2008 - Top Ten International Weather Events

Weatherwise magazine created a list of what they perceived to be the top 10 international weather events of 2008.  I thought you might find this interesting.  Where you see blue text I have provided a link to another website with more information.

Enjoy.... 

1.  Tropical Cyclone Nargis- Nargis struck Myanmar on May 2nd.  Its 12-foot storm surge created catastrophic damage with at least 140,000 dead or missing.  Nargis is Myanmar's deadliest natural disaster and, arguably because of uncertain death totals, the 7th deadliest tropical storm ever.

2.  The 2008 summer monsoon season began early in India and Bangladesh. The wind shift from the northeast to southwest brought moisture rich air and flooding rains from the Indian Ocean. The monsoon rains from July to August caused massive flooding in northern India and Bangladesh, displacing millions of people.

3.  Heavy rains from 4 tropical cyclones (Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike) inundated parts of Haiti in August and September, leaving nearly 800 dead and affecting an estimated 1 million people. 

4.   For the first time on record, 3 major hurricanes (Gustav, Ike, and Paloma) struck Cuba in a singe season, resulting in a tremendous wind and wave damage and estimated property losses of $10 billion.

5.  Severe winter weather in January stranded millions of travelers in China, as heavy snow and ice and the coldest weather in 100 years hit south-central areas.

6.  Unusual cold and snow covered many parts of the Middle East and south Asia in January and February, with snow falling as far south as Baghdad, snarling traffic in Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel.

7.  Drought affected a vast area extending from the eastern Mediterranean to Afghanistan, curtailing water supplies an slashing crop production.  Over 80 percent of Afghanistan’s annual precipitation falls as snow in the Hindu Kush Mountains.  During the 2007-2008 winter less than 25 percent of average accumulated.

8.  An historic drought damaged crops in Argentina.

9.  A strong La Nina disrupted global weather patterns during the 2007-2008 winter and showed signs of redeveloping at the end of 2008.

10. Although heavy monsoon rains caused some flooding, the ample moisture resulted in bumper cropacross western Africa, with above average harvests expected in every Sahelian country.