Final answer:
Severe weather includes intense and potentially destructive events such as hurricanes, heavy rains, and droughts. These weather events can cause significant damage and impact both the environment and human activities. Changes in climate patterns contribute to the increasing frequency and intensity of these severe events.
Step-by-step explanation:
Severe weather can BEST be defined as weather that poses significant risks to humans, property, or the environment due to its intensity and potential destructiveness. This includes phenomena such as hurricanes, extreme rainfall, prolonged droughts, desertification, environmental degradation, or sea-level rise. The impact of severe weather events is often substantial, with the potential to cause widespread damage, economic loss, and in some cases, loss of life.
Weather of all types is becoming more extreme, and this includes increased frequency and intensity of severe weather events. Notably, the 2020 hurricane season was exceptionally active, signaling a rising trend in extreme weather patterns due to changes in the climate. The effects are far-reaching, affecting not only the environment but also modern farming, urban planning, and global geopolitics.