The year 2020 was a record year for climate disasters in the United States: the country recorded 22 major events such as massive forest fires and hurricanes, 262 people lost their lives and damage amounted to 120 CA $ billion.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these 22 major climate events represent a new high, with 6 major events more than the last record.
Among the most damaging events, we especially note the huge forest fires that swept through the west of the country, the most significant damage of which was concentrated in northern California and Oregon. 10.3 million acres were reduced to ashes.
The year 2020 was also remarkable from the perspective of hurricanes originating in the Atlantic. The hurricane season, between May and November, was the most prolific on record, with a record 30 storms and 13 hurricanes.
It is also the year of the hurricane Laura, the most intense to hit Louisiana since Hurricane Lost Island in 1856. The estimated damage of Laura amount to C $ 24 billion, and approximately 75 people lost their lives on American soil, in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic.
The American territory was also swept by one of the most intense and persistent droughts in its history. This was caused by temperatures well above seasonal norms as well as a shortfall in precipitation. Registered from 1er June, the drought extended until the very end of the year, its end having been marked on December 30. A total of 14 states, mostly in the Midwest, have been affected.
NOAA notes that the year was the fifth hottest in US history, and the five hottest years on record in the country have been since 2012.