BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- According to an annual report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the 9th, there will be 28 serious meteorological disasters in the United States in 2023 with a single economic loss of at least one billion US dollars, setting a new record in 2020. In addition, last December was the hottest December in 129 years in the United States.
A woman drinks on the street in Chicago, U.S., Aug. 23, 2023. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Vincent Johnson) The Associated Press reported on the 9th, citing this report, that the United States will suffer 28 severe meteorological disasters in 2023, the highest value since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began to count this data in 1980, breaking the record of 22 in 2020. The severe meteorological disasters mentioned above included 17 severe weather and 4 floods, as well as tornadoes, tropical cyclones, droughts, and winter storm disasters, killing a total of 492 people and causing a total of 92.9 billion US dollars in economic losses.
According to the relevant standards of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a meteorological disaster that causes economic losses of at least US$1 billion can be called a severe meteorological disaster.
According to the report, the most economically costly meteorological disasters in the United States in 2023 are the drought and heat wave weather that occurred in the spring and fall in the southern and Midwest, with economic losses of $14.5 billion; This was followed by severe weather in the south and east in early March, which resulted in $6 billion in economic losses.
A vehicle gets stuck on a road after melting snow in a mountainous area in San Bernardino County, California, U.S., March 2, 2023. Dirk Arndt, director of the National Environmental Information Center under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said that the United States will experience more "billion-dollar" disasters in 2023 than before, highlighting the rising risks caused by climate change. Last year's record-breaking heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods were all "sobering reminders" that the United States was "the result of a long-standing warming trend."
According to the report, the average annual temperature in the continental United States last year was 544 degrees Fahrenheit (12.)4 degrees Celsius); The average temperature in December is 3997 degrees Fahrenheit (4.)4 degrees Celsius), which was the hottest December in 129 years according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, breaking the record set in December 2021.
A pedestrian walks past the smoky neighborhood of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, U.S., June 7, 2023. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Guo Ke) At the beginning of this year, meteorological disasters are still raging in the United States. Some parts of the United States were hit by a storm system on the 9th, with tornadoes in some areas in the south and blizzards and windy weather in some areas in the north. Hundreds of thousands of households lost power and thousands of flights were delayed or canceled due to bad weather.
Agence France-Presse reported on the 9th, citing the National Weather Service, that the western regions of South Carolina and North Carolina to the central and northeastern Atlantic will usher in thunderstorms, strong winds and heavy rainfall. The storm system brings abundant winter precipitation, with heavy snowfall likely to occur north of the Midwest and parts of the Great Lakes.
According to the United States**PowerOutage information, which collects electricity consumption data, as of the afternoon of the 9th, 380,000 customers in the United States have experienced power outages, and the power outage areas are mainly located in the southeastern United States.
U.S. flight tracking** information shows that more than 900 flights were canceled and more than 5,300 flights were delayed in the U.S. on the 9th. The airport most affected by the severe weather was Chicago O'Hare International Airport, with more than 100 flights cancelled and about 450 delayed. (Wang Yijun).