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Extreme weather

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Extreme weather includes weather phenomena that are at the extremes of historical patterns, especially severe or unseasonal weather .

Increasing dramatic weather catastrophes are mainly due to high population densities , though changes in climate may have been a contributing factor. Further societal changes, compounded somewhat by the effects of global warming, are expected to continue this trend.

2006

Flooding

  • In January, a mudslide and accompanying rainfall killed at least 207 people on the north shore of the island of Java, in Indonesia.
  • In February, a massive mudslide buried the town of Guinsaugon on Leyte island in the Philippines. The entire town of 1,400 people was buried by the mudslide, and in total about 1,800 people were reported dead or missing.
  • In February, heavy rain and mudslides in eastern Indonesia killed at least 33 people in the city of Manado.

Winter weather

  • Record-setting snowfall throughout northern Japan that began in December continued through mid-January, dropping 13 feet of snow on some areas. By the end of the heavy snowfall, 87 people had been killed.
  • Cold weather that began in December spread throughout Bangladesh and northern India, leading to the first freeze in New Delhi in 70 years and killing at least 180 people throughout the region.
  • In January, the coldest weather in decades, accompanied by heavy snowfall and high winds in areas, occurred throughout Russia, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, leaving hundreds of people dead. BBC Snow fell throughout Europe, even as far south as the Greek Isles or the Portuguese sea resorts, with record-setting snowfall and near-record cold in many areas.

Tornadoes result in force-scale recalibration

  • Forty-four tornadoes touched down across Missouri on March 11-12, resulting in 10 fatalities and 107 injuries, according to updated information from ground and aerial surveys done by the National Weather Service’s Missouri offices. (Austin, K. (March 31, 2006) "Tornado force scale adjusted," Missourian News, columbiamissourian.com/news.)
  • March 31, 2006 - more tornadoes in the U.S. midwest Weather Channel reported 30-60. Flood watch on Gulf Coast near New Orleans, and on southern Atlantic coast.
  • April 2, 2006 - Tornadoes and hail as big as softballs ripped through eight Midwestern states, killing at least 27 people, injuring scores and destroying hundreds of homes. In Tennessee, tornadoes killed 23 people, including an infant and a family of four. Severe thunderstorms, many producing tornadoes, also struck parts of Iowa, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Strong wind was blamed or at least three deaths in Missouri. The weather service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said it had preliminary reports of 63 tornadoes.
  • April 7-8, 2005 - Dozens of tornatoes in the U.S. Mid-central through Eastern states both days, dozens killed. According to The Weather Channel, the number of U.S. tornadoes in the first seven days of April has come within 15% of the average number of tornadoes for April.

2005

Flooding

  • In February, widespread flooding and heavy snowfall in Pakistan and northern India killed at least 486 people throughout the country. Thousands were also left homeless after several dams burst due to heavy rainfall.
  • In February, at least 86 people were killed by heavy flooding in Colombia and Venezuela.
  • In March, heavy rainfall and snowmelt left 54 people dead in southern Pakistan and Afghanistan.
  • In March, flooding killed 25 people across Madagascar.
  • In April, extensive flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the Somali Region of eastern Ethiopia killed 134 people and left 50,000 homeless.
  • In May, extensive flooding in the city of Dire Dawa in Ethiopia killed 32 people.
  • In June, flooding caused by severe storms in Afghanistan killed 48 people.
  • In June, 117 people were killed when a primary school was washed away by a flash flood in far northeastern China.
  • In June, extensive flooding caused by heavy rainfall in Central America killed 82 people in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
  • In June, heavy rain in the state of Gujarat in India killed at least 130 people and left 175,000 homeless.
  • From May-July, widespread flooding in southeastern China killed at least 365 people. In Taiwan, 4 people were also killed.
  • In July, widespread, devastating flooding in Maharashtra and Mumbai, India killed at least 1,000 people and caused approximately $3.5 billion US in damage.
  • From July-August, widespread flooding across Eastern and Central Europe killed a total of 79 people in Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland.
  • In August, flooding in northeastern Iran killed 43 people.
  • In August, flooding in the central China province of Hubei killed 32 people.
  • In September, extensive flooding in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India killed 66 people.
  • In September, flooding in southern Myanmar killed 27 people.
  • In October, 10 people were killed from widespread and record-setting rainfall throughout the Northeastern United States.
  • In October, devastating flooding throughout central Vietnam killed at least 67 people.
  • In November, flooding in the southern India state of Tamil Nadu killed 162 people.
  • In December, heavy monsoon rains caused extensive flooding throughout Southeast Asia that killed 130 people in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Heatwaves

  • From May-June, a heatwave occurred across Pakistan, Bangladesh, and northern India and killed at least 400 people.
  • In descending order, the five years with the highest global average annual temperatures were 2005, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004, said Drew Shindell of the NASA institute in New York City on January 24, 2006. "I think it's even fair to say that the warmest ... temperatures the world has experienced probably in the last million years."

Severe weather

  • In January, storm winds swept across northern Europe. It killed at least 13 people and left millions without electricity. (CNN) (BBC)
  • In March, severe storms accompanied by a tornado in Bangladesh killed at least 56 people and left thousands homeless.
  • In August, 27 people were killed when thunderstorms brought down a passenger plane in Peru.
  • In November, a tornado in northern Kentucky and Evansville, Indiana, U.S. killed 26 people.

Tropical cyclones

Winter weather

  • In January, heavy snowfall in northern Algeria left 21 people dead.
  • In February, very heavy snowfall left at least 230 people dead in northern India.
  • In May, heavy snow in southern Chile killed at least 45 people.
  • In December, an ice storm that accumulated more than 3/4 of an inch of ice left almost 700,000 people without power in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia in the United States. The storm left 4 people dead.
  • In December, record snowfall in Japan killed at least 6 people and knocked out power to about 600,000 people.

2004

2003

  • August: A heat wave with temperatures as high as 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) struck Europe. Because summer temperatures in much of northern Europe rarely exceed 30 °C (86 °F), the area was unprepared for the disaster. The death toll of the heat wave has been estimated to exceed 10,000. In relation with the heat wave, wildfires killed 18 people in Portugal. See: European Heat Wave of 2003
  • September: Hurricane Isabel makes landfall on the United States, killing at least 40 people.

2002

2001

2000

  • January:
    • Floods killed 12, leaving thousands homeless in Brazil.
    • 15 inches (380 mm) of snow fell in Israel, the most in 50 years
  • February:
    • The worst avalanches in decades prompted the governor of Alaska to declare a state of emergency througout regions of the state
    • Floods killed 11 and left 20,000 homeless in the Philippines
    • A month of floods in Southern Africa, particularly Mozambique, killed 400 and displaced 250,000
  • October/November: England experienced the country's worst flooding in decades after a prolonged period of heavy rain. The historic city of York and the towns of Shrewsbury, Lewes and Uckfield were among the worst hit areas. Up to 10,000 homes and businesses were affected.

1999

  • Record drought in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states led to declarations of emergency in six states.
  • The first $1 billion tornado devastates the Oklahoma City area on May 3. It also produces the highest wind speed ever recorded at 318 mph.
  • Summer: a prolonged heat wave killed 271 people in the Midwest and Northeast.
  • Fall: Hurricane Floyd caused billions of dollars of damages in North Carolina
  • November: a super-cyclone in Orissa, India, killed 10,000 people
  • December:
    • Torrential rains and mudslides in Venezuela killed 15,000 people
    • Hurricane-force windstorms in Northern Europe caused over $10 billion in damages and killed 91 people in France alone

1998

1936

  • February-March: Record cold followed by rapid warming causes flooding across several northeastern states, killing 171 and leaving 430,000 homeless
  • April: The Tupelo-Gainesville_Outbreak of tornadoes kills 436
  • July-August: A heat wave across the Midwest and Northeast U.S. claims 5,000 lives. Record temperatures from this event still stand across fifteen states

1927

  • Flooding along the lower Mississippi River claims more than 300,000 lives, leaving 700,000 homeless

1900

See also

External links

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