2019: Flooding
> Location: Missouri, Mississippi Valleys
After being hit by a bomb cyclone that brought heavy snow and blizzard-strength winds, multiple regions, including Missouri and the Mississippi Valley, experienced significant, record-breaking river flooding. The event prompted evacuations, broke levees, and set new record river levels. In Nebraska, losses were estimated at nearly $1 billion due to affected agriculture and livestock.
2019: Cyclone Idai
> Location: Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe
Taking more than 1,000 lives and causing $773 million in damage, Cyclone Idai devastated Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe in 2019. The storm brought torrential rain, flash floods, and damaging winds, affecting millions in the area. Portions of the region are below sea level, which was catastrophic for local agriculture and infrastructure.
24/7 Tempo
2019: Wildfires
> Location: Brazil, Australia, Siberia, Alaska
Wildfires in 2019 spanned the globe, with destructive fires in California. Brazil, Australia, Siberia, and Alaska. In Siberia and Alaska, high temperatures, limited rainfall, high winds, and lightning contributed to the wildfires. One study estimates that wildfires in Brazil killed 17 million animals, and Australia’s bushfires raged into 2020, destroying homes and prompting evacuations.
2020: Two hurricanes
> Location: Central America
The 2020 hurricane season was so prolific that the Greek alphabet was utilized for naming new storms beyond the initial 21 named with the regular alphabet. Two of these were Hurricane Iota and Hurricane Eta, both Category 4 storms that impacted Central America. Hurricane Eta caused the most fatalities of any tropical cyclone in 2020, with 274 dead or missing and $8.3 billion in damages. Hurricane Iota killed 84 and caused $1.4 billion in damages.
2020: Bushfires
> Location: Australia, U.S.
The bushfires in Australia that began in 2019 continued into 2020, burning over 46 million acres and destroying thousands of homes. Meanwhile, extremely high temperatures, low precipitation, and high winds in the Western U.S. triggered devastating wildfires there. In the U.S. 43 fatalities were recorded as a direct result of the wildfires, though additional deaths are attributed to smoke inhalation – smoke lasted for weeks in fire-affected areas.
