Fourteen U.S. billion-dollar weather disasters in 2011: a new record
It's time to add another billion-dollar weather disaster to the growing 2011 total of these costly disasters: the extraordinary early-season Northeast U.S. snowstorm of October 29, which dumped up to 32 inches of snow, brought winds gusts of 70 mph to the coast, and killed at least 22 people. Not since the infamous snow hurricane of 1804 have such prodigious amounts of October snow been recorded in New England and, to a lesser extent, in the mid-Atlantic states. Trees that had not yet lost their leaves suffered tremendous damage from the wet, heavy snow. Snapped branches and falling trees brought down numerous power lines, leaving at least 3 million people without electricity. The damage estimate in Connecticut alone is $3 billion, far more than the damage Hurricane Irene did to the state. Hundreds of thousands still remain without power a week after the storm, with full electricity not expected to be restored until Monday.
Figure 1. Wet, heavy snow from the October 29, 2011 snowstorm weighing down trees still sporting their fall leaves in Winchester, VA. Image credit: wunderphotographer MaddScientist98.
The October 29 snow storm brings the 2011 tally of U.S. billion-dollar weather disasters to fourteen, thoroughly smashing the previous record of nine such disasters, set in 2008. Between 1980 - 2010, the U.S. averaged 3.5 of these weather disasters per year. Through August, the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) estimated that ten weather disasters costing at least $1 billion had hit the U.S., at total cost of up to $45 billion. However, the October 29 snow storm brings us up to eleven billion-dollar disasters, and a new disaster analysis done by global reinsurance company AON Benfield adds three more. Flood damage from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee in the Northeast on September 8 is now estimated at more than $1 billion, and two outbreaks of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes--one in April and one in June--now have damage estimates exceeding $1 billion. A remarkable seven severe thunderstorm/tornado outbreaks did more than $1 billion each in damage in 2011, and an eighth outbreak July 10 - 14 came close, with damages of $900 million. In total, the fourteen billion-dollar disasters killed 675 people. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods in these fourteen disasters killed over 600 people, putting 2011 into fourth place since 1940 for most deaths by severe storms. Only 2005, with over 1,000 deaths caused by Katrina, 1969, with over 700 hurricane and flood-related deaths, and 1972, with 676 hurricane and flood-related deaths, were deadlier years for storms, according to NOAA. The fourteen billion-dollar weather disasters of 2011 caused $53 billion in damage, putting 2011 in fifth place for most damages from billion-dollar weather disasters. The top damage years, according to NCDC in adjusted 2011 dollars, were 2005 (the year of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma), 2008 (Hurricane Ike), 1988 (Midwest drought), and 1980 (Midwest drought). With nearly two months remaining in 2011, the potential exists for more billion-dollar weather disasters this year. Our first opportunity comes Tuesday, when the NOAA Storm Prediction Center is forecasting the possibility of a severe weather outbreak centered over Arkansas and Missouri.
Video 1. Remarkable video of the tornado that hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama during the April 25 - 30, 2011 Super Outbreak. This tornado outbreak was the most expensive U.S. weather-related disaster of 2011, with damages estimated at $9 billion. Fast forward to minute four to see the worst of the storm.
Here are AON Benfield's estimates of the damages and NCDC's estimates of the death tolls from 2011's fourteen billion-dollar weather disasters (a clickable version of this table with information on each disaster is available on our severe weather resource page):
Have a great weekend, everyone, and I'll be back with a new post on Monday.
Angela Fritz is subbing for Ricky Rood this week, and has written an interesting post on the latest climate change controversy, the release of the new Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) study by skeptic Dr. Richard Muller.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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Lord love a duck. Nice to finally hear somebody admit that they'd be up to their eyeballs without US.
"We have a very unusual, very powerful system developing that could produce a few tornadoes, damaging winds and some large hail," National Weather Service meteorologist Hector Guerrero told the Abilene Reporter-News. "It's very strange for us to be talking about tornadoes this late in the year."
Continuing earthquakes and possibly tornadoes : Oklahoma, not OK
Also unwell is the American media when a British tabloid provides better overall coverage.
You behave now:)
Nov 9th 'Don't panic, people.' "
Curses! How'd they figure out that "the giant asteroid" is the FirstWave of our InvasionFleet?
we think you also speak funny. Hey, we call the English whingin poms.
It's a term of endearment. We call redheads, bluey.
Currently in Sydney......
Figured that. Ya also call Vegemite, edible.
BTW Skyepony, you may have hit target with your speculation that...
...the "smoke plume" on the weather radar could have been WindTurbine-induced clutter.
Ah, but the whinging is left to you guys these days, particularly with the Ashes where it belongs. ;)
That said, your comment got me thinking. We don't tend to call the Americans anything specifically, no nickname. 'Yank' or 'Yankee' has gone somewhat out of fashion. Still hear it now and then, but usually from older generations. Even you guys, 'Aussie' is about the only thing we use and that's only due to being too lazy to say Australians at times.
Kiwis for the New Zealanders is still used (as pretty much everyone does). We don't use anything specifically for the Canadians, either.
Tropical Cyclone Advisory #3
DEPRESSION ARB03-2011
8:30 AM IST November 7 2011
=================================
At 3:00 AM UTC, Depression ARB03-2011 over southeast Arabian Sea moved west northwestwards during past 15 hours and lies over central parts of south and adjoining central Arabian sea near 11.5N 63.5E, or about 1250 km west-southwest of Mangalore (India), 1050 km east-southeast of Socotra Island (Yemen) and 1200 km southeast of Salalah (Oman).
The system is likely to intensify further into a deep depression and move initially west northwestwards and then northwestwards towards Oman coast during next 48 hrs.
Satellite imagery indicates gradual increase in convection and organization. The Dvorak intensity is T1.5. Associated broken intense to very intense convection is seen over Arabian Sea between 10.0N to 18.0N and 56.0N to 64.0E. The lowest cloud top temperature due to convection is around -86C
3 minute sustained wind near the center is 25 knots with a central pressure of 1002 hPa. The state of the sea is rough to very rough around the system.
The Madden-Julian Oscillation index currently lies over phase 4 with amplitude more than 1. As per the dynamical and statistical models, it would lie over the same phase during next 2-3 days and then move to phase 5 and 6. While phase 4 is favorable, phase 5 and 6 are not favorable for cyclogenis and intensification over the Arabian Sea. Sea surface temperature is 28-30C. The ocean heat content is less (60-80 kj/cm2). The relative vorticity at 850 hPA level and upper level divergence have increased during past 24 hours. The vertical wind shear of horizontal wind over the region is favorable as it is low to moderate (10-20 knots). There is negative (5-10 knots) 24 hours tendency of vertical wind shear around the system. The system lies to the south of upper tropospheric ridge, which runs along 16.0N.
The Bahamas is part of the Commonwealth, no? ;)
--
Current picture of the only area of interest:
We have to let you win the Ashes every now and then mate!
Currently about 200km's north of Sydney. Severe Thunderstorms affecting Newcastle.
Yep its on its way maybe even today....wonder why WU has nothing up on it......other sites do?
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
700 AM EST MON NOV 7 2011
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...
A NON-TROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LOCATED ABOUT 400 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF BERMUDA IS PRODUCING GALE FORCE WINDS OVER AN AREA
EXTENDING SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES TO THE NORTH OF THE CENTER. THE
ASSOCIATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BECOME A LITTLE BETTER
ORGANIZED OVERNIGHT...AND THE LOW COULD ACQUIRE SUBTROPICAL
CHARACTERISTICS OVER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THIS SYSTEM HAS A MEDIUM
CHANCE...40 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A SUBTROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS AS IT MOVES SLOWLY WESTWARD TODAY AND NORTHWESTWARD
ON TUESDAY. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS GALE AREA CAN BE FOUND
IN HIGH SEAS FORECASTS ISSUED BY THE NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
UNDER AWIPS HEADER NFDHSFAT1...AND UNDER WMO HEADER FZNT01 KWBC.
ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.
$$
FORECASTER PASCH
Most likely not on WU due to classified as extratropical in ATCF.
The units attached are temperature units in Kelvin.
I see potential Sean is up to 40% this a.m. . .. what do you bet we eventually get a TS out of this.... yet another in this 3-1 game of TS to H....
Later, everybody.
"A SMALL SIGNIFICANT TORNADO THREAT AREA HAS BEEN
ADDED FROM NEAR CLINTON OK SWD TO JUST SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA FALLS
TX."
I believe the comet like objects you are referring to are charged particles hitting the light detector on the satellite.
thats like always there just charged particles
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