2024 was a record-breaking year in weather. The big changes all start with global temperature: 2024 was the hottest year on record.
2024 was about 2.7 degrees above average. This may not sound a lot, but every degree of warming correlates to more natural disasters. They also get stronger. The United States saw 24 natural disasters that caused at least a billion dollars of damage in 2024.
Those disasters took a massive toll — 418 deaths around the country and an estimated $61 billion in economic damage. But that total does not include hurricanes Helene and Milton, so that number may easily be $100 billion larger.
Here in San Diego, the year became record-breaking with the January floods. On the morning of Jan. 22, 2.78" of rain drenched San Diego and damaged more than a thousand homes and businesses. Many of which are still recovering.
According to statistics from the National Weather Service, this makes Jan. 22, 2024 the fourth-wettest day in the city's history.
Meantime California saw a devastating year in wildfires. According to numbers from CalFire's website, 2024 saw more than a million acres burned. When comparing this with past data, 2024 ranks in the top 10 biggest wildfire years in terms of acres of land burned.
The largest California wildfire was, of course, the Park Fire. This blaze scorched more than 400,000 acres of land, becoming one of the largest the state has ever seen.
The Park Fire also fits into a trend. Nine of the state's ten largest wildfires in history all occurred in the past decade.
It's worth noting this is different from the most destructive wildfires in state history. Some of the fires currently burning in Los Angeles are on that list.
Scientists also blame climate change for strengthening the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane season. Researchers believe warmer ocean temperatures brought Hurricane Helene from a category 3 hurricane up to category 4, and strengthened Hurricane Milton from a category 4 to a category 5.
While it may feel discouraging that the world is warming and natural disasters are getting more severe, there are signs of progress.
According to the Dept. of Energy, the country now gets more than 20% of its electricity from renewable energy sources. Wind power is in the lead, but home solar energy is expected to make a 75% jump in 2025.
Advancements in science also pave the way to protecting the planet. For instance, teams with the Scripps Insititution of Oceanography underwent one of the deepest sea expeditions in history to study microbes that eat the greenhouse gas methane.
In spite of the climate challenges ahead, it's always possible to turn the situation around. With enough action, 2025 may be a better year in weather than 2024.
