Natural phenomena occurred nationwide resulted in the loss of human lives and considerable material damage. Many experts warned that the effects of global warming increase the risks and consequences of deadly events.

For scientists, a situation of multiple dangers is currently observed in a short period of time.

“It’s like a double or triple whammy, and when they occur frequently or at the same time, the negative effects are aggravated,” said Gonzalo Pita, an expert in disaster risk modeling at Johns Hopkins University.

For example, in the second half of August, the Southwest was hit by record rainfall and severe flooding caused by an unusual tropical storm: Hillary, the first one to make landfall in California in 84 years, while much of central and southern California suffered a desperate heat wave.

The onslaught of the weather phenomenon came about two weeks after the devastating fire on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the deadliest in U.S. history in 105 years.

But in the same period, large wildfires were reported in Texas and Arizona, as well as in California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

At least 87 large wildfires burned down 207,537 hectares in 12 states across the country, the National Interagency Fire Center reported back then.

In August, tropical storm Idalia also formed and strengthened into a hurricane that made landfall in the United States with category three in the Big Bend region of Florida.

Meanwhile, 26 deadly tornadoes were counted in the United States so far in 2023 (most recently this month in Tennessee), the most in a single year since 2011.

Tornadoes killed 82 people this calendar, which exceeds the three-decade average of 71 fatalities; they also left fatalities in 12 different states, with Mississippi reporting the highest number (24), followed by Tennessee (16).

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