2023’s Extreme Storms, Heat And Wildfires Broke Records
A scientist explains how global warming fuels climate disasters.
The year 2023 was marked by extraordinary heat, wildfires and weather disasters.
In the U.S., an unprecedented heat wave gripped much of Texas and the Southwest with highs well over 100 degrees for the entire month of July.
Historic rainfall in April flooded Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with 25 inches of rain in 24 hours. A wave of severe storms in July sent water pouring into cities across Vermont and New York. Another powerful system in December swept up the Atlantic coast with hurricane-like storm surge and heavy rainfall. California faced flooding and mudslides from a series of atmospheric rivers early in the year, then was hit in August by a tropical storm 鈥 an extremely rare event there.
, and several other states. And Canada鈥檚 on record across large parts of North America.
Globally, 2023 was the , and it wreaked havoc around the world. played a role, but is at the root of the world鈥檚 increasing extreme weather.
So, how exactly is global warming linked to fires, storms and other disasters? I am who studies the changing climate. Here鈥檚 what you need to know.
Dangerous Heat Waves And Devastating Wildfires
When greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide from vehicles and power plants, accumulate in the atmosphere, they that warms the planet.
These gases let in high-energy solar radiation while absorbing outgoing low-energy radiation in the form of heat from the Earth. The at the Earth鈥檚 surface gradually increases the surface temperature of the land and oceans.
The most direct consequence of this warming is more days with abnormally high temperatures, as many countries saw in 2023.
Extreme heat waves hit large areas of North America, Europe and China, breaking many local high temperature records. went 30 days with daily high temperatures at and recorded its highest minimum nighttime temperature, with temperatures on July 19 never falling below 97.
Although heat waves result from weather fluctuations, , making heat waves more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting.
That heat also fuels wildfires.
Increased evaporation removes more moisture from the ground, drying out soil, grasses and other organic material, which . All it takes is a lightning strike or spark from a power line to start a blaze.
Canada early in 2023, which allowed the ground to dry and vast fires to burn through the summer. The ground was also extremely dry in Maui in August when and burned.
How Global Warming Fuels Extreme Storms
As more heat is stored as energy in the atmosphere and oceans, it doesn鈥檛 just increase the temperature 鈥 it can also in the atmosphere.
When that water vapor condenses to liquid and falls as rain, it releases a large amount of energy. This is called , and it is the main fuel for all storm systems.
When temperatures are higher and the atmosphere has more moisture, that additional energy can fuel . This is the main reason for 2023鈥檚 record-breaking storms. Nineteen of the 25 weather and climate disasters that caused each through early December were severe storms, and two more were flooding that resulted from severe storms.
Tropical storms are similarly fueled by latent heat coming from warm ocean water. That is why they only form when the sea surface temperature reaches a .
With from global warming being absorbed by the ocean, there has been a significant increase in the , including record-breaking levels in 2023.
Higher sea surface temperatures can lead to and . They can also lead to the of hurricanes.
Hurricane Otis, which hit Acapulco, Mexico, in October, was a devastating example. It , rapidly intensifying from a tropical storm to a destructive Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours. With little time to evacuate and , more than 50 people died. The hurricane鈥檚 intensification was the , exceeded only by Hurricane Patricia in 2015.
A recent study found that North Atlantic tropical cyclones鈥 between the 1971-1990 average and the 2001-2020 average. The number of storms that spun up from a Category 1 storm or weaker to a major hurricane within 36 hours more than doubled.
The Mediterranean also experienced in September that offers a warning of the magnitude of the risks ahead 鈥 and a reminder that many communities are unprepared. Storm Daniel became one of the deadliest storms of its kind when it . Its heavy rainfall overwhelmed two dams, causing them to collapse, killing . The over the Mediterranean made the storm possible.
Cold Snaps Have Global Warming Connections, Too
It might seem counterintuitive, but global warming can also in the U.S. That鈥檚 because it alters the general circulation of Earth鈥檚 atmosphere.
The Earth鈥檚 atmosphere is constantly moving in large-scale circulation patterns in the forms of near-surface wind belts, such as the trade winds, and upper-level jet streams. are caused by the temperature difference between the polar and equatorial regions.
As the Earth warms, the polar regions are heating up as the equator. This can shift weather patterns, leading to extreme events in unexpected places. Anyone who has experienced a 鈥減olar vortex event鈥 knows how it feels when the jet stream dips southward, bringing frigid Arctic air and winter storms, despite the generally warmer winters.
In sum, a warmer world is a more violent world, with the additional heat fueling increasingly more extreme weather events.
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