It is estimated that 23 separate disasters have occurred in the U.S. during 2023 to date, each causing over $1 billion in damage.

For the period June 1^st through August 31^st representing the meteorological summer the average temperature for the contiguous U.S. lower-48 states was 73.0 F.  This was 1.6 F above average and the fifteenth hottest summer on record.

Summer precipitation attained 8.35 inches, fractionally above average but with New Mexico and Louisiana experiencing the third driest summer on record and with Arizona, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin all among the top ten recorded.  In contrast New Hampshire, Vermont and Wyoming experienced their wettest summers on record.

Obviously it is not possible to draw definitive conclusions from only one summer, but evidence indicates that the world is undergoing a warming trend that has implications for the intensity of storms and the extent of damage caused by hurricanes, tornados, fires and flooding.

Responding to scientific predictions based on modeling of temperature, precipitation and other weather variables, designers of poultry facilities should evaluate standards of structural integrity, insulation and the capacity of evaporative cooling and ventilation systems and their controls.  Buildings, grain storage, drains and electrical installations to be designed and erected using current standards and codes may be prematurely obsolete requiring replacement or upgrading by the mid to late 2030s.