What local data says about a year that's already set heat and storm-damage records

This July clocked in as the warmest month on record, according to NASA, but it's been a wild weather year all around the US. There were 23 (and counting) extreme weather events—storms, tornadoes, flooding, hail—in the first seven months of 2023 that each caused over $1 billion in damage in the US, the most ever recorded. While easterners suffocated under smoke drifting down from northern Canada, the West Coast saw enormous amounts of rain in the winter and spring, capped off by heat domes this summer and an unusual hurricane that thankfully diminished before crashing into California.

Hamlet crunched data from a variety of government sources, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to look at how extreme and unusual the weather was in Laguna Niguel.

How hot has 2023 been in Laguna Niguel?

“NASA data confirms what billions around the world literally felt: temperatures in July 2023 made it the hottest month on record,” said NASA administrator Bill Nelson. “The science is clear. We must act now to protect our communities and planet; it's the only one we have.”

July may have set records globally, but how hot was it where you live?

• The average daily high for Laguna Niguel in July was 81.7 degrees. The average since 2004 was 80.5.
• Compared to all years from 2004 to 2023, this year was the 9th hottest in Laguna Niguel.
• The hottest July in Laguna Niguel since 2004 was 2018.
• The hottest day of 2023 so far in Laguna Niguel was August 28, 2023, when the temperature hit a high of 90.0 degrees. The hottest day ever recorded in Laguna Niguel was September 27, 2010, clocking in at 109.9 degrees.

How stormy has the weather been in Laguna Niguel this year?

Using the NOAA's Storm Events Database, which covers the local region instead of just Laguna Niguel, there were 17 distinct storm events so far in 2023, occurring over 7 days.

• How many days resulted in injury or loss of life? 0.
• How about damage to property? 2.
• The most frequent extreme weather in the region was flooding. The second-most frequent was debris flow.

Hamlet used data from the NOAA's Storm Events Database and the National Weather Service's local climate data for this article.