33% of Americans experienced extreme weather in last 2 years, poll finds
A new public opinion poll released last week puts into perspective the impact extreme weather has had on people throughout the nation over the last two years.
By
John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 8, 2022 3:21 PM EDT
|
Updated Apr 12, 2022 3:48 PM EDT
People wait in line to fill propane tanks Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Houston. Customers waited over an hour in the freezing rain to fill their tanks. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A new poll conducted by Gallup shows that one in three adults in the U.S. reported being personally affected by an extreme weather event over the last two years. The poll, which was conducted over an 18-day period last month, surveyed Americans over the age of 18 on whether or not they were personally affected by an extreme weather event, and, if so, what type.
Of those surveyed, 33% indicated that they had been affected by an extreme weather event in the last two years, with extreme cold and hurricanes ranking as the top two extreme weather types with which Americans have tangled.
This survey was the first in which Gallup, one of the most storied pollsters in U.S. history, questioned Americans specifically about their run-ins with extreme weather. According to Gallup, the results were based on a telephone survey of a random sample of 1,017 adults from all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.
A spokesperson for Gallup told AccuWeather that the survey results translate to about 60 million American adults who have experienced extreme weather over the last two years. That figure rises to roughly 100 million when Americans under the age of 18 are factored in, but that is based on the assumption that non-adults experience extreme weather at the same rate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population as of 2022 is a little above 330 million.
"The results of the recent Gallup poll underscore the same theme we have been seeing at AccuWeather -- increasing impacts from severe weather across the country and the need for people and businesses to be informed with the most accurate weather forecasts and warnings in order to enhance safety and reduce risk," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
Region had an impact on how participants responded to the poll questions.
Those living in the South and West were much more likely to have experienced an extreme weather event than those in the East and Midwest, according to the poll results. Of those surveyed in the South, 39% said they had been affected. Some 35% of those in the West reported being impacted by extreme weather while just 27% responded the same in the Midwest and an even lower 24% in the East.
The residents most likely to be affected by the leading category, extreme cold, were those in the South (12%). Hurricanes were also most commonly reported in the South (12%).
A woman wrapped in a blanket crosses the street near downtown Dallas Feb. 16, 2021. As temperatures plunged and snow and ice whipped the state, much of Texas' power grid collapsed, followed by its water systems. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
The high number of responses for extreme cold in the South could stem from the record-breaking cold snap that caused widespread power outages throughout Texas in February 2021. Hundreds of thousands of insurance claims were filed as a result of that extreme cold, with damages estimated to be as high as $155 billion.
“Texas bore the brunt of the impact with significant damage due to citrus crop losses, power outages, water disruption, burst pipes in many of homes and businesses in addition to the loss of life,” said AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers in March 2021.
Many homes in Texas were not properly insulated to handle the level of extreme cold that gripped Texas during that historic cold snap. Homes were flooded when pipes burst due to the extreme cold, and some residents even had icicles form in their homes and apartment buildings, including one from Dallas, Texas, who posted a photo on social media showing icicles hanging from a ceiling fan.
At the worst of the historic cold snap, the temperature at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport bottomed out at 2 degrees below zero in the early-morning hours on Feb. 16 as Arctic air rushed into the region.
"As the poll highlighted, Americans are facing a wide range of severe and dangerous weather including extreme cold, extreme heat, flooding, hurricanes, snow and ice storms, tornadoes, drought and wildfires, to name a few," Porter said, adding that the AccuWeather mobile app was designed with extreme weather alerts in mind. He recommended enabling push notifications so that app users can be kept abreast of timely weather warnings, especially in the heart of severe weather season and with hurricane season approaching.
Jay Breaux wipes sweat from his eyes after going through his hurricane destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Dulac, La. (AP Photo/John Locher)
According to National Hurricane Center data, a total of 19 tropical storms and hurricanes made landfall in the United States in 2020 and 2021, compared to 24 during the entire decade from 2010-2019. Indeed, hurricane was the extreme weather type that ranked second in the Gallup poll results.
The high number of responses citing wildfires in the West is likely due to the 2020 wildfire season in the western United States, which proved to be one of the most destructive in recent years.
For those living in the western U.S., wildfire was most commonly reported with 13% of those polled responding that they'd been impacted. Extreme heat (8%) and drought (7%) were second and third on the list among those living in the western part of the nation.
The record-breaking wildfire season impacted upwards of 4.3 million acres in California alone, more than double the state's previous record. Colorado witnessed four of its largest fires in state history during the 2020 wildfire season, totaling more than 625,000 acres. In addition, Oregon topped the 1-million acreage mark due to six different wildfires that burned more than 100,000 acres each that year.
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“Our estimate of the economic damage caused by the wildfires alone is the equivalent of what we might see for a Category 4 or 5 hurricane,” said Myers in September 2020, referencing that year's devastating wildfire season.
In this Sept. 9, 2020, file photo, the San Francisco skyline in the distance behind Crissy Field is barely visible due to smoke from wildfires burning across California. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
Extreme heat has also been a frequent occurrence in the western part of the country and around the world, with 2021 ranking as one of the top five hottest years on record for the entire planet. The period covering the years 2015 through 2021 were the seven hottest years on record on a global scale "by a clear margin," with records dating back to 1850, according to The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
In the eastern U.S., floods (6%) and hurricanes (6%) led as the most common responses to extreme weather that affected residents. Those in the Midwest most commonly reported snow or ice storms (7%), followed by floods (6%) and tornadoes (6%).
Late-season tornadoes in 2021 affected a large number of Americans in the southern part of the country, which includes the historic quad-state supercell to end the year. That outbreak is considered the costliest tornado event in U.S. history, as Myers estimated that the tornadoes are expected to cost about $18 billion in total damage and economic loss.
December 2021 became the deadliest December for tornadoes since 2015, while 2021 as a whole was the deadliest for tornadoes in the United States since 2011. A total of 93 people died as a result of the outbreak, which produced two EF4 tornadoes across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky, according to the National Weather Service.
People survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/STF)
(AP Photo/STF)
These numbers are from an annual environment survey that Gallup conducts to keep track of climate-change measures and people's concerns and attitudes towards them. This is the first year Gallup asked Americans specifically about their experiences with extreme weather in the survey.
The poll has shown that, in general, those who are victims of extreme weather are more likely to worry about climate change than those who have not had a brush with extreme weather in the past two years. Of those who have been affected by extreme weather, 63% responded that they worry "a great deal" about global warming or climate change, which is nearly double when compared to those who said the same and had not been affected.
When asked what prompted Gallup to begin polling Americans on the topic, Gallup editor-in-chief Mohamed Younis told AccuWeather that an increased frequency in extreme weather events across the country was behind the new line of questioning.
"Gallup believes it is important to understand who is being impacted, the effect such events have on their livelihood and how these experiences shape their views on climate change," Younis said in an email, adding that the polling firm "has just begun this research focus and will be exploring further in future surveys.”
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Climate
33% of Americans experienced extreme weather in last 2 years, poll finds
A new public opinion poll released last week puts into perspective the impact extreme weather has had on people throughout the nation over the last two years.
By John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 8, 2022 3:21 PM EDT | Updated Apr 12, 2022 3:48 PM EDT
People wait in line to fill propane tanks Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Houston. Customers waited over an hour in the freezing rain to fill their tanks. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A new poll conducted by Gallup shows that one in three adults in the U.S. reported being personally affected by an extreme weather event over the last two years. The poll, which was conducted over an 18-day period last month, surveyed Americans over the age of 18 on whether or not they were personally affected by an extreme weather event, and, if so, what type.
Of those surveyed, 33% indicated that they had been affected by an extreme weather event in the last two years, with extreme cold and hurricanes ranking as the top two extreme weather types with which Americans have tangled.
This survey was the first in which Gallup, one of the most storied pollsters in U.S. history, questioned Americans specifically about their run-ins with extreme weather. According to Gallup, the results were based on a telephone survey of a random sample of 1,017 adults from all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.
A spokesperson for Gallup told AccuWeather that the survey results translate to about 60 million American adults who have experienced extreme weather over the last two years. That figure rises to roughly 100 million when Americans under the age of 18 are factored in, but that is based on the assumption that non-adults experience extreme weather at the same rate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population as of 2022 is a little above 330 million.
"The results of the recent Gallup poll underscore the same theme we have been seeing at AccuWeather -- increasing impacts from severe weather across the country and the need for people and businesses to be informed with the most accurate weather forecasts and warnings in order to enhance safety and reduce risk," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
Region had an impact on how participants responded to the poll questions.
Those living in the South and West were much more likely to have experienced an extreme weather event than those in the East and Midwest, according to the poll results. Of those surveyed in the South, 39% said they had been affected. Some 35% of those in the West reported being impacted by extreme weather while just 27% responded the same in the Midwest and an even lower 24% in the East.
The residents most likely to be affected by the leading category, extreme cold, were those in the South (12%). Hurricanes were also most commonly reported in the South (12%).
A woman wrapped in a blanket crosses the street near downtown Dallas Feb. 16, 2021. As temperatures plunged and snow and ice whipped the state, much of Texas' power grid collapsed, followed by its water systems. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
The high number of responses for extreme cold in the South could stem from the record-breaking cold snap that caused widespread power outages throughout Texas in February 2021. Hundreds of thousands of insurance claims were filed as a result of that extreme cold, with damages estimated to be as high as $155 billion.
“Texas bore the brunt of the impact with significant damage due to citrus crop losses, power outages, water disruption, burst pipes in many of homes and businesses in addition to the loss of life,” said AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers in March 2021.
Many homes in Texas were not properly insulated to handle the level of extreme cold that gripped Texas during that historic cold snap. Homes were flooded when pipes burst due to the extreme cold, and some residents even had icicles form in their homes and apartment buildings, including one from Dallas, Texas, who posted a photo on social media showing icicles hanging from a ceiling fan.
At the worst of the historic cold snap, the temperature at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport bottomed out at 2 degrees below zero in the early-morning hours on Feb. 16 as Arctic air rushed into the region.
"As the poll highlighted, Americans are facing a wide range of severe and dangerous weather including extreme cold, extreme heat, flooding, hurricanes, snow and ice storms, tornadoes, drought and wildfires, to name a few," Porter said, adding that the AccuWeather mobile app was designed with extreme weather alerts in mind. He recommended enabling push notifications so that app users can be kept abreast of timely weather warnings, especially in the heart of severe weather season and with hurricane season approaching.
Jay Breaux wipes sweat from his eyes after going through his hurricane destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Dulac, La. (AP Photo/John Locher)
According to National Hurricane Center data, a total of 19 tropical storms and hurricanes made landfall in the United States in 2020 and 2021, compared to 24 during the entire decade from 2010-2019. Indeed, hurricane was the extreme weather type that ranked second in the Gallup poll results.
The high number of responses citing wildfires in the West is likely due to the 2020 wildfire season in the western United States, which proved to be one of the most destructive in recent years.
For those living in the western U.S., wildfire was most commonly reported with 13% of those polled responding that they'd been impacted. Extreme heat (8%) and drought (7%) were second and third on the list among those living in the western part of the nation.
The record-breaking wildfire season impacted upwards of 4.3 million acres in California alone, more than double the state's previous record. Colorado witnessed four of its largest fires in state history during the 2020 wildfire season, totaling more than 625,000 acres. In addition, Oregon topped the 1-million acreage mark due to six different wildfires that burned more than 100,000 acres each that year.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
“Our estimate of the economic damage caused by the wildfires alone is the equivalent of what we might see for a Category 4 or 5 hurricane,” said Myers in September 2020, referencing that year's devastating wildfire season.
In this Sept. 9, 2020, file photo, the San Francisco skyline in the distance behind Crissy Field is barely visible due to smoke from wildfires burning across California. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
Extreme heat has also been a frequent occurrence in the western part of the country and around the world, with 2021 ranking as one of the top five hottest years on record for the entire planet. The period covering the years 2015 through 2021 were the seven hottest years on record on a global scale "by a clear margin," with records dating back to 1850, according to The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
In the eastern U.S., floods (6%) and hurricanes (6%) led as the most common responses to extreme weather that affected residents. Those in the Midwest most commonly reported snow or ice storms (7%), followed by floods (6%) and tornadoes (6%).
Late-season tornadoes in 2021 affected a large number of Americans in the southern part of the country, which includes the historic quad-state supercell to end the year. That outbreak is considered the costliest tornado event in U.S. history, as Myers estimated that the tornadoes are expected to cost about $18 billion in total damage and economic loss.
December 2021 became the deadliest December for tornadoes since 2015, while 2021 as a whole was the deadliest for tornadoes in the United States since 2011. A total of 93 people died as a result of the outbreak, which produced two EF4 tornadoes across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky, according to the National Weather Service.
People survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/STF)
These numbers are from an annual environment survey that Gallup conducts to keep track of climate-change measures and people's concerns and attitudes towards them. This is the first year Gallup asked Americans specifically about their experiences with extreme weather in the survey.
The poll has shown that, in general, those who are victims of extreme weather are more likely to worry about climate change than those who have not had a brush with extreme weather in the past two years. Of those who have been affected by extreme weather, 63% responded that they worry "a great deal" about global warming or climate change, which is nearly double when compared to those who said the same and had not been affected.
When asked what prompted Gallup to begin polling Americans on the topic, Gallup editor-in-chief Mohamed Younis told AccuWeather that an increased frequency in extreme weather events across the country was behind the new line of questioning.
"Gallup believes it is important to understand who is being impacted, the effect such events have on their livelihood and how these experiences shape their views on climate change," Younis said in an email, adding that the polling firm "has just begun this research focus and will be exploring further in future surveys.”
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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