco-park, said to The Associated Press, "There is not going to be much we can do for the animals," if the heat continues to peak.

The U.S. also saw extreme heat, with Texas experiencing several thunderstorms causing power outages and wind damages. "A complex of storms with winds up to 100 mph and a tornado left a trail of destruction across the Houston area that damaged multiple skyscrapers, caused a sewage spill and triggered power outages that could stretch on for weeks amid soaring temperatures," said CNN.

June 2024

June saw a dichotomy of weather including out-of-season snow and extreme heat. Much of the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast U.S. experienced a heat dome, bringing temperatures to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some places. "To make matters worse, humidity will work in tandem with extreme heat to send the heat index — how heat feels to the human body — to dangerous triple digits in parts of the East," said CNN.

On the flip side, the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. was under a winter storm advisory with an expected six inches of snow and hypothermia risk. "While snow does fall at high elevations in early June, late June snowfalls are less common," said AccuWeather.

Maryland also experienced a historic tornado outbreak that caused injuries and property damage. "The five tornadoes confirmed in Maryland so far places the June 5 outbreak among the top 15 on record in a single day," said The Washington Post.