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Extreme Weather Threatens American Cities
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Extreme Weather Threatens American Cities

Without investing in resilience programs, cities affected by the rise in extreme weather events will suffer economic hardship.

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Weather events have been dominating the news recently thanks to the “polar vortex” that caused record cold temperatures across the nation. But just a few months ago, the news was filled with other events: record rain and flooding in Colorado; destructive tornadoes in Oklahoma; widespread drought in the Southwest; and the sluggish recovery from Superstorm Sandy in New Jersey. Unlike the record cold, however, these extreme weather events are becoming more commonplace.

CAP has identified five growing extreme weather threats to American cities:

  • Heavy precipitation and floods
  • Droughts
  • Heat waves
  • Tropical storms combined with sea-level rise
  • Severe thunderstorms

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