Half of Americans have faced ‘extreme’ weather in the last six weeks

Scientists tracking alerts sent by the National Weather Service say data underscores the risk of heatwaves and storms this summer

Half of the US population has faced an extreme weather alert since 1 May and many more are likely to face risks from wildfires, flooding, tropical storms and extreme heat as summer begins.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has been tracking the alerts sent by the National Weather Service (NWS) warning about dangerous weather.