Environment

Are extreme weather events getting more common? Most Americans say yes

KUNR Public Radio | By Kaleb Roedel

Published June 5, 2026 at 5:00 AM MDT

Photo of a dense forest where plumes of smoke and some flames can be seen in the distance. — The Davis Fire burning south of Reno sparked, Nevada, on Sept. 7, 2024. It destroyed 14 buildings within the first two days.

Longer wildfire seasons can blanket communities in smoke. Summer heat records continue to rise. Drought remains a persistent concern for water supplies, agriculture, and ecosystems.

A new survey from the Pew Research Center finds many Americans are noticing those kinds of changes. Nearly seven in 10 adults say extreme weather events in the United States are becoming more frequent, while six in 10 say they are becoming more severe.

According to federal data, climate change is causing droughts and floods that are more frequent, long-lasting, and severe.

But while many Americans agree they are seeing more extreme weather, they remain sharply divided over why it's happening.

About half of Americans say the Earth is warming mostly because of human activity, such as burning fossil fuels.

Brian Kennedy, a senior researcher at Pew, said one of the most notable findings was how stable those views have remained between 2016 and 2026.

"The share of Americans who say climate change or the earth is warming mostly due to human activity has stayed pretty similar, largely stable, over that decade," Kennedy said.

The survey also found that political affiliation plays a major role in how Americans perceive extreme weather.

A graphic from the Pew survey asking about the frequency and severity of extreme weather events in the U.S. The majority of U.S. adults across different regions felt weather events have become more frequent and severe. Democrats were much more likely to respond with more often or more severe than Republicans.

Democrats are significantly more likely than Republicans to say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe. Kennedy said that divide appears even when people live in the same regions and may be experiencing similar weather conditions.

"The primary driver of perceptions is partisanship," Kennedy said. "Democrats are more likely to say extreme weather has become more frequent and severe than Republicans — and that's a large difference."

At the same time, the survey found broad frustration over responses to climate-related challenges. Many Americans say governments are not doing enough to address climate change or avoid its worst effects.

That pessimism has grown particularly among Democrats. Nearly seven in 10 Democrats now say the United States and other countries will not do enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change, up substantially from four years ago.

For residents of the Mountain West, where wildfire smoke, drought, and extreme heat have become recurring realities, the findings highlight a complicated dynamic.

Many people say they are witnessing changes in the weather around them, but there remains no national consensus on what's causing those changes — or what should be done about them.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KUNR, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.