DOZENS have died in unprecedented winter storms in America as forecasters warn of more blizzards and tornadoes this week, as well as flash flooding in parts of the country today. But is this only the beginning?

Unprecedented?

After a year of extreme weather events globally, the US Storm Elliott was described by meteorologists in the US as a “bomb cyclone”. The weather event was also defined by New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, as “one for the ages”, while New York State’s Erie County official, Mark Poloncarz said it was “the worst storm probably in our lifetime”.

The toll?

The winter storm that raged over Christmas is not yet over, but has already wreaked devastation with historic levels of snowfall in parts, including Buffalo in Erie County, New York. Some communities there were deluged by more than four feet of snow, leading to the deaths of at least 39 people since the crisis began on December 23.

But the toll has risen?

By New Year's Eve, the death toll countrywide surpassed 60, among them, four were found in cars, 17 found outside and 11 in houses as an area accustomed to harsh winters struggled to cope with the plunging temperatures and sheer volume of snow, bringing life to a veritable standstill.

Now?

A temperature turnaround from record cold to record heat in Erie sparked flooding concerns as the mercury shifted into 40 and 50 degree recordings, leading to high snow melting rates, and Buffalo is now expected to see record highs of 60 degrees today as the climate chaos continues.

Elsewhere?

Storms began to take hold in America's midwest yesterday, with 16 states under alerts for wind or blizzard conditions and snow across the country, with more than a foot expected in Nebraska, Minnesota and South Dakota today. Forecasters at the National Weather Service warned of a strong storm moving through the west bringing potential tornadoes in parts, from Texas to Louisiana overnight into today, while in California, more than three foot of snow fell in the Sierra mountains at the weekend.

It comes in the wake of…?

The extreme weather events, from soaring temperatures to flooding, worldwide that marked 2022 and saw the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warn at the UN’s annual climate conference Cop27 in Egypt in November that “the tell-tale signs and impacts of climate change are becoming more dramatic”.

In the UK?

The Met Office in the UK said 2022 will be the warmest year on record for the country and warned that the shifting weather patterns are a sign of what lies ahead.

Dr Mark McCarthy is the head of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre. He said: “2022 is going to be the warmest year on record for the UK. While many will remember the summer’s extreme heat, what has been noteworthy this year has been the relatively consistent heat through the year, with every month except December being warmer than average.

"The warm year is in line with the genuine impacts we expect as a result of human-induced climate change. Although it doesn’t mean every year will be the warmest on record, climate change continues to increase the chances of increasingly warm years over the coming decades.”