New Yorkers have seen hurricanes, earthquakes and a severe fire season this year

Greenwood Lake, New York CNN –

John Towson and his wife, Riley Kellogg, watched in horror last Sunday as flames in nearby trees moved closer and closer to their home of nearly five years. Suddenly, they realized they had no choice but to evacuate.

“We didn’t know if we were going to come home or not,” Towson told CNN three days later, as he stood in front of his home in Greenwood Lake, about 35 miles northwest of New York City.

Behind him, firefighters were still dousing the flames that were threatening the neighborhood, leaving behind rows of burned trees. “It's a miracle we still have a home and we're so grateful for that,” Kellogg added.

Across the street, she pointed to a house she says was destroyed by a microburst — a blow of engulfed air in a severe thunderstorm that can cause damage similar to a tornado — during a severe thunderstorm in May, just a month after a 4.8-magnitude earthquake. It shook their community.

“The disasters we've seen, I hope, show people what's happening on a global scale,” Kellogg said. “And how, when we see the effects of that on our lives here, we can really connect it to what's happening around the world and how our actions and our relationships and what we do in our governments, and how all of that has impacted our lives directly.”

It's been a year of extraordinary contrasts for New Yorkers.

In April, a 4.8-magnitude earthquake shook buildings in parts of the northeast of the country. Throughout the summer, multiple cities experienced tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. In July, an EF2 tornado passed through Rome during a severe storm that killed one person and caused widespread damage. An EF1 tornado in Buffalo also damaged buildings and trees and overturned cars in August.

There are currently 13 wildfires across the state involving more than 5,000 acres, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office. Among the fires is the Jennings Creek/Sterling State Park fire, which has swept through areas along the New Jersey-New York border. An 18-year-old New York State Forest volunteer and state employee died Nov. 9 when a tree fell while responding to the Greenwood Lake wildfire.

Human-caused climate change is fueling more extreme wildfire conditions globally and in the United States, serving as a stark reminder of how the climate crisis is upending people's lives and causing billions of dollars in damage annually. And it's only going to get worse, according to fire experts.

New York City alone has seen more than 230 wildfires since October 29, according to the New York City Fire Department. A fire in Brooklyn's Prospect Park burned two acres of dry vegetation, prompting firefighters to battle the blaze for more than three hours, the fire department said.

Only 0.01 inch of rain was recorded in October in New York City, making it the driest month in the city since record keeping began in 1869, a New York City Emergency Management spokesperson told CNN.

“Central Park typically sees more than 8.5 inches of rain in September and October, but has only seen about 1.5 inches since the beginning of September,” the spokesperson said. “That's a big difference.”

With this lack of precipitation, drought numbers have increased dramatically throughout the Northeast. As of November 5, about 55% of the region was under some type of drought, providing plenty of fuel for wildfires. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for more than 50 million people over the past week, including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

Record heat waves, extreme floods and wildfires, exacerbated by rapid climate change, are becoming the new normal — and people must start getting used to unusual and extreme weather, according to climate scientists and experts.

“Everything is getting a little bit more ridiculous. There's a scientist who called it 'global weirdness.' “Everything's getting a little weirder,” Stephanie Spira, an assistant professor of geography, environment and sustainability at the University of Richmond, told CNN. “Almost everyone can say “It's been exposed to an extreme weather event, whether it's a hurricane, tornado, wildfire or blizzard. It's getting harder and harder.”

Earthquakes, most of which are the result of geological plates sliding over each other, are not linked to climate change, says Brenda Ekworzel, director of scientific excellence at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Recently, scientists have also noticed an increase in reports of tornadoes occurring in the Northeast. A record-breaking 32 tornadoes have been reported in New York so far in 2024 — compared to 10 in 2023 and 7 in 2022, according to the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Scientists are still investigating how the climate crisis may intensify hurricane activity. However, as climate change has created a warmer, wetter and more unstable world, conditions that produce powerful thunderstorms that can form tornadoes are more likely, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

“Without hesitation, I can say that warmer climates create more hospitable environments for storms, generate more energy for storms, and stronger storms can lead to a higher incidence of tornadoes,” Spira said.

While scientists are less confident about the overall impact of climate change on severe thunderstorms, they are more confident that it is leading to unseasonably warm temperatures that cause drought across New York and other parts of the country.

Wildfires are fueled by a range of factors, both natural and man-made, but scientists say global warming is leading to more frequent, more intense and more severe fires. Hotter temperatures are the most obvious contributor to wildfires due to climate change. This is partly because the heat absorbs moisture from plants, making them more combustible.

Down the road from Towsen and Kellogg, Esler and Maureen VanHouten also saw the fire near their home. Despite their fear, they did not leave their community.

“Why would you stay? There are earthquakes and hurricanes, but it's your home,” Maureen said. “There's something keeping you here.”

The couple kept looking over their shoulders at first responders' trucks racing up and down their route. Since the fire broke out last week, they have been unable to sleep all night.

“It's your home and you're so afraid of what's going to happen, and there's a lot of sentimental value,” Maureen said. “Our kids grew up here. I know people say, 'It's just a building,' but there are a lot of memories.”

Greenwood Lake Mayor Tom Hawley said their community is not accustomed to facing fires of this size.

“We get snow, we get rain, we get fires, but we don't get really extreme. This is the most extreme I've seen,” Hawley said.

Now that the region is seeing an increase in wildfires, people should always monitor warnings specific to their area, says Ekworzel, of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

“These wildfires are often caused by human causes, just negligence or something sparking something,” she said. “I get red flag warnings on my weather app, so I know I'm not supposed to start a fire, but if people don't get that information, they could be inadvertently starting a small fire and not realizing how dry conditions are.”

As humans continue to heat the world with fossil fuel pollution, scientists warn that these types of fires will become more common.

“I have two young children, and I'm terrified of what this means for the future with the new administration, and the rollback of really progressive policies,” Spira said. “I hope people are interested in and involved in community organizations at this point, because I don't know what's left. Think about these places that you love and want to keep for your grandchildren.”

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