The weather of 2012 marked the fewest fatalities from natural disasters in a decade, although there were several damaging and deadly floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and other weather events. These include blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, and wildfires.
The costliest single weather event of the year was Hurricane Sandy, which struck the northeastern United States in late October, with overall economic costs estimated at over US$67 billion.
The year began with La Niña conditions, meaning cooler than normal waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator. By later in the year, the global weather pattern shifted to more neutral conditions. The global temperature was 1.03 °F (−17.21 °C) above average, making it the tenth-warmest year ever recorded. [1]
Throughout 2012, there were 9,655 people killed by natural disasters, which marked the fewest global fatalities in a decade. This included 3,574 deaths related to hydrological events. The lower than usual death toll was due to fewer flooding and cyclonic events. Asia was the continent most often affected during the year. [2]
Rank | Event | Date(s) | Deaths (+Missing) | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Typhoon Bopha | December 3 | 1,901 | [2] |
2 | Pakistan monsoonal floods | September–October | 455 | [3] |
3 | Hurricane Sandy | October 22–29 | 233 | [4] |
4 | Krasnodar Krai floods | July 7 | 172 | [5] |
5 | Rwanda landslides | May | 131 | [6] |
6 | Monsoonal floods in Assam, India | June 26 | 122 | [7] |
7 | Ukraine cold wave | January | 112 | [8] |
8 | ||||
9 | ||||
10 | ||||
The following listed different types of special weather conditions worldwide.
In January, cold temperatures of −30 °C (−22 °F) killed 112 people in Ukraine, [8] while avalanches and a cold wave killed 45 people across Afghanistan. [9]
Throughout the year, floods killed 673 people in China, [10] including July flash floods in Beijing which killed 79 people and left 10¥billion (US$1.6 billion) in damage. [11] In May, floods and landslides killed 131 people in Rwanda. [6] In June, monsoonal floods in northern India killed 122 people. [7] In early July, a low pressure area in the Black Sea dropped 280 mm (11 in) of rainfall in a few hours in parts of southwestern Russia, causing flash flooding that killed 172 people. [12] [5] In September, monsoonal floods in Pakistan killed 455 people. [3]
Drought conditions persisted across much of North America throughout the year, causing at least US$39.9 billion in damage, much of it from crop failures. A strong heat wave during the summer killed 129 people. [13]
Elsewhere, drought conditions in northeast Brazil led to their government allocating R$2.7 billion (US$1.35 billion) worth of assistance for farmers and water distribution. [14]
In March, a severe weather outbreak of 75 tornadoes killed 42 people and inflicted US$4.1 billion in damage across the southeastern United States and into the Ohio Valley. [13]
At the start of the year, Tropical Cyclone Benilde was moving across the south-west Indian Ocean. [15] The strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2012 was Typhoon Sanba in the western Pacific Ocean. On September 13, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated maximum sustained winds of 285 km/h (180 mph). [16] [17] The costliest storm of the year was Hurricane Sandy, which formed in October in the Caribbean Sea; after moving across Cuba, Sandy later evolved into a large extratropical cyclone that struck New Jersey, causing $65 billion in damage across the northeastern United States. Much of the damage was in the New York City metropolitan area, with train service disrupted for several weeks. [4] The deadliest storm of the year was Typhoon Bopha, which killed 1,901 people and left US$1.16 billion in damage after it struck the Philippine island of Mindanao on December 3. [2] [18] As the year ended, there were two tropical cyclones that lasted into early 2013 – Cyclone Freda in the South Pacific Ocean, and Tropical Cyclone Dumile in the south-west Indian Ocean. [19]
In the Atlantic, there were 19 tropical storms, of which 10 became hurricanes, attaining winds of at least 120 km/h (75 mph). [20] In the eastern Pacific, there were 17 tropical storms, of which 10 became hurricanes. [21] The North Indian Ocean was inactive, with only five tropical cyclones, of which two became cyclonic storms. [22]
Throughout the year, wildfires in the United States burned more than 9,200,000 acres (37,000 km2) of land, killing eight people and causing US$2.3 billion in damage. [13]
In late June, a costly and deadly derecho moved across the eastern United States, leaving 4.2 million people without power. The strong winds caused US$3.8 billion in damage and resulted in 28 fatalities. [13] [23]
This is a timeline of deadly weather events during 2012.
Hurricane Michelle was the fifth costliest tropical cyclone in Cuban history and the strongest hurricane of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. The thirteenth named storm and seventh hurricane that year, Michelle developed from a tropical wave that had traversed into the western Caribbean Sea on October 29; the wave had initially moved off the coast of Africa 13 days prior. In its early developmental stages, the depression meandered over Nicaragua, later paralleling the Mosquito Coast before intensifying into tropical storm intensity on November 1; Michelle was upgraded to hurricane strength the following day. Shortly after, rapid intensification ensued within favorable conditions, with the storm's central barometric pressure dropping 51 mbar in 29 hours. After a slight fluctuation in strength, Michelle reached its peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (230 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 933 mbar. This tied Michelle with 1999's Lenny as the fourth most powerful November hurricane on record in the Atlantic Basin, behind only the 1932 Cuba hurricane and 2020 Hurricanes Iota and Eta. At roughly the same time, the hurricane began to accelerate northeastward; this brought the intense hurricane to a Cuban landfall within the Bay of Pigs later that day. Crossing over the island, Michelle was weakened significantly, and was only a Category 1 hurricane upon reentry into the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane later transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over The Bahamas on November 5, before being absorbed by a cold front the following day.
During 2007, tropical cyclones formed within seven different tropical cyclone basins, located within various parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the year, a total of 129 systems formed with 79 of these developing further and were named by the responsible warning centre. The strongest tropical cyclone of the year was Cyclone George, which was estimated to have a minimum barometric pressure of 902 hPa (26.64 inHg). The deadliest tropical cyclone of the year was Cyclone Sidr in the North Indian Ocean which killed 15,000 people in Bangladesh. The costliest tropical cyclone of the year was Cyclone Gonu in the North Indian Ocean, which caused more than $4.41 billion in damage after striking Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran and Pakistan. The most active basin in the year was the Western Pacific, which documented 24 named systems. The North Atlantic had an above-average season with 15 named storms. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season experienced a below-average number of tropical storm intensity systems, numbering 11. Activity across the Southern Hemisphere's three basins – South-West Indian, Australian, and South Pacific – was fairly significant, with the regions recording 25 named storms altogether, with the most intense storm of the year coming from the Australian basin. Throughout 2007, twenty one major tropical cyclones formed, including five Category 5 tropical cyclones in the year. The accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) index for the 2007, as calculated by Colorado State University was 568.1 units.
Severe Tropical Storm Chedza was a deadly tropical cyclone that struck Madagascar in January 2015. It formed from the Intertropical Convergence Zone and moved over Mozambique, After moving open waters, the system began organizing on January 14, becoming Tropical Storm Chedza two days later. It quickly intensified over the Mozambique Channel due to warm waters and favorable conditions, and the storm attained peak 10 minute sustained winds of 100 km/h (60 mph) on January 16. That day, Chedza moved ashore western Madagascar between Belo sur Mer and Morondava, and it quickly crossed the island while weakening. The storm briefly re-intensified, passing southwest of Réunion before turning to the southeast. Chedza became extratropical on January 19, and was last noted two days later.
During 2017, tropical cyclones formed within seven different tropical cyclone basins, located within various parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the year, a total of 146 tropical cyclones had formed. 88 tropical cyclones had been named by either a Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) or a Tropical Cyclone Warning Center (TCWC).
Tropical cyclones in 2002 were spread out across seven different areas called basins. To date, 123 tropical cyclones formed in 2002. 80 tropical cyclones had been named by either a Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) or a Tropical Cyclone Warning Center (TCWC). The strongest system was Cyclone Zoe, with a central pressure of 890 hectopascals (26 inHg). Zoe was also the second-most intense system before striking Fiji. The costliest and deadliest tropical cyclone of the year was Typhoon Rusa, killing 233 in South Korea and causing $4.2 billion in damages. 26 Category 3 tropical cyclones, including eight Category 5 tropical cyclones formed in 2002. The accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) index for the 2002, as calculated by Colorado State University was 812 units.
At least 30 tropical cyclones have affected the Southern African mainland. Three southeastern African countries border the Indian Ocean – Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa. Other inland countries also experience the effects of tropical cyclones, including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2020.
Tropical cyclones regularly affect the coastlines of most of Earth's major bodies of water along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Also known as hurricanes, typhoons, or other names, tropical cyclones have caused significant destruction and loss of human life, resulting in about 2 million deaths since the 19th century. Powerful cyclones that make landfall – moving from the ocean to over land – are some of the most impactful, although that is not always the case. An average of 86 tropical cyclones of tropical storm intensity form annually worldwide, with 47 reaching hurricane/typhoon strength, and 20 becoming intense tropical cyclones, super typhoons, or major hurricanes.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2022. The year began with a La Niña. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. The deadliest weather event of the year were the European heat waves, which killed over 26,000 people, 11,000 of which were in France. The costliest weather event of the year was Hurricane Ian, which caused at least $112.9 billion in damages in Florida and Cuba. Another significant weather event was the Pakistan floods, which killed 1,739 people and a total of $14.9 billion in damages.
The following is a list of weather events in 2019.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2002. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. The deadliest disaster was a heat wave in India in May, which killed more than 1,030 people. The costliest event of the year was a flood in Europe in August, which killed 232 people and caused €27.7 billion (US$27.115 billion) in damage. In September, Typhoon Rusa struck South Korea, killing at least 213 people and causing at least ₩5.148 trillion (US$4.2 billion) in damage.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2014. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. In September, floods in India and Pakistan killed 557 people. The costliest single event was Typhoon Rammasun, which killed 225 people and left over US$8 billion in damage when it moved through the Philippines, China, and Vietnam.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2015. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.
Throughout 2022, floods affected most of Africa, killing over 2,100 people. The worst affected country was Nigeria, with over 610 deaths.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2023. The year saw a transition from La Niña to El Niño, with record high global average surface temperatures. The several weather events which had a significant impact were blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred in 2011. The year began with La Niña conditions. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2005. The year began with a weak El Niño, although this would fade into a neutral phase later in the year. The most common weather events to have a significant impact are blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2003. The most common weather events to have a significant impact are blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. The deadliest event of the year was a European heatwave that killed 72,210 people, which broke several nationwide temperature records.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Global weather by year | ||
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Preceded by 2011 | Weather of 2012 | Succeeded by 2013 |