A third of Americans faced extreme weather in last two years: poll

A third of Americans said in a recent Gallup poll they have experienced extreme weather over the past two years. 

The poll released Wednesday found 33 percent of Americans have been personally affected by extreme weather, with people in the South and the West experiencing more extreme weather than those in the East and Midwest. 

Thirty-nine percent of residents in the South and 35 percent in the West say they have experienced an extreme weather event, compared to 27 percent in the Midwest and 24 percent in the East. 

Overall, Americans most commonly said they’ve experienced extreme cold, hurricanes and blizzards. 

Residents in the South were most likely to be affected by the extreme cold or hurricanes, while those in the West were more likely to say wildfires, extreme heat and drought. 

However, 67 percent of Americans said they have not experienced any extreme weather in the past two years.

The poll found a correlation between those who have experienced extreme weather and those concerned about climate change. 

Sixty-three percent of individuals who have experienced extreme weather worry “a great deal” about climate change. Similarly, 78 percent of those who dealt with extreme weather believe global warming is already affecting the earth. 

Conversely, just 33 percent of individuals who said they were not affected by extreme weather said they worry “a great deal” about climate change, and only 51 percent of that group say global warming has already taken effect. 

The poll surveyed 1,017 U.S. adults from March 1 to March 18. The results for those personally affected by extreme weather were based on 335 U.S. adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 7 percentage points. The results for those not affected by extreme weather were based on 681 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.