2012’s Weather Brought Its Share of Billion-Dollar Events
Last year may not have measured up to 2011 in terms total damages or havoc wreaked, but the tally on the year’s billion-dollar weather related events still ranks as impressive.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that in 2012, there were 11 extreme weather and climate events in the U.S. above $1 billion in losses. They also cost 349 lives.
“2012 was an impressive year,” said Adam Smith, an applied climatologist at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center.
The 2012 tally included seven severe weather/tornado events, two tropical storm/hurricane events and the yearlong drought and associated wildfires.
Economic losses for two events, Hurricane Sandy and the yearlong drought in the U.S. interior, are the big drivers this year in terms of costs. It will take several more months to develop a final estimate for each, according to NOAA.
NOAA estimates that the year 2012 will surpass 2011 in terms of aggregate costs for U.S. annual billion-dollar disasters, even with fewer number of billion-dollar disasters.
The most significant losses of life during the 11 events occurred during Sandy, which resulted in 131 deaths.
The summer-long heat wave and associated drought caused at least 123 direct deaths, however an estimate of the excess mortality due to heat stress is still unknown, according to the NOAA report.
Still 2012 was no 2011 in weather damage. The 14 events in 2011 set a record exceeding the previous record of nine billion-dollar events set in 2008. Smith said that while 2012 fell short of its predecessor year, in terms of hail and wind 2012 saw greater damages.
“In 2012, there were more billion-dollar weather events driven by widespread hail and straight-line wind damage from thunderstorms,” Smith said. “There were fewer classic tornado outbreaks in 2012 compared to a very active 2011. In 2011, we saw a historic year of billion-dollar weather disasters that had a bit of everything.”
The quietest year for large weather-related catastrophes was in 1987, when there were no U.S. billion-dollar events, according to Smith.
Extreme weather events in 2013 may look much the same as 2012 with a few differences. If the forecast for a weak El Niño for next year holds, it brings with it the promise of continued drought in the Great Plains and nasty winter weather on the East Coast.
Unusual weather patterns over the last two years yielded some warm temperatures for the nation, especially during the winter. The 2011-2012 winter season was the third warmest on record for U.S., according to NOAA.
“This was partially due to an unusual jet stream pattern which kept cold Arctic air trapped north of the U.S.-Canadian border,” Smith said. “This weather pattern was associated with a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation – a pressure pattern in the North Atlantic Ocean which dictates upper level air patterns over the United States.”
The warm 2012 spring caused an early start to the U.S. growing season and increased evaporation demand much sooner, according to Smith.
“This was the foundation for the large and intense drought which affected nearly two-thirds of the nation during the summer,” he said. “When drought conditions are present during summer, it tends to drive daytime temperatures higher than they would be with more moist soils. The summer season consisted of the warmest July, and subsequently warmest month, on record for the nation. The summer as a whole was the second warmest on record.”
Additionally, partly due to the jet stream being farther to the north on average during the tornado-producing months, including April, May and June, there were fewer tornadoes. Those that did form tended to be less intense, at EF-3 or less, Smith said.