Oh, and I am always open to changing my mind, if someone can show me inconclusive data that disproves my line of reasoning.
Media is a business. Climate change and severe weather gets viewers, and sells ad space, i.e. creates revenue. It is in their best interest to create headlines that grab attention, and "record setting" is a tried and true one. Anyone notice how in the last year or two the media has picked up on and exploited naming winter storms? Like they're Hurricane's...
And speaking of hurricanes, of course they do more damage as time goes on. Populations increase. More people build more homes and businesses which creates more wreckage from the storm. 100 years ago, coastlines weren't as populous. Infrastructure now stands where open land once was. If no one was living in a flood plain that flooded, no one paid it any attention. Now a flood plain is populated with homes, and a powerful storm floods it, suddenly it's an unprecedented disaster.
Anyway. I'm am always willing to change my mind, if someone can, beyond a shadow of doubt, prove otherwise.