University of Georgia colleague and renowned climatologist Thomas Mote says, 'what has been unusual in the Arctic this year is not just the above normal temperatures, but just how ridiculously warm it has been, with temperatures near freezing near the north pole in late December. What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay there. The storm was called Winter Storm Jonas by some organizations and even 'Snowzilla.' Winter weather experts have referred to it as a 'top 10' snowstorm. A lesson on how smaller-scale (mesoscale) dynamics can enhanced localized snowfall totals.' The storm affected much of the I-95 corridor from Washington D.C.

Meteorologist Steven Dimartino, owner of NY NJ PA Weather Consulting, messaged that it was 'a very difficult blizzard to forecast for and give up dates on for the general public. Even national media and policymakers were slow to recognize the magnitude of this event.īlizzard of January 22nd-24th. I wrote about this in Forbes a few months ago. The sheer number of flood events in a given year may desensitize people to identifying 'anomaly' events. Louisiana Floods. This event was interesting because it was one of the costliest events of the year, but it seemed to creep up on people. I think more balanced attention about flooding is required relative to the typical 'windy beach scene' coverage. I will agree that our enterprise has to do a better job with impact-based messaging rather than the drama of an approaching storm. Though the Governor of North Carolina questioned the efficacy of the hurricane scales, meteorologists have cautioned for years that 'water' not wind is the most dangerous aspect of hurricanes.

Further, NOAA rainfall forecasts for the Carolina's were spot on days before the event. When health organizations warn of an active flu season, do parents get mad if their child doesn't get the flu? Of course not. Our society has to get past being 'angry' when the worse doesn't happen. I will never criticize the level of caution and preparation exhibited as a major hurricane approached a region that had not experienced one in over a decade. The storm still caused significant damage in Florida but some felt the storm was 'overhyped.' I disagree completely. What stood out to me was the fact that a relatively good forecast was criticized by some because of a slight jog of the track to the right off the coast of Florida. Hurricane Matthew. Hurricane Matthew stood out to me personally because it impacted so many people from Haiti to Virginia and everything in between. I polled some of my meteorologist and climatologist colleagues to get their take on the 2016 season and what events stood out to them (and why?). 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). WBAL weather anchor Miri Marshall, reflecting on the Ellicott City, Maryland floods said, 'I have never seen rainfall rates like this in my career and I've forecasted in Texas.' It was certainly a 'wow' moment in weather to see more than 3' of rain in roughly 30 minutes.' There were a lot of 'wow' moments, and since the NOAA analysis is only through September, it doesn't even include Hurricane Matthew.

Flooding (4 events) made up most of the list. On its website, NOAA's National Center for Environmental Indicators tallied 12 weather or climate related disasters with economic losses greater than $1 billion in the United States as of September. Globally, there were 750 disasters, the highest number in four years, Munich Re said. Global disasters cost $175 billion in 2016, of which only $50 billion was insured.Like any year, 2016 was characterized by a range of weather-climate events in the United States. In the U.S., 'losses due to thunderstorms events are increasing,' Bove said. In 2015, there were 85 disasters in the U.S.Īcross the North American continent, 160 natural disasters were reported, which was the most on record. To qualify as one of Munich Re's disasters, or 'loss events' as the firm calls them, the event must cause at least one death or at least $3 million in damage. This includes severe storms, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, heat waves and droughts. in 2016, the second-most on record, Munich Re said. Overall, there were 91 weather, climate or geological disasters in the U.S. The 19 floods in 2016 were an increase from 2015, when there were 15.

'We did get very unlucky' last year, Bove said. Other major flood disasters in 2016 included those in West Virginia in June, Houston in April and Maryland in July. 'We had a lot of severe flash floods in heavily developed areas,' said meteorologist Mark Bove of Munich Re.

Big weather events 2016