Table of Contents
Here’s the nutshell on extreme weather events
An extreme weather event is defined as a meteorological phenomenon that is characterized by its rarity and deviation from measured values in regional weather history. The deviation of these severe meteorological phenomena from the climatic average for an observed region is significant. Researchers base this on long-term measurement series covering at least 30 years.
Climate event attribution, or the science of climate attribution, is important because it translates abstract climate trends into concrete, measurable outcomes. Climate event attribution does not answer whether climate change “caused” an event, but rather, how much it changed the probability of such an event occurring.
Types of extreme weather events
- Heat waves
- Cold spells/cold waves
- Droughts
- Heavy rain
- Floods
- Tropical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons)
- Tornadoes
- Hailstorms
- Snowstorms/blizzards
- Storm surges
- Forest fires
Related Climate Guides
Take a closer look at extreme weather events by diving into our in-depth climate guides, where you’ll discover the reasons behind them and their effects.
Podcast Episodes Mentioning “Extreme Weather Events”
The following podcast excerpts provides verified podcast references where the term extreme weather events or very similar terms mentioned in the audio.
Columbia Energy Exchange Podcast
Climate Shocks Are Redefining Energy Security (Published 25-07-15)
Bill Loveless: “… Does the growing intensity of extreme summer weather events reshape traditional definitions of national energy security? …” 05:58 – 06:05 (mm:ss)
Kate Guy points out that severe weather events are affecting multiple regions simultaneously across global systems.
AI, Extreme Weather, and the LA Wildfires (Published 2025-01-14)
“… exploring how artificial intelligence could transform our response to extreme weather events. …” 02:49 – 02:57 (mm:ss)
“… but also to be more predictive of these extreme weather events. …” 13:40 – 13:44 (mm:ss)
Climate as a Catalyst for Global Conflicts (Published 2025-01-07)
“… How do extreme weather events transform recruitment strategies for terrorist groups, and are even wealthy democracies vulnerable …” 01:10 – 01:24 (mm:ss)
“… I talked with Radley about the outlook for extreme weather events across the globe, and …” 13:15 – 13:22 (mm:ss)
Summer Outlook: What to Make of Extreme Weather Predictions (Published 2024-06-11)
“… So, why are extreme weather events worsening? …” 00:54 – 00:57 (mm:ss)
“… I talked with Radley about the outlook for extreme weather events across the globe, and …” 01:46 – 01:50 (mm:ss)
Why Climate Change is Bad for Our Health (Published 2023-12-19)
“… Extreme weather events such as wildfires and heat waves have both immediate and long-term …” 00:33 – 00:38 (mm:ss)
“… We’re seeing that extreme weather events are starting to affect more and more parts of the world quite heavily. …” 17:04 – 17:11 (mm:ss)
“… It’s also starting to affect supply chains through extreme weather events, through disruptions. …” 18:24 – 18:27 (mm:ss)
Hawaii Model: Locals Can Drive Climate Solutions (Published 2023-11-14)
“… And around the state, residents are working to prepare for more extreme weather events. …” 00:30 – 00:36 (mm:ss)
“The Heat Will Kill You First” (Published 2023-09-05)
“… How are scientists researching these extreme weather events and what can policymakers do …” 00:55 – 01:01 (mm:ss)
How Climate Change Fuels Extreme Weather (Published 2021-07-20)
“… We’ve obviously seen lots of extreme weather events lately. …” 11:17 – 11:21 (mm:ss)
“… So extreme weather events, you know, people ask, are extreme weather events changing because …” 11:39 – 11:44 (mm:ss)
“… of some types of extreme weather events. …” 34:35 – 34:36 (mm:ss)
“… these extreme weather events when it comes to climate change impacts and the relationship. …” 36:55 – 36:59 (mm:ss)
A Climate Lens for Healthcare (Published 2021-04-05)
… And then we also think about extreme weather events, not only the direct trauma but the disruption to …” 10:30 – 10:50 (mm:ss)
The Growing Cost of Climate Change and Extreme Weather (Published 2017-11-06)
“… government from extreme weather and fire events over the last decade, potentially increasing …” 04:35 – 04:42 (mm:ss)
Climate One Podcast
Community Resilience: Knowing Your Neighbor Could Save Your Life (Published 2023-10-20)
“… from excessive heat or other extreme weather events. I’m Greg Dalton, and this is Climate One. …” 01:07 – 01:13 (mm:ss)
“… prepare for extreme weather events and respond better. Reverend Walker has since moved on to a …” 37:59 – 38:04 (mm:ss)
“… extreme weather events. And we know that climate change will bring more extreme heat events, …” 45:41 – 45:47 (mm:ss)
The Climate Conversation Podcast
6.7 BREAKING: Broadcast News Is Falling Short on Climate Change Coverage (Published 2023-11-28)
“… Extreme weather events are reported by a wide variety of media outlets, …” 01:47 – 01:51 (mm:ss)
“… signals connecting this summer’s extreme weather events to climate change. …” 02:56 02:59 (mm:ss)
“… between extreme weather events and climate change. Despite this summer marked by record …” 10:32 10:36 (mm:ss)
… So it’s crucially humanized these experiences and making the impacts of extreme weather events …” 11:26 11:31 (mm:ss)
Outrage + Optimism Podcast
166: No Mud, No Lotuses: The Last Episode of Season 5 (Published 2022-07-29)
“… learning about the scale of suffering caused by the extreme weather events across the globe was horribly painful, …” 01:05:21 – 01:05:45 (hh:mm:ss)
112: The Nature of Nature: Why We Need The Wild with Enric Sala (Published 2021-07-31)
“… the extreme weather events and what’s been happening around the world over the last few …” 00:36 – 00:40 (hh:mm:ss)
TILclimate Podcast
E3: Did climate change do that? (Published 2025-03-20)
“… How do we understand the connection between climate change and this extreme weather event? …” 02:57 – 03:02 (mm:ss)
“… not just heat waves, but to all kinds of extreme weather events. …” 10:25 – 10:29 (mm:ss)