Winter storms now are almost always blizzards because they are accompanied by high winds. Take winter storm Nemo, for example, which hit the New England states on February 9, 2013. Over 700,000 people lost power. On Long Island, upwards of 40,000 people lost power, with downed wires from tree limbs and heavy snows being cited as the primary reason. Four states declared states of emergency – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York.

They all experienced extreme snowfall with records being set in many areas. Bridgeport, Connecticut, which got got 30″, now has 51 inches for the year, which is 35 inches above normal to date. It was the largest snowstorm ever recorded at Upton, Connecticut – 30.9″, and it was Portland Maine’s biggest snowstorm at 31.9″.

The greatest amount of snow fell in Hamden, Conn. – 40″. Total snowfall in Boston, Massachusetts reached 24.9 inches, the fifth-highest total ever recorded in the city. Roads and airports were closed. Trains stopped running. Hurricane-force wind gusts were recorded, reaching 102 mph in Nova Scotia, 89 mph at Mount Desert Rock, Maine, and 84 mph off the coast of Cuttyhunk, Massachusett. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts experienced an automatic shutdown on February 8 after losing off-site power. At least eighteen deaths were attributed to the storm.

On Feb 21 a massive winter storm spanning 20 states dumped more than a foot of snow in some places and brought life to a standstill in parts of the central United States. About 60 million people – 20% of the U.S. population – were under winter weather warnings, watches and advisories in the 750,000 square miles affected. This storm system gave Kansas some of the highest snowfall amounts in history. The Wichita Mid-Continent Airport recorded 14.2 inches of snow, an amount only topped by a storm in 1962 that left them covered in 15 inches of snow. This storm also brought reports of thundersnow, snowfall accompanied by thunder and lightning.

The storm resulted in dangerous travel conditions that left many stranded. Highways were closed across the state. A plane from Denver become stuck in the snow on the tarmac at the Wichita airport. The Kansas City International Airport shut down altogether, canceling nearly 2,000 flights. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency. Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James also declared a state of emergency. Kansas City International Airport shut down because of the weather. The city picked up 7.6 inches of snow, a record daily snowfall, the National Weather Service said.

Record snowfalls accompanied by high winds – blizzard conditions – these are some of the manifestations of global warming. In the summer record rainfall precipitation events are often accompanied by high winds and tornadoes. This is becoming the norm these days. Connecticut has been pummeled especially badly.

In an interview on the Rachel Maddow Show after Superstorm Sandy which occurred in October, 2012, Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy said, “This is the third time … in one year we’ve been through this. We got banged up very badly a year ago with Irene, much worse than other states. Six weeks later we had a winter storm that wiped us out. We actually had 1.1 million people in our little state without power. Tonight we have over 600,00 people without power. Some of our towns were affected by all three of those events and some of those towns had 97% of people without power each and every time in the last year.” Hundreds of thousands without power is becoming typical of both summer and winter storms because of the high winds associated with them.

The United States was subjected to many severe climate-related weather events over the past two years. In 2011 there were 14 extreme weather events — floods, drought, storms, and wildfires — that each caused at least $1 billion in damage. There were another 11 such disasters in 2012.

From 2011 to 2012 these 25 “billion-dollar damage” weather events in the United States are estimated to have caused up to $188 billion in total damage. The two costliest events were the September 2012 drought — the worst drought in half a century, which baked nearly two-thirds of the continental United States — and superstorm Sandy, which battered the northeast coast in late October 2012.

Here is an update of vital extreme weather event data:

⦁ 67 percent of U.S. counties and 43 states were affected by “billion-dollar damage” extreme weather events in 2011 and 2012.

⦁ 1,107 fatalities resulted from these 25 extreme weather events in 2011 and 2012.

⦁ Up to $188 billion in damage was caused by these severe weather events in 2011 and 2012.

⦁ $50,346.58 was the average household income in counties declared a disaster due to these weather events—3 percent below the U.S. median household income of $51,914.

⦁ 356 all-time high temperature records were broken in 2012.

⦁ 34,008 daily high temperature records were set or tied throughout 2012, compared to just 6,664 daily record lows—a ratio of 5-to-1.

⦁ 19 states had their warmest year ever in 2012.

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John Lawrence

John Lawrence graduated from Georgia Tech, Stanford and University of California at San Diego. While at UCSD, he was one of the original writer/workers on the San Diego Free Press in the late 1960s. He founded the San Diego Jazz Society in 1984 which had grants from the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and presented both local and nationally known jazz artists. John received a Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego chapter, 2014 award. His website is Social Choice and Beyond which exemplifies his interest in Economic Democracy. His book is East West Synthesis. He also blogs at Will Blog For Food. He can be reached at j.c.lawrence@cox.net.

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