The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published 22 studies on 2013 climate extremes in a special edition of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Research has shown more than half of the extreme weather events around the world are directly linked to global warming caused by human activity. Out of the sixteen studied, the scientists found climate change increased the odds for the big nine that included: Extreme heat waves in Australia, Europe, China, Japan and Korea; Abnormally intense rain in parts of the United States and India and severe droughts in New Zealand. The extreme drought in California is also likely linked to climate change, but not yet positively tied to it. New technology has allowed the researchers to more accurately determine the odds of the connection between climate disruption and single weather events.
Sources: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 30, 2014 and The Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Download the full report here:
http://www2.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/publications/bulletin-of-the-american-meteorological-society-bams/explaining-extreme-events-of-2013-from-a-climate-perspective/