There's an old joke about economists having predicted nine of the last five recessions that underscores how difficult it is to predict the future. It's even harder to forecast the weather. The great Stephen Hawking once said, "One can't predict the weather more than a few days in advance."

Nevertheless, since 2017, states and municipalities have filed a rash of lawsuits alleging energy producers should pay billions in local weather-related damages. These lawsuits are more accurately "a money grab," to quote a local critic, than about the weather.