2015 Was a Warm, Wild Year. What’s Next?
Weather and climate-related storms caused billions in damage and killed 155 people last year. Is this the new normal?
2015 saw things heat up and get out of hand, and not just in politics.
A record warm December raised average temperatures enough to make 2015 the second hottest year on record in the contiguous United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climate Monitoring Annual Report, which was released Thursday.
The United Nations had previously reported that 2015 was shaping up to be the warmest year on record for the whole planet.
Last year was also the third wettest on record in the U.S. and saw ten weather- or climate-related disasters that each caused at least $1 billion in damage in the U.S. and killed a total of 155 people. These include a drought, two floods, five severe storms, a wildfire, and