14 billion-dollar weather disasters for the U.S. in 2011
The tally of billion-dollar weather disasters in the U.S. during the crazy weather year of 2011 has grown to fourteen, and may reach fifteen, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center announced last week. The fourteen billion-dollar weather disasters in 2011 easily surpass the previous record of nine such disasters, set in 2008. Since 1980, the U.S. has averaged 3.5 billion-dollar weather disasters per year. The two new billion-dollar disasters of 2011:
Tropical Storm Lee, early September, 2011: Wind and flood damage across the southeast (LA, MS, AL, GA, TN) but considerably more damage from record flooding across the northeast (PA, NY, NJ, CT, VA, MD). Pennsylvania and New York were most affected. Total losses exceed $1.0 billion; 21 deaths.
Rockies and Midwest Severe Weather, July 10-14, 2011: An outbreak of tornadoes, hail, and high wind caused damage east of the Rockies and across the central plains (CO, WY, IA, IL, MI, MN, OH). Total losses exceed $1.0 billion; 2 deaths.
The total costs of these fourteen disasters is $55 billion, tying 2011 with 2004 for fourth place for most costly year for billion-dollar weather disasters in history. The only costlier years were 2005 (Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma); 1988 (Midwest drought); and 2008 (Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.) NCDC says they are still analyzing the late-October snowstorm that hit New England to see if it was a billion dollar disaster. Insurance broker AON Benfield puts damages from this event at $3 billion, so it is likely that NCDC will add at least one more billion-dollar disaster to 2011's tally.
For those interested, NOAA has a full description of the 14 billion-dollar weather disasters of 2011, plus a list of their Top Ten Global Weather Events of 2011 and Top Ten U.S. Weather Events of 2011.
Figure 1. Front Street Bridge on the Susquehanna River in Vestal, NY, immediately following the flood of September 8, 2011, caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. Image credit: USGS, New York.
My other posts looking back at the remarkable weather events of 2011
Extreme temperatures of 2011: 7 national all-time heat records; 1 cold record
U.S. weather in 2011: unprecedented rains and wet/dry extremes
Top ten global weather events of 2011
2011: Year of the Tornado
Deadliest weather disaster of 2011: the East African drought
Tropical Storm Lee's flood in Binghamton: was global warming the final straw?
Wettest year on record in Philadelphia; 2011 sets record for wet/dry extremes in U.S.
Hurricane Irene: New York City dodges a potential storm surge mega-disaster
Figure 2. The new "Blue Marble" image of Earth on January 4, 2012, as seen by the VIIRS instrument on the new Suomi NPP satellite. Image credit: NASA.
Spectacular "Blue Marble" image of Earth released
A new polar orbiting satellite has returned a stunning true-color image of the Earth taken on January 4, 2012. The Suomi NPP satellite, launched on October 28, 2011, is the first one designed to both take measurements to improve short-term weather forecasts, and collect data to increase understanding of long-term climate change. The VIIRS instrument on the satellite collected a series of true-color images of the Western Hemisphere on January 4 that were stitched together to create a new "Blue Marble" image of Earth, like the ones taken by the Apollo astronauts in the 1970s.
The image is very interesting meteorologically, and extremely strange. It is obvious that it is a winter image, as revealed by the large area of stratocumulus clouds off the U.S. East Coast all the way to South Florida, caused by cold Canadian air blowing offshore. However, the U.S. and Canada are virtually snow-free and cloud-free, which is extremely rare for a January day. The lack of snow in the mountains of the Western U.S. is particularly unusual. I doubt one could find a January day this cloud-free with so little snow on the ground throughout the entire satellite record, going back to the early 1960s. NOAA's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service shows that only one state--Washington--had areas where precipitation accumulated more than 0.25" on January 4, 2012, which is an extraordinary occurrence for a January day.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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Amen.
Yes, the overwhelming majority of environmental/meteorological/climate agencies and organizations across the world are all radical communist Muslim anarchist groups trying to destroy America by inventing science. Seriously, that is so far beyond silly, you must have stopped being introspective completely.
At least it helps us further understand your point of view - it's not scientific or organized in a logical way, it's fear-mongering nonsense.
eh, SRM showing a few thin bands of moderate windspeeds inside some thunderstorms...wish i was in the middle of one...lol
and drugs..
I lived through that 'cane dry spell late 80s, early 90s. Actually backed out of heading to met school over the dry spell though. You'll live..
Actually the industrial revolution made it possible for 1.3 million, last year alone to die from air pollution..
Do you know of the place where this doesn't happen?
It's not supposed to be discussed here, and I don't want a ban so I won't specifically name the place. If you look or ask around some, maybe you will find out...
* at 2100Z, goin to see the movie "Red Tails" in theatre
*2300z we eatin out at Pizza Hut
* After that, we gon back to my grandparents house to open presents n eat cake for my birthday yesterday! :D
Go Wunderground!!!!!!!
Try this Global Warming presentation.
It won't answer all your questions, but at least he takes the gloves off and explains just how complicated this science really is.
Catastrophic Climate Change & Runaway Global Warming - David Wasdell
This is from 2008.
Arctic Sea Ice volume has declined by another 3100 cubic KM since then, while Greenland's average rate of net melting has doubled...again.
Recently completed surveys show that tornadoes struck in Perry and Chilton counties, including an EF-2 tornado that left a nearly 40-mile path of damage. The Maplesville tornado destroyed the sanctuary of the Historic Ephesus Church, tore apart trees in the Talladega National Forest and damaged homes and business just north of downtown Maplesville.
The weather service had previously documented eight other twisters across the state.
The deadliest twister in the storm outbreak was an EF-3 that struck in St. Clair and Jefferson County, where two people were killed and about 100 more were hurt. Forecasters say that storm had maximum winds estimated at 150 mph.
Today, January 27th, is Vietnam day.
Today, on the 27th of January, 1887, Carl Blegen from Minneapolis,(was an archeologist) was born on this day .
Maybe Grothar knew him xD
I looked at the forecast today, and say a 7 and a 0 sitting beside each other! :D
Because of the famine caused by the severe drought that has hit the area in the past 50 years, between 100 and 200 children under 5 years of age continue to die every day in the Horn of Africa. Despite the aid and assistance on behalf of various humanitarian organizations, the situation is getting worse, and last year between 35 000 and 65 000 children died. In the refugee camp in Dadaab, the largest in the world, in Kenya, the continuous influx of thousands of hungry children in poor sanitary conditions and fleeing from their native lands has caused disasters over the past two years in east Africa. The Department for International Development of the United Kingdom indicates that in 2011 there were between 50 thousand and 100 thousand deaths, of which over half of them were children. The U.S. government ensures that only from May to July 2011 29,000 minors died. NGOs Oxam and Save the Children, in the report recently published, A Dangerous Delay, reported that thousands of deaths could have been avoided if the international community, governments and humanitarian organizations, had responded more quickly to the problem. Furthermore, the rate of malnutrition in Somalia has increased from 16.4% to 36.4%. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 27/01/2012)
WU is still matching donations for this..
Last storm dissipated November 24, 1988
Strongest storm Gilbert 888 mbar (hPa) (26.23 inHg), 185 mph (295 km/h)
Total depressions 19
Total storms 12
Hurricanes 5
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3 ) 3
Total fatalities 550
Total damage $7 billion (1988 USD).............................................. .......First storm formed June 24, 1989
Last storm dissipated December 4, 1989
Strongest storm Hugo 918 mbar (hPa) (27.12 inHg), 160 mph (260 km/h)
Total depressions 15
Total storms 11
Hurricanes 7
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3 ) 2
Total fatalities 147
Total damage $10.74 billion (1989 USD).............................................. ...............Total depressions 16
Total storms 14
Hurricanes 8
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3 ) 1
Total fatalities 168
Total damage $150 million (1990 USD)........................Some notable ones were tiny Jerry that hit Texas in 89.....88,s Gilbert......
The trade winds continue to bring in a lot of moisture to Trinidad and north eastern Venezuela,.5 inches of rain 9am this morning.
exactly. bye bye eyewall and everything on northwest side lol xD
Link
No, but his Grandfather was a nice man.
On January 27, 1967, Apollo 1's crew--Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II and Roger B. Chaffee--was killed when a fire erupted in their capsule during testing. Apollo 1 was originally designated AS-204 but following the fire, the astronauts' widows requested that the mission be remembered as Apollo 1 and following missions would be numbered subsequent to the flight that never made it into space.
Image credit: NASA
Just weeks before, Gus Grissom had said in an interview:
"If we die, we want people to accept it. We're in a risky business ... The conquest of space is worth the risk of life."
"Its raining, its pouring...hydrus is snoring...LOL"
Hello, Grothar! ... Am I late? ... Again?
that goes right along with money, lol
Yeah Florida overall has been pretty quiet severe weather wise no matter what way you look at things over the last several years even compared to how it was when we moved here in the 90's.
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