Axios

Hurricane Ian, which struck Florida and South Carolina earlier in September as a high-end Category 4 storm, caused the second-largest insured loss on record after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, according to a new report published by reinsurer Swiss Re on Thursday.

Why it matters: Based on preliminary estimates, Hurricane Ian caused between $50 and $65 billion of insured losses, which also makes it this year's costliest natural catastrophe

Warmer temperatures are leading more California low-income households to have their electricity disconnected, according to a study published in the journal Nature Energy.

The big picture: Rising temperatures and more frequent, hotter heat waves result in higher energy expenses. That becomes a crisis for households that can't afford them — and makes socioeconomic divides even worse for some of the communities hit hardest by climate change.

Travelers know how hard it can be to find a plug at the airport to charge a phone or laptop. Now airlines are facing a similar challenge as they electrify their ground and air operations.

Why it matters: Even the largest airports don't have enough juice to quickly charge all the electrified planes, flying taxis and ground equipment that airlines intend to roll out over the coming years.

The famous Keeling Curve may soon have a rare data gap.

Driving the news: The Mauna Loa eruption on Monday cut power to the observatory where atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are measured, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

An outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornados wrought damage on the southeastern U.S. overnight, with officials warning of continued risk on Wednesday.

Driving the news: Tornado warnings were in effect through 6am Wednesday for central and western Alabama and southeastern Mississippi, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center.

A significant outbreak of severe thunderstorms, including a "few strong tornadoes," is unfolding for the Mississippi Valley, mid-South and parts of the Southeast Tuesday into Tuesday night.

Threat level: The storm threat is highest — at "moderate risk" or a level 4 out of 5 on the National Weather Service's (NWS) scale — in Mississippi. About 40 million people across the South are at risk for severe weather from this event, per the National Weather Service.