It has been a “summer of extremes” in the U.S. with wildfires, heat, smoke, floods and tornadoes – and it’s not over yet. In fact, 2023 has already seen the highest number of so-called “billion-dollar” disasters ever recorded in the first seven months of the year, according to government officials, setting it up to likely take the top spot from 2020, when 22 billion-dollar events were recorded. Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration document the weather and climate disasters with damages that reach or exceed $1 billion. By the end of July, the U.S. saw 15 separate billion-dollar disasters. ... (full story)