Many people would define severe weather in Pennsylvania last year as Sandy in October and maybe the tornadoes around Memorial Day weekend. Those two storms are two of the eleven severe weather events NOAA has determined inflicted more than $1 billion in losses. From these 11 events, NOAA estimates around 350 people were killed.
High winds and storm surge from Sandy caused the most damage, particularly along coastal communities in New York and New Jersey. Pennsylvania had their share of heavy wind and rain while other states got snow in addition to the wind and rain.
The severe storms Pennsylvania experienced in late May were part of 27 confirmed tornadoes which also impacted Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Minnesota, and New York. Two of the tornadoes impacted our area, causing some damage. Severe hail and straight-line winds were also recorded with the storm.
One storm that brushed past Pennsylvania but did significant damage to our region was the derecho that pushed from Illinois to New Jersey. Hurricane-force winds and thunderstorms knocked out power to millions of residents and caused 28 deaths.
This year's list is preliminary and the cost estimates will not be released until later this year. While it seemed like the year was dominated by severe weather, 2011 had 14 severe weather events that had more than $1 billion in losses and damage, and 2010 only had four.
The entire list going back to 1980 is available online.
High winds and storm surge from Sandy caused the most damage, particularly along coastal communities in New York and New Jersey. Pennsylvania had their share of heavy wind and rain while other states got snow in addition to the wind and rain.
The severe storms Pennsylvania experienced in late May were part of 27 confirmed tornadoes which also impacted Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Minnesota, and New York. Two of the tornadoes impacted our area, causing some damage. Severe hail and straight-line winds were also recorded with the storm.
One storm that brushed past Pennsylvania but did significant damage to our region was the derecho that pushed from Illinois to New Jersey. Hurricane-force winds and thunderstorms knocked out power to millions of residents and caused 28 deaths.
This year's list is preliminary and the cost estimates will not be released until later this year. While it seemed like the year was dominated by severe weather, 2011 had 14 severe weather events that had more than $1 billion in losses and damage, and 2010 only had four.
The entire list going back to 1980 is available online.
