Extreme heat was the deadliest weather condition in the United States in 2023, resulting in a total of 207 lives lost that year. This was followed by fire weather, having caused 103 fatalities. On the other side of the spectrum, only one life was lost due to ice in the North American country that year.

In 2024, 568 people died due to weather disaster events in the United States. During the previous decade (2010-2019), 5,227 fatalities were reported caused by billion-dollar climate and weather disasters.

From 1980 to 1989, the number of deaths due to climate disasters was about 667 thousand, the highest in recent years. In the following decade, the number of deaths dropped to 329 thousand. After 2010, the number of deaths due to climate disasters dropped to 185 thousand, down by 140 thousand from the previous decade.

Winter weather-related deaths amounted to ***** instances in the United States between 2009 to 2019. This was a ** percent increase compared to the previous decade. Wildfire deaths have seen the largest rate of growth in the U.S. with a *** percent increase.

Avoiding weather induced deaths of goats

Between 1980 and 2023, there were a total of ****** deaths associated with billion-dollar weather and climate disasters across the United States. Tropical cyclones such as hurricanes were some of the most deadly events, contributing to nearly ***** deaths during that period.

** deaths due to heat and sunlight were recorded in Germany in 2023. This was an increase compared to the year before. Figures peaked in 2015.

In 2023, storms caused nearly ****** deaths across the globe. the third-largest figure recorded since 1990. In the past three decades, the highest annual deathtoll due to storms was registered in 1991, when storm events were responsible for the death of more than *** thousand people worldwide. That year, a massive cyclone hit Bangladesh, becoming one of the deadliest storms of the century. The death count due to storms was also remarkably high in 2008, mainly associated with a cyclone which hit Myanmar in May.

Spatial model of Vermont tornado climatology. Models Vermont tornado events per long-term data collection (data date-range is January 1950 - February 2019). Provides access to Vermont tornado-event information.Data-source credit: NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information) (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/).Downloaded tornado-event data--in CSV format--from NCEI database on 06/06/2019. Data period is 01/1950-02/2019. Imported data to a geodatabase. Used beginning latitude/longitude values to spatially enable the data; 1 record was missing a beginning latitude/longitude (record w/ EVENT_ID = 10355004)--estimated beginning latitude/longitude of that event by referencing its EVENT_NARRATIVE. Removed fields so that fields focus on core event-info. Projected data to Vermont State Plane NAD83 meters. Moved narrative fields (EVENT_NARRATIVE and EPISODE_NARRATIVE) fields to a separate non-spatial table; those fields have lengthy contents that exceed the shapefile text-field limit--intention is to make them available in open-data portal as CSV table that is joinable to the feature class (via EVENT_ID field).Feature-Class Climate_VTTORNADOS_point FIELD DESCRIPTIONS:EVENT_ID: Unique ID assigned by NWS to note a single, small part that goes into a specific storm episode.BEGIN_DATE: Beginning date.TOR_F_SCALE: Enhanced Fujita Scale describes the strength of the tornado based on the amount and type of damage caused by the tornado. The F-scale of damage will vary in the destruction area; therefore, the highest value of the F-scale is recorded for each event.DEATHS_DIRECT: The number of deaths directly related to the weather event.INJURIES_DIRECT: The number of injuries directly related to the weather event.DAMAGE_PROPERTY_NUM: The estimated amount of damage to property incurred by the weather event. (e.g. 10.00K = $10,000; 10.00M = $10,000,000)DAMAGE_CROPS_NUM: The estimated amount of damage to crops incurred by the weather event. (e.g. 10.00K = $10,000; 10.00M = $10,000,000)TOR_LENGTH: Length of the tornado or tornado segment while on the ground (minimal of tenths of miles)TOR_WIDTH: Width of the tornado or tornado segment while on the ground (in feet)ENDING_LAT: Ending latitude (not available in all records).ENDING_LON: Ending longitude (not available in all records).Table Table_VTTORNADOS_Narratives FIELD DESCRIPTIONS:EVENT_ID: Unique ID assigned by NWS to note a single, small part that goes into a specific storm episode. Can join to EVENT_ID field of Climate_VTTORNADOS_point.EVENT_NARRATIVE: The event narrative provides more specific details of the individual event. The event narrative is provided by NWS.EPISODE_NARRATIVE: The episode narrative depicting the general nature and overall activity of the episode. The narrative is created by NWS. Ex: A strong upper level system over the southern Rockies lifted northeast across the plains causing an intense surface low pressure system and attendant warm front to lift into Nebraska.VCGI and the State of VT make no representations of any kind, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use, nor are any such warranties to be implied with respect to the data.

From 1970 to 2021, there were about two million reported deaths due to weather, climate, and water extreme disasters. Of these deaths, 38 percent were due to tropical cyclones, while another 35 percent were caused by droughts.

Comparison of fit for models of the relation of heat-related EMS calls and ED visits and non-external cause mortality.

The United States experienced a significant surge in tornado activity in 2024, with 1,910 reported across the country. This marked a substantial increase from previous years, highlighting the unpredictable nature of these violent atmospheric phenomena. Fatalities and economic impact While tornado frequency increased, the death toll from such events remained relatively low compared to historical peaks. In 2023, 86 fatalities were reported due to tornadoes, a notable increase from the 23 deaths in 2022 but far below the 553 lives lost in 2011. Moreover, the economic impact of these storms was substantial, with tornado damage in 2023 amounting to approximately 1.38 billion U.S. dollars, nearly doubling from the previous year. However, this pales in comparison to the record-setting damage of 9.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2011. Comparison to other extreme weather events While tornadoes pose significant risks, hurricanes have historically caused more extensive damage and loss of life in the United States. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 remains the costliest tropical cyclone in recent decades, with damages totaling 200 billion U.S. dollars when adjusted to 2024 values. The impact of such extreme weather events extends beyond immediate destruction, as evidenced by the 1,518 hurricane-related fatalities recorded in 2005. As climate change continues to influence weather patterns, both tornado and hurricane activity may see further shifts in frequency and intensity in the years to come.

Description of the variables in the dataset.Publication: Rasolofoson, R.A., H.O. Onyango, F.J. Awuor, C.M. Aura and K.J. Fiorella 2024. Climate change: a pointer to increased small-scale fisher drowning deaths. PLOS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302397.

There are concerns that the reported association of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with mortality might be a mixture of PM2.5 and weather conditions. We evaluated the effects of extreme weather conditions and weather types on mortality as well as their interactions with PM2.5 concentrations in a time series study. Daily non-accidental deaths, individual demographic information, daily average PM2.5 concentrations and meteorological data between 2012 and 2014 were obtained from Shanghai, China. Days with extreme weather conditions were identified. Six synoptic weather types (SWTs) were generated. The generalized additive model was set up to link the mortality with PM2.5 and weather conditions. Parameter estimation was based on Bayesian methods using both the Jeffreys’ prior and an informative normal prior in a sensitivity analysis. We estimate the percent increase in non-accidental mortality per 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration and constructed corresponding 95% credible interval (CrI). In total, 336,379 non-accidental deaths occurred during the study period. Average daily deaths were 307. The results indicated that per 10 μg/m3 increase in daily average PM2.5 concentration alone corresponded to 0.26–0.35% increase in daily non-accidental mortality in Shanghai. Statistically significant positive associations between PM2.5 and mortality were found for favorable SWTs when considering the interaction between PM2.5 and SWTs. The greatest effect was found in hot dry SWT (percent increase = 1.28, 95% CrI: 0.72, 1.83), followed by warm humid SWT (percent increase = 0.64, 95% CrI: 0.15, 1.13). The effect of PM2.5 on non-accidental mortality differed under specific extreme weather conditions and SWTs. Environmental policies and actions should take into account the interrelationship between the two hazardous exposures.

Lightning and thunderstorms were the leading cause for extreme weather event-related deaths in India in 2022, with 1,285 recorded fatalities. Other extreme weather events that resulted in several lives lost were floods and heavy rains. Thunder and lightning in India

India is amongst the leading countries in terms of annual lightning strikes. Lightning is the result of an electric discharge between clouds or between clouds and the earth. The warmer temperatures experienced during India’s monsoon season facilitate the quick formation of clouds that create suitable conditions for these lightning strikes. Sadly, there are many deaths attributed to lightning strikes every year across the country.

Effects of extreme weather in India

The average annual economic damage due to climate-related events in India approached 90 billion U.S. dollars in recent years. In addition to financial losses and physical damage, the loss of life caused by extreme weather affects all parts of the country. Strikingly, a survey conducted across the South Asian country found that most Indians believed that they would be affected by a major natural disaster.

We examine the impact of temperature on mortality in Mexico using daily data over the period 1998-2017 and find that 3.8 percent of deaths in Mexico are caused by suboptimal temperature (26,000 every year). However, 92 percent of weather-related deaths are induced by cold (<12°C) or mildly cold (12-20°C) days and only 2 percent by outstandingly hot days (>32°C). Furthermore, temperatures are twice more likely to kill people in the bottom half of the income distribution. Finally, we show causal evidence that the Seguro Popular, a universal healthcare policy, has saved at least 1,600 lives per year from cold weather since 2004.

Climate Change Attributable Dalys, Disability -Adusted Life Years (or DALYs) are a summary measure of population health that combine (i) the years of life lost as a result of premature death and (ii) the years lived with a disease. Death and DALY rates are calculated by dividing the number of deaths, resp. DALYs, by the total population (or indicated if not, e.g. if a specific population group such as children under 5 years, is used).

A drought in Ethiopia in 1983 caused 300 thousand deaths, the deadliest natural disaster recorded in Africa between 1970 and 2019. Drought was the natural disaster that caused the largest number of deaths in Africa, much more than floods and landslides. Some of the deadliest droughts occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, especially in the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa. The Horn of Africa has been largely affected by floods, landslides, and tropical cyclones. For instance, thousands of people, mainly in South Sudan, Sudan, and Somalia, were displaced due to various hazards and climate-induced disasters.

Africa’s vulnerability to climate change

Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change. A large share of the population lives in poverty and its livelihood depends on activities extremely sensitive to climate changes and weather conditions, such as agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Climate conditions for agricultural production have worsened in the last years, according to five out of 10 Africans. People living in rural areas and working directly in agriculture are more observant of this phenomenon.

Economic impact of natural disasters

The majority of natural disasters that affect Africa are floods, which represent 60 percent of all reported natural disasters recorded over the last decades. Natural disasters such as droughts, storms, and landslides have a huge economic impact. A drought in South Africa in 1990 and Cyclone Idai, in Mozambique in 2019, were the most expensive climate disasters recorded in Africa between 1970 and 2019. Each of these two events caused an economic loss of almost two billion U.S. dollars.

This map depicts global tsunamis from approximately 2000 BC to July 2018. Each layer represents the data using a different attribute. Click on a point for details about that tsunami.Data is from the National Weather Service. The data set contains a lot of attributes. Click here if you have questions about what the attributes mean.

As global warming intensifies, hot extremes and heavy precipitation frequently happen in East of China. Meanwhile, severe surface ozone (O3) pollution resulting from the interactions of anthropogenic emissions and meteorological conditions also occur more frequently. In this study, we quantified the impact of weather extremes on ground-level O3 concentration during the summers of 2015–2021 and associated premature deaths in East of China. The O3 pollution influenced by hot extremes [maximum 8-h average O3 concentration (MDA8 O3) = 152.7 μg m−3] was 64.2% more severe than that associated with heavy rain (MDA8 O3 = 93 μg m−3) on the daily time scale. The compound hot and dry air extremes had a larger impact, and the associated MDA8 O3 could be up to 165.5 μg m−3. Thus, weather extremes could drastically perturb the O3 level in the air to exhibit large variability. Based on GEOS-Chem simulations with fixed anthropogenic emissions, forcing of weather extremes could successfully reproduce the large daily variability of O3 concentration because the weather extremes significantly influenced the physicochemical processes in the atmosphere. Furthermore, hot extremes magnified the single-day O3-related premature death to 153% of that under other-condition events, while heavy rain events decreased it to 70% in East of China. The findings of the present study have the potential to promote daily to weekly O3 forecasts and further improve our comprehensive understanding of the health effects of weather extremes and air pollution.