If we are only talking in the US, then in particular the last 2 years has been very severe.
Two record heat waves, an historic drought, above-average destructive wildfires, and two powerful hurricanes that slammed into the East Coast.
In 2012, the U.S. experienced the
most extreme year for weather ever recorded, according to NOAA’s Climate Extremes Index.
Growing number of weather extremes are a strong indication of climate change.
These 2 studies confirm the increase in severities, which are directly impacting the USA:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...53268/abstract
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v.../ngeo1590.html
So, he would be right in assuming that weather severities have increased. Over 5 years? Longer than that.