Letter to the editor: As weather worsens, push for action on carbon cashback Share This paper published an excellent Washington Post article Dec. 30, headlined “2020 took U.S. to punishing new weather extremes” (Page A12). It outlines how extreme weather cost the USA $100 billion in 2020 and how people and meteorologists breathed a sigh of relief at the end of 2020. The reporters’ descriptions of the Atlantic hurricane season having 2½ times the usual number of hurricanes and of the incredible fires in the West are moving. They explain that thunderstorms and tornadoes were the most expensive weather events in the Lower 48 states. It is a great article, but the idea that we can breathe a sigh of relief is plain wrong.