A crippling and historic blizzard, sometimes referred to as Snowzilla, affected the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It originated from a low pressure system developing in the Southeast on January 22 and rapidly intensified as it moved along the Mid-Atlantic on January 23. Blizzard conditions were noted in New York City, Long Island, northeast New Jersey, and southwest Connecticut. Central Park saw 27.5in (70cm) of snow, the largest snowstorm to hit New York City since record began in 1869.[1] At Reagan National Airport, 17.8in (45cm) of snow was measured, while Dulles International Airport measured 29.3in (74cm), the second largest on record.[2]
Floods
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As the year began, a tropical low was over Australia,[6] and Cyclone Ula was moving toward Tonga.[7] Ula was followed by another 16tropical cyclones,[8][9] including Cyclone Winston, which was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere on record, with 10minute sustained winds of 280km/h (175mph), and a minimum pressure of 884mbar (26.1inHg). At peak intensity, Winston made landfall on Fiji, the strongest ever to hit the country, and one of the strongest landfalls worldwide on record.[10][11] Damage in Fiji totaled FJ$2.98billion (US$1.4billion), and 44people were killed.[12][13] In the Australian basin, there were 16tropical cyclones, which made it the least-active season on record.[8][9][14][15] Activity in the south-west Indian Ocean was also below average, with just tropical cyclones. Among these were Cyclone Fantala in April, which reached 10minute sustained winds of 250km/h (155mph) while near the Seychelles, making it the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the basin.[16][17]
The first northern hemisphere tropical cyclone was Hurricane Pali, a rare off-season hurricane which formed on January7 southwest of Hawaii.[18] There were an additional 22tropical cyclones in the north-east Pacific Ocean during the year, including Hurricane Otto, which crossed from the Caribbean Sea in November, killing 23people in Central America.[19] Otto was the last of 16tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. The first, Alex, was a rare January hurricane which hit the Azores.[20] The strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year was Matthew, which attained 1minute sustained winds of 165mph (270km/h) in the Caribbean. Matthew killed 603people and left at least US$15billion in damage after its path through Haiti, Cuba, The Bahamas, and offshore the southeastern United States.[21][22] In August, Hurricane Earl killed 81people in southeast Mexico after it struck Belize.[23] In September, Hurricane Hermine made landfall just east of St. Marks, Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of 80mph (130km/h), making it the first hurricane to hit Florida since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.[24]
In the north Indian Ocean, there were ten tropical cyclones.[19] Among these were Cyclone Roanu in May, which killed 135people in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, causing over US$2billion in damage.[25][26][27][28] In contrast to the unusually early start to activity in the north-east Pacific and the Atlantic, the first tropical cyclone in the north-west Pacific did not develop until May25, when a tropical depression formed. It was the first of 51tropical cyclones during the year. The strongest of the year was Typhoon Meranti, which reached 10minute sustained winds of 220km/h (140mph) while moving through the Batanes in the Philippines. Meranti later struck China, and along its path it killed 47people, with US$4.79billion in damage.[29][30][31][32] In July, Typhoon Nepartak killed 111people and left US$1.89billion in damage when it struck Taiwan and southeastern China.[33][34][35] In August, Typhoon Lionrock became the first storm on record to strike the Tōhoku region of Japan, with 22deaths in the country and 525deaths from flooding in North Korea.[36][37]
Timeline
This is a timeline of weather events during 2016. Please note that entries might cross between months, however, all entries are listed by the month they started.
January 12–17 - Hurricane Alex kills one person, and becomes the first Hurricane in January in the Atlantic since 1938.[38]
January 21–29 - A historical blizzard, the most recent to be rated a category 5 on the regional snowfall index scale, causes 55 deaths and between $500 million and $3 billion in damage.
May 1 –2016 Fort McMurray wildfire: a wildfire erupts after record high temperatures in April in northern Alberta, forcing the evacuation of the entire city of Fort McMurray in Alberta. It is the largest mass evacuation in Canadian history. The wildfire destroys more than 3000 buildings, burns nearly 600,000 hectares of land, and causes nearly $10 billion in damages. The wildfire is the costliest natural disaster in Canadians history.[39]
May 7–10 - A tornado outbreak of 57 tornadoes caused 2 deaths, 19 injuries and $1 billion in damage.
June 23 - The Jiangsu tornado in China caused 98 deaths and 846 injuries,[40] amounting to $760 million in damage.[41] The tornado was rated EF4. Another unrated tornado caused an additional fatality.
July
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August
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September 9 - Philadelphia, for the first time in history, has a low above 80°F (27°C) in September. The high that day also set a record at 96°F (36°C).[42]
September 28 – October 10 - Hurricane Matthew unleashes catastrophic damage across the Caribbean (especially in Haiti), and the Southeastern United States, causing 603 deaths and $16.47 billion in damage.
October
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November 27–30 - A tornado outbreak that unleashes 48 tornadoes caused 6 deaths and 55 injuries. It also caused at least $3.7 million in damage according to NOAA, and $275 million according to Aon.
↑"South Carolina Event Report: EF1 Tornado" (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Charleston, South Carolina. 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
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