Extreme and unusual weather: United States Midwest — impacts, consequences

Intersections

Immediate impacts:

June 20-21, 2025; combination of high temperature, high humidity, and high winds–highest, in some cases, since 1929 (Iowa Environmental Mesonet)
Tornados (Iowa, USA)
Flash flooding (Iowa, USA)
Flooding along the Missouri River (Iowa/Nebraska, USA)
Missouri River flooding in Iowa 2019
Missouri River flooding (Iowa, USA)
Polar cold (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
More frequent and longer-lasting droughts and flash droughts (Kansas, USA)

Immediate and longer-term consequences for people, agriculture, wildlife, etc.:

Extreme weather and climate change: the connections and impacts

Where are all the birds?

What is a flash drought? An earth scientist explains

Climate change and agriculture: damage to crops

Increasing frequency of drought and decreasing yields for soybeans

Higher temperatures will lead to additional crop damage from insects

Climate change is intensifying the water cycle, bringing more powerful storms and flooding – here’s what the science shows

Migration due to climate change is already happening in the United States

Looking for a US ‘climate haven’ away from heat and disaster risks? Good luck finding one

Questions? Please let me know (engelk@grinnell.edu).