U.S. Hit with 3 billion-dollar disasters in first 3 months of 2018 -NOAA

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2018 significant climate anomalies continue

An annotated map of the United States showing notable climate events that occurred during March 2018. For further details, see the bulleted list below in our story and visit https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-201803. (NOAA NCEI)

Other notable climate events [Jan – Mar 2018]

Four strong winter storms (nor’easters) hammered the US East in March: The storms brought heavy snow and cold conditions to parts of the Midwest and from the Southern Appalachians to New England in just one month. Some locations in the East had more snow during March than during the preceding winter months combined. Numerous locations had a top-five March snowfall total including Boston, Albany and Philadelphia.

Deadly storms hit the Gulf Coast: A severe storm system brought damaging winds, hail and tornadoes to the Southeast in mid-March. Over 20 tornadoes were reported in Alabama. Total damages exceeded $1 billion and at least 3 people died.

Northern Alaska basked in record warmth: The average March temperature for Alaska was 17.7 degrees F, 6.9 degrees above the long-term average. This tied with 1996 for the ninth warmest March in the 94-year period of record for the state. Northern and western Alaska were much warmer than average, with near-average temperatures in southern Alaska. Utqiaġvik (Barrow) had its warmest March and year to date on record.

Drought intensified in parts of U.S.: By the end of March, about 29 percent of the Lower 48 states were in drought, down from 31 percent at the end of February. Drought conditions worsened across the Central Plains, Southwest and coastal Southeast, and improved in parts of the West, Great Plains and interior Southeast.

Source: http://www.noaa.gov/news/us-hit-with-3-billion-dollar-disasters-in-first-3-months-of-2018

 

Ten Billion-Dollar Plus Weather, Climate Disasters Hit U.S. in 2015

Record December elevated 2015 to 2^nd warmest year for US 48  —NOAA

The 2015 annual average U.S. temperature was 54.4°F (12.4°C), 2.4°F above the 20^th century average, the second warmest year on record.

• Warmest year for U.S. was  2012  with an average temperature of 55.3°F.
• 2015 was the 19^th consecutive year the annual average temperature exceeded the 20^th century average.

The average contiguous U.S. precipitation was 34.47 inches (87.55cm), 4.53 inches above average, and ranked as the third wettest year in the 121-year period of record.

• Only 1973 and 1983 were wetter.
• The national drought footprint shrank about 10 percent last year.

Ten weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each occurred  across the United States in 2015. These events included

• Drought (1 event)
• Flooding (2)
• Severe storms (5)
• Wildfire (1)
• Winter Storm (1)

The 1980–2015 annual average is 5.2 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2011–2015) is 10.8 events (CPI-adjusted), said NCDC/NOAA.

Additionally, the U.S. experienced five distinct disaster event types in 2015. It is more common to observe three or four disaster event types in a given year. Five or more disaster event types exceeding $1 billion in the same year occurs less frequently (i.e., 2015, 2011, 2008, 1998, 1994 and 1989).

U.S. climate highlights: 2015

• Florida, Montana, Oregon and Washington were record warm.
• Alaska, California, and Idaho had their second warmest year.
• Twenty-one other states were much warmer than average.
• 14 States were much wetter than average.
• Oklahoma and Texas were record wet for the year, and became drought free for the first time since 2010.
• The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (USCEI) for 2015 was 70 percent above average, ranking as the fourth highest annual USCEI in the 106-year record and highest since 2012.

U.S. climate highlights: December 2015

• December 2015 was record warm for the contiguous U.S., with a temperature of 38.6°F, 6.0°F above the 20^th century average.
  • Previous record of 37.7°F was set in 1939.
  • 29 Eastern states had the warmest December on record.
  • No state was record cold.
• The December precipitation total for the contiguous U.S. was 3.93 inches, 1.58 inches above the 20^th century average, ranking as the wettest December on record.
  • Previous record of 3.76 inches was set in 1982.
  • Above-average precipitation occurred across the country
  • 23 States were much wetter than average.
  • Iowa and Wisconsin had a record wet December.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: National Overview for December 2015, published online January 2016, retrieved on January 9, 2016 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/201512.

 

2014 U.S. Temperature Tops 20th-Century Average (Again)

DISASTERS CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
RISING TEMPERATURES
EXTREME WET & EXTREME DRY CONDITIONS
ECOLOGICAL COLLAPSE
SPECIES EXTINCTION 
MAIN SCENARIOS: 900, 888, 808, 800, 797,  777, 666, 560, 555, 444, 300, 123, 117, 114, 111, 101, 100, 097, 090, 080, 078, 071, 067, 066, 047, 033, 027, 025, 024, 023, 022, 012, 011, 09, 04, 03, 02, 01
.

2014 U.S. temperature tops 20^th-century average for the 18^th consecutive year

Contiguous U.S. experienced its 2nd warmest December on record, according to the State of the Climate Summary Information released by NOAA National Climatic Data Center.

Highlights from the Summary Report

• During December, the average contiguous U.S. temperature was 37.1°F, 4.5°F above the 20^th century average.
• Eight weather and climate disasters exceeded $1 billion in damages each and resulted in 53 fatalities. The events included the western U.S. drought, the Michigan & Northeast flooding event, five severe storm events, and one winter storm event.
• 2014 annual average contiguous U.S. temperature was 52.6°F, 0.5°F above the 20^th century average.
• The temperature exceeded the 20^th Century average for the 18^th consecutive year.
• The average contiguous U.S. precipitation was 30.76 inches, 0.82 inch above average.

Damage from eight weather and climate disasters in U.S. exceeded $1 billion each

In 2014, there were 8 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States. These events included a drought event, a flooding event, 5 severe storm events, and a winter storm event. Overall, these events resulted in the deaths of 53 people and had significant economic effects on the areas impacted. Further cost data and figures on individual events in 2014 will be announced in mid-2015. The U.S. has sustained 178 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment to 2014). The total cost of these 178 events exceeds $1 trillion. Source: NOAA/NCDC.

NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: National Overview for December 2014, published online January 2015, retrieved on January 10, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2014/12.

Related Links (Most Recent)

• Year-to-Date Global Temperature Highest on Record December 16, 2014
• Global Temperature Breaks October Record: Report November 29, 2014
• Global Temperature Reaches Record High in September: NOAA October 21, 2014
• August Global Temperature Breaks Record September 20, 2014
• Hottest June on Record Posted on July 22, 2014
• May Global Temperature Reaches All-time High Posted on June 24, 2014
• Warmest Winter on Record Deepens California Drought Posted on March 18, 2014
• December Ocean Temperature 2nd Warmest Posted on January 23, 2010
• Global Temperature Analysis Posted on January 22, 2014

 

Billion-Dollar Typhoon Kills Many in Philippines, China

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
EXTREME RAIN EVENTS
MAJOR STORM
POWERFUL  TYPHOON
MASS EVACUATIONS
STATE OF CALAMITY
SCENARIOS  444, 111, 088, 070, 066, 033, 023
.

Typhoon RAMMASUN Buffets S China

The most powerful typhoon to hit southern China in over 4 decades has killed at least two dozen people, after wreaking death and destruction on the Philippine Islands.

RAMMASUN made landfall on Friday with sustained winds of more than 200km/h.

It killed at least 94 people in northern Philippines earlier this week, and has caused at least a billion dollars worth of damage in the two countries.

Heavy rain brought by the monster storm to the region is also affecting Vietnam.

Typhoon MATMO is now threatening the  Philippines.

A banana field lays  ruined after Typhoon RAMMASUN struck Haian Township, Xuwen County, in south China’s Guangdong Province, July 19, 2014.  The Typhoon, said to be strongest to hit south China in 41 years, wreaked havoc in western part of Guangdong, affecting 1,060,000 people and leaving 99,000 others displaced. (Xinhua/Liang Xu). More images…

 Related Links

• State of Calamity Declared in Philippines July 16, 2014