---
title: "Do Americans think extreme weather is worse today than in the past?"
description: "Key takeaways: Recent scientific studies have found that extreme weather is becoming both more common and more intense, and many Americans have noticed. Majorities of Americans say extreme weather events in the U.S. are happening more often (68%) and are more severe (62%) than in the past. Partisan differences Democrats are far more likely than […]"
date: "2026-05-28"
authors:
  - name: "Brian Kennedy"
    job_title: "Senior Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/brian-kennedy/"
  - name: "Isabelle Pula"
    job_title: "Research Assistant"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/isabelle-pula/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/do-americans-think-extreme-weather-is-worse-today-than-in-the-past/"
categories:
  - "Climate, Energy & Environment"
---

# Do Americans think extreme weather is worse today than in the past?

**About this research**

This Pew Research Center report looks at Americans’ views of climate change, the environment and related topics.

**Why did we do this?**

Pew Research Center does research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. This research builds on our long-standing work studying Americans’ views of [climate change and environmental issues](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/science/science-issues/climate-energy-environment/).

Learn more [about Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/about/) and our other research on [science and society](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/science/).

**How did we do this?**

For this report, we surveyed 3,524 U.S. adults from March 16 to 22, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s [American Trends Panel](https://www.pewresearch.org/the-american-trends-panel/). The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.

Here are the [survey questions](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_questionnaire.pdf) used for this report, the [detailed responses](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/climate-change-may-2026-methodology/).

#### **Key takeaways:**

- Majorities of Americans say extreme weather in the United States has become more frequent and severe in recent years.

- Partisanship is a much stronger factor than region in perceptions of extreme weather in the U.S. Even within the same region, Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to report experiencing extreme weather.

Recent [scientific studies](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/17/nasa-data-reveals-dramatic-rise-in-intensity-of-weather-events) have found that extreme weather is becoming both more common and more intense, and many Americans have noticed.

[![Chart shows Majorities of Americans say extreme weather is now more frequent and more severe](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_2-01.png?w=420){.alignright width=280}](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=307274)

**Majorities of Americans** **say extreme weather events in the U.S. are happening more often (68%) and are more severe (62%) than in the past.**

#### Partisan differences

**Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say that these events are now more frequent and more severe.** Most Democrats and Democratic leaners say that extreme weather events are happening more often (85%) and that they are more severe (79%). Much smaller shares of Republicans and GOP leaners say the same (49% say more often, 44% say more severe). Across all four census-designated regions of the country, Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say extreme weather has become more common and more severe in recent years.

Past Center surveys have found that, even within the same region, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to report [experiencing specific kinds of extreme weather](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2024/07/23/americans-extreme-weather-policy-views-and-personal-experiences/) in their community, such as unusually hot weather, wildfires and droughts.

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**Next:** [From carpooling to buying secondhand, what eco-friendly actions do Americans take and why?](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/from-carpooling-to-buying-secondhand-what-eco-friendly-actions-do-americans-take-and-why.md)