2026 isn’t just about one disaster; it’s about multiple, overlapping extremes happening all at once. Being only five months into the year, the U.S. has already seen many severe weather phenomena. When multiple dangers are happening at the same time and making the impact on people worse, scientists call this “compound extreme weather.” All over the country, drought and wildfire risk is happening, along with severe storms and tornadoes. On top of all of those things, heat waves and sudden cold are happening, especially in the Midwest.

These extreme weather events are happening because of many underlying issues, but the main problem is the increase in climate change in the last 40 years.

The long term warming from greenhouse gases causes weather events to become much more intense. The warm air is holding more moisture, which results in heavier rain and flash floods. Land, most of which is already dry, is drying out faster than ever, leading to more wildfire vulnerability. Lastly, rising ocean temperatures cause storms to be even more energized, which means severe thunderstorms and hurricanes.

Not only is climate change warming the earth, it also causes cold spells which disrupt the polar vortex. Feedback loops are only making everything so much worse. From drought to heat to even more drought, these processes reinforcing each other. The constant reinforcement of these issues will continue to make things worse for people living in the US. 

“I think people are underestimating the impact that climate change is having on our country. If the issues continue to be ignored, it’s going to get so much worse,” Lengitu Hovanic, senior, said.

Starting in January and February of 2026, the country saw extreme cold in many parts of the country. The Midwest, South, and East Coast all were affected by the cold wave. In this case, arctic air was brought down into the U.S. This resulted in dangerous wind chills and widespread chaos over the nation. 

Moving into February and March in the Great Plains, South, and parts of the Midwest, drought expanded. It rapidly spread and intensified across large parts of the country. This caused the soil moisture levels to drop very early in the year, eventually leading to long term problems for farmers and their products.

“It’s springtime, so it rains a lot, but it’s still really cold, which it shouldn’t be. But I don’t know, we live in Ohio, I feel like this is a normal thing that we see this time of year,” Autumn Zozack, 12, said. 

In early March and April, the southern and central US saw major tornado outbreaks. These two months alone have broken records for the number of tornadoes recorded. With 204 in March and 292 in April, it has been a very unusual and active season. With tornado season comes many other things, like hail, damaging winds, and flash floods that destroy people’s lives. The bottom line of this is that the central and southern US is seeing very active and severe weather patterns that need to be an area of concern.

Early April, along with the sheer number of tornadoes, the West is beginning to see an early wildfire season. This year, the fires are starting earlier than usual, already seeing a large amount of acreage burned. Over 1.5 million acres were burned, and ongoing drought and heat is leading to a more dangerous fire season. 

“The extreme weather is obviously a result of climate change and carbon emissions. I think its stupid that winters are lasting longer and are more intense, and the same thing is happening with the summers,” Callie Pierce-Henneman, 12, said.

Nationwide, in both April and May, there was a severe drought peak. Over 60% of the US are experiencing drought conditions. Two key processes making these happen are higher temperatures increase evaporation, and shifting storms track miss certain regions. With the rising temperatures the soil is drying faster than normal, and the earlier snowmelt reduces the summer water supply. Once again, the droughts are an effect of a feedback loop. 

Finally moving into May, the country is still seeing tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds, mostly happening in the Midwest and South. Overall, the spring has seen major temperature extremes. Rapid swings between heat and cold events are happening nationwide. The El Nino Southern Oscillation is causing a climate pattern shift, which is a global issue influencing storms, heat, and seasonal outlooks. 

“I think it’s very weird that it’s cold in May. Even though the groundhog said it should be warm by now. I’m freezing my cheeks off,” Mia Elish, 12, said.

These events are stacked on top of each other, not isolated incidents. The nation is not seeing any “quiet periods” and these extremes are continuing to happen month to month. The combinations are unusual, mixes of cold waves, heat, snow, and drought.

“The more weather changes we’re seeing, since 2024, the amount of weather related deaths have increased and will continue to increase if something doesn’t change,” Pierce-Henneman said.

As the unusual weather patterns continue, you can track the constant changes with the National Weather Service (https://www.weather.gov/). The agency has lost almost all of their weather balloon launch sites due to cuts by the current presidential administration, causing weather alerts to still get out to people, just later than usual. Although the agency has lost around 40% of their staff and has lost funding, the team of meteorologists have continued to try their best to provide accurate weather for the nation.