Worst Climate-Related Disasters Since 2010

Torrential downpours during monsoon season caused deadly flooding in Kerala, India. The precipitation event triggered mudslides, killing more than 324 people, displacing at least 1.4 million, and costing $3.7 billion in losses. While climate change contributed to the low pressure system that made the monsoon storm worse, environmental scientists also pointed to deforestation as a cause of the excessive destruction.

The cause of a 14-foot storm surge and extreme winds, Hurricane Michael was rated Category 5 when it made landfall in Florida, one of only four storms of that strength to reach U.S. land since 1850. It continued into Georgia at Category 3 strength, spawning damaging tornadoes. The hurricane caused at least 43 fatalities and more than $5.7 billion worth of damage.

The summers of 2018 and 2019 broke heat records in Germany, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Paris hit its highest temperature of 108.7°F in July of 2019, and there were over 3,951 heat wave-related deaths in Europe that summer. These high temperatures are part of a bigger trend, with a study on the Northern Hemisphere heat waves calling the phenomena a “new climate regime.”

Dorian caused catastrophic damage in the Bahamas, mainly in Abaco and eastern Grand Bahama Islands, where at least 74 people died and a total damage estimated at $3.4 billion. After hitting the Bahamas, Dorian swept through the North Carolina Outer Banks in September, 2019, resulting in a large storm surge, high winds, and tornadoes. Hit especially hard was Ocracoke Island, where many of the homes were destroyed. The storm caused three fatalities in North Carolina as well as $1.6 billion in damage.

Residents of the U.S. Midwest and Canadians in the mid and eastern parts of the country experienced temperatures that were colder than parts of Antarctica during the 2019 Polar Vortex. Wind chills resulted in temperatures of -30 to -60 degrees Fahrenheit. At least eight deaths and 50 cases of frostbite were recorded. In some places, schools closed, the U.S. Postal Service was forced to pause deliveries, flights were grounded, and local businesses halted operations. The cold weather also affected Southern states like Alabama and Mississippi.