Weather & Natural Hazards Facts

Weather & Natural Hazards -Facts & Statistics

Every once in a while, nature seems to rise up against us. From Tornadoes to lightning to floods to hurricanes and earthquakes, mother nature sometimes gets a little cranky. Here are some facts and statistics regarding weather and natural hazards:

1. On average, there are about 1,000 tornadoes which form in the U.S. each year, killing around 60 people. On average, about one out of every 100 thunderstorms in the USA produces a tornado.

2. Tornado warnings average 13 minutes of lead time and come with a 70% false alarm rate.

3. Nightime tornadoes are 2 1/2 times more likely to kill than those that occur during daylight.

4. A mere 6 inches of fast moving water is enough to knock down an adult. Two feet of moving water can float most cars. Nearly half of all flash flood fatalities each year are vehicle related, and most occur at night, when people unsuspectingly drive onto a flooded road or washed out bridge,

5. There are an average of 8,44 hurricanes each year.

6. The top 5 causes of death from natural hazards (all ages) are 1) Heat, drought: 19.6% 2) Winter Weather: 18.1% 3) Flooding: 14.0% 4) Lightning: 11.3% 5) Other severe weather: 18.8%. Combined there have been roughly 20,000 deaths from these causes from 1970-2004, or just under 1,000 weather-related deaths each year.

7. Nine out of 10 hurricane deaths are due to drowning.

8. Floods are the #1 cause of death from extreme weather around the world. In the United States, 60% of all flood fatalities die in their cars.

9. Tornadoes are rated by their intensity according to the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which is as follows:EFO: Winds up to 85 miles per hour.

EF1:Winds 86 to 110 miles per hour. EF2: Winds from 111 to 135 miles per hour. EF3: Winds from 136 to 165 miles per hour. EF4: Winds from 166 to 200 miles per hour. EF5: The most severe of all, with winds of 201 miles per hour to those exceeding 300 miles per hour.

References:
1. Federal Storm Prediction Center
2. VORTEX2 planning documents; Jeff Martin, "Tornado Hunters roam the plains," USA Today, 5-19-09, p. 3A
3. National Science Foundation; USA Today, 4-14-08, p. 8A)
4. National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center
5. Scientific American, "Hurricane Hubbub," August 2008, Vol. 299(2):34
6. Science News, "Science stats: death from natural hazards," Vol. 175 (2)-: 4, January 17, 2009
7. Discovery, "Raging Planet: Hurricanes," 8-16-09
8. Discovery, "Raging Planet: Floods," 8-16-09
9. Discovery, "Raging Planet: Tornadoes," 8-16-09

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