A quiet 2009 for natural disasters
It was a relatively quiet year globally for natural disasters in 2009. According to Munich Re insurance company, the death toll from 2009 natural disasters was approximately 10,000, well below the average 75,000 deaths per year seen over the decade of the 2000s. Damage from 2009 natural disasters was about $50 billion, compared to the decadal average of $115 billion, and far below the $200 billion in destruction wrought by 2008's natural disasters. The most costly disaster of 2009 was Winter Storm Klaus, which hit northern Spain and southwest France January 23 - 25, causing $5.1 billion in damage. The deadliest weather-related disaster was Category 2 Typhoon Ketsana, which killed 694 people in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Category 2 Typhoon Morakot was a close second, with 614 fatalities, primarily in Taiwan. The deadliest natural disaster overall was the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that shook the Indonesian island of Sumatra on 30 September, killing nearly 1,200 people.
Figure 1. Cars being swept away by Ketsana's flood waters in a still frame from a dramatic YouTube video captured by medical students at the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center.
I'll be back Tuesday with my selection for the top global weather event of 2009: the Horn of Africa drought.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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Bordo...ahhhh...an American Spirit smoke and 72 degrees...what a great dream...please do NOT pinch me and wake me up 'til late Spring.
Thnx. for going to Portlight blog :(
NO Midwest flooding, T-Dude, okay? TIA!
Oh, press...I'm SO down with that! I used to envy people who lived in places with "real" winters...but I was young, and didn't know anything, then.
Ah yes, it FELT like 72F in the Sun, ha, ha, ha. Me, a Marlboro Medium, my t-shirt, Dallas Cowboys Themal, my hoodie and Jade, the 10 month old dog, part Lab, part Pit-Bull, who eats door jams and door knobs if she's left alone outside. While my daughters and grand daughters go shopping!
It'll be my turn to take the car, get out to the dreaded "W" for some shopping. Gotta replace the insulation strip on the living room french doors that the dog ate, to keep that North wind draft outta the house. Just can't wait to get my electric bill, about $180, compliments of cold, Arctic air.
and rising.....
;)
Here's the link below, watch out next week SE US:
Link
Next week it will be 55F and raining cats, dogs, chickens, frogs, lil fish...
You guys are killing me; the doc said that if I wanted my fusion to take, no smokie-smokie...been pretty okay with it but talking about it, watching people do it on TV...you know...makes me wanna go out and grab a pack of Kool Milds and go at it
"it never rains in Southern Calif...."
That's what you, think! Listen to the song :0)
NO, please do not smoke!! I quit for 13 yrs and I was a fool, started smoking again in 2005. At least you can get out, take a deep greath without hacking and enjoy the crip, cool, clean air!!
but I live here...and it NEVER rains!
( well...not much anyways...not enough to write home about...)
hence the drought....and water saving laws....
Oh, niiiice...the Purple Hippo is a sadist!! ;)
Thnx. for going to Portlight blog :(
Be happy, Snoopy happy!!
Pensacola is too cold.
fxus62 ktae 051852
afdtae
Area forecast discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee Florida
152 PM EST Tuesday Jan 5 2010
..cold weather to continue through the weekend...
Short term (tonight through Thursday night)...large scale pattern
remains relatively unchanged today with deep trough over the east
and ridge over the west. The pattern continues to be locked in
place by the downstream negative nao. Surface high will slide closer
to the area tonight with lighter winds expected. This should
result in better radiational cooling tonight...although winds are
not expected to completely decouple. Temperatures should drop a few
degrees lower than last night with upper teens to around 20
degrees being forecast. Temperatures will slowly...repeat
slowly...moderate throught Thursday. Maximum temperatures to reach middle and
upper 40s Wednesday afternoon before dropping into the lower to
middle 20s by Thursday morning. Thursday morning low are a bit tricky
with the high settling directly over the area. However...expect to
see some high clouds begin to overspread the region Wednesday
night ahead of the next shortwave which should help inhibit
radiational cooling.
Shortwave will drop south into the base of the trough Thursday and
Thursday night...inducing very weak Gulf cyclogenesis along the
cold front. Expect to see scattered showers from Thursday
afternoon to around midnight Thursday night as the front moves
through. At this time...the low levels appear to be too warm to
support any frozen precipitation over the County Warning Area and will forecast all rain.
well not looking good for the gulf coast unless u go up north.. but i say its a tad bit early.. Bob and Pat, what do ya'll think..? u think the models will change even tho we r gettin that artic blast?
Im thinking we might be in for a surprise.. :)
Holy moly.. thats some low dew points.. lol
You realize there is another new blog...your by yourself.....(-:
Yepp tryin to keep it alive..
but to add on to this.. I expect forecast to change b/c sum models have moisture leave noon by friday towards me in the fl panhandle.. but later tonight we should have a better reasoning about it.. well g2g ..
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