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Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
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A collage of natural disasters and climate change

Extreme Weather and Climate Change

CISA protects our critical infrastructure from damage caused by extreme weather and promotes resiliency planning and recovery through collaboration and engagement with stakeholders across the country.

Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience

  • Critical Infrastructure Sectors
  • Chemical Security
  • Resilience Services
  • Extreme Weather and Climate Change

Overview

Over the last 50 years, much of the U.S. has seen increases in prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures and an associated expansion of drought. This contributes to larger wildfires burning more acreage per incident, heavier downpours leading to torrential flooding, more intense winter weather events, stronger tropical storms, and a persistent increase in sea level rise across all coasts as baseline temperatures continue to rise.

These shifts from severe weather to more damaging events nation-wide has led to impacts across all 16 critical infrastructure sectors and a growing need to improve resiliency. Extreme weather events have become far more disruptive and destructive than ever recorded and are projected to steadily worsen as global warming progresses.

CISA’s Role

It is CISA’s mission to ensure critical infrastructure is protected against extreme weather threats and events. Infrastructure built in the 1900s to early 2000s using climate data from the mid-1900s lacks the ability to withstand the changes occurring in both intensity and frequency of extreme weather events and could experience excessive damage or destruction.

CISA analyzes extreme weather and its impacts to critical infrastructure. We discuss potential increases in weather damages with infrastructure owners and operators, conduct exercises centered around damages from major weather events with stakeholders, and develop resiliency focus documents to outline practical guidelines and strategies for implementation.

CISA analyzes and shares current data trends and findings through:

  • Weekly summaries on the national-international climate
  • Presentations about national, regional, state, or infrastructure-related climate shift and the cascading impacts to physical infrastructure, site operations, and community resilience
  • Impact analyses of National Critical Functions
  • Factsheets to address mitigation options for consideration against climate extremes

Severe Weather vs. Extreme Weather

Severe weather is considered to be an intense variation of a regionally common weather event, such as a heavy rainfall event or damaging winds. Extreme weather identifies the trend of more severe weather events both in frequency and intensity, such as torrential rain (excessive rain periods where over one month of rain can fall during a single storm) or record breaking peak gusts with widespread wind damage.

Extreme weather is the most intense climate element observed during a given period, typically longer lasting or more damaging than the historical ‘worst case’ events. Infrastructure is built to climatological norms for the 20-40 years prior to development, accounting for typical severe weather events experienced regionally but not planning for withstanding extreme weather events. As climate change continues to amplify extreme weather events, critical infrastructure sites will need to revisit building codes, material limitations, and regional damages during past severe events to address areas at greatest immediate risk.

Extreme Weather Threats

Extreme weather threats are occurrences of unusually severe weather of climate conditions that can cause devastating impacts on communities and agricultural and natural ecosystems. Climate change fuels extreme weather threats.

Prolonged Drought

Droughts have become more frequent, longer, and more severe, causing billions of dollars in damages in the U.S. Droughts can impact critical infrastructure sectors such as transportation, energy and water that millions of Americans depend upon.

Extreme Heat

The ten warmest years in the 143-year record have all occurred since 2010, with the last nine years (2014–2022) ranking as the nine warmest years on record. Heat events can damage transportation, lead to power outages, and threaten public health.

Wildfires

Over the past 40 years, the average number of acres of forested land consumed by wildfire each year in the United States has increased by 1,000%. Wildfires can disrupt transportation, communications, power and gas services, and water supply.

Key Programs

Regional Resiliency Assessment Program

The Regional Resiliency Assessment Program (RRAP) is a voluntary, cooperative assessment of specific critical infrastructure that identifies a range of security and resilience issues that could have regionally or nationally significant consequences.

CISA in Action

Discover how CISA is working to protect our national critical infrastructure from extreme weather and climate-related events.

View All Critical Infrastructure News

CISA Applauds the Beginning of Infrastructure Security Month Declaring Infrastructure Security is National Security

NOV 01, 2022 | PRESS RELEASE
As we work to raise awareness of the importance of infrastructure security and to share CISA’s extensive resources with critical infrastructure owners and operators, the theme of the 2022 Infrastructure Security Month is "National Security: Drive Down Risk, Build Resilience".

In the Eye of the storm

NOV 17, 2022 | BLOG
A look at CISA’s role in the Emergency Ops Center during Hurricane Ian.
View All Critical Infrastructure News

Extreme Weather Resources and Publications

View All Extreme Weather and Climate Change Resources

Infrastructure Resilience Planning Framework (IRPF)

NOV 22, 2022 | PUBLICATION
This planning framework provides processes and a series of tools and resources for incorporating critical infrastructure resilience considerations into planning activities.
Download File (PDF, 5.78 MB)

Drought Guide

PUBLICATION
A quick guide to drought forecasts and how drought can affect infrastructure operations and provide mitigation planning tools.
View Files

Resilient Power Best Practices for Critical Facilities and Sites

PUBLICATION
This document, developed by CISA working with the Resilient Power Working Group (RPWG). provides resilient power best practices for critical facilities and sites (excluding electrical and natural gas utility companies).
Download File (PDF, 5.92 MB)
View All Extreme Weather and Climate Change Resources

Exercise Planning Services

Assist Visits and the Infrastructure Survey Tool Fact Sheet

APR 02, 2018 | PUBLICATION
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducts various assessments to identify impacts on the Nation’s critical infrastructure.
Download File (PDF, 85.58 KB)

CISA Tabletop Exercise Packages

INCREASE YOUR RESILIENCE
Contact: cisa.exercises@cisa.dhs.gov
CISA Tabletop Exercise Packages are a comprehensive set of resources designed to assist stakeholders in conducting their own exercises and initiating discussions within their organizations about their ability to address a variety of threat scenarios.
Foundational

Contact Us

To request a service or ask a question about Extreme Weather and Climate Change, please send an email to Central@CISA.gov.

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