Nowadays, hurricanes and floods are the most destructive natural phenomena in America. The map below shows the most devastating disasters in every U.S. state.

Most Devastating Natural Disasters in the U.S.

Other natural disasters are less deadly but touch a vast amount of people. For example, one of the recent floods over the Midwest in June 2008 touched more almost 12 million people.

All U.S. states can be grouped into natural disaster regions.

The U.S. Natural Disaster Regions

Deadliest Natural Disaster in Each U.S. State

If you look back in history, hurricanes and tornadoes have always been the deadliest natural phenomena in the southern United States. In contrast, the country’s Midwest and West regions have suffered from snowstorms, fire, and temperature anomalies.

Most Frequent Cause of Weather Fatalities in the U.S.

In recent years according to NOAA, heat is the most lethal type of weather in the United States, killing 130 people each year. Heat is the top cause in central, southern, and western United States parts.

Flooding is the second most dangerous type of weather in the United States (81 deaths per year). Flooding is the most cause of death in the central and eastern parts of the United States.

Hurricanes are the third most deadly type of weather in the U.S. (70 deaths per year). Hurricanes are the most frequent cause in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

The Great Lakes, lake many other northern areas of the country have the top cause of winter weather deaths. Avalanches are the topmost cause of death in most of the Rockies.

Sorrowfully, many such losses often happen in a more common but equally deadly set of natural disasters. Cold and hot waves can worsen diseases amongst children, the aged, or the unhealthy. Such accidents can also prove more lethal to those from lower socio-economic environments as some lack the average to afford heating or air-conditioning in their houses. The most destructive of these cases was a heatwave that struck Missouri, Kansas City, and St Louis in 1980.

A meteorologist Ian Livingston compiled the most frequent cause of weather fatalities ranked by the number of reported incidents in the National Weather Service County Warning Area created an interesting map of the most frequent cause of weather fatalities in America. The map boundaries show the County Warning Area of every 122 National Weather Service offices in the United States.

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Tropical cyclones are fueled by the transfer of heat from the ocean to the atmosphere. Warm, moist air rises rapidly from the ocean’s surface, creating an area of low pressure. As the air rises, it cools and condenses, forming towering cumulonimbus clouds and releasing large amounts of energy in the form of latent heat. This energy drives the strong winds and heavy rainfall associated with tropical cyclones.

The basic structure of a tropical cyclone consists of an organized system of rotating winds around a well-defined center called the eye. The eye is a relatively calm and clear area, typically surrounded by a dense ring of intense thunderstorms known as the eyewall. Beyond the eyewall, there are spiral rainbands that extend outward from the center.

Tropical cyclones can cause significant damage due to their strong winds, storm surge (a rise in sea level), and heavy rainfall, which can lead to flooding. They are classified based on their maximum sustained wind speeds using various scales, such as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (for hurricanes) or the Beaufort scale.

The map of the track of every tropical cyclone can easily be created using ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World and ArcGIS Pro.

The map shows that the Atlantic coast of North America and the Pacific coast of eastern Asia experience the highest number of cyclones in the tropics. Here is the map of tropical cyclone affected areas.

The animation below shows the reported track and intensity of every tropical cyclone reported in the IBTrACS database from 1950 to 2018.

Sustained wind speeds on the map above are presented according to the Saffir-Simpson scale indicating tropical depression (TD), tropical storm (TS), and hurricane-force winds (Categories 1 – 5).

This map clearly illustrates that some ocean basins are highly prone to the formation of tropical cyclones, while other ocean basins see few or no such storms. These differences are generally due to differences in ocean water temperatures and prevailing wind conditions. Cyclone formation is most common in the summer months when ocean water is typically warmer.

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The Enhanced Fujita Scale ranks tornado strength from weakest – an EF0 tornado (wind speeds from 65–85 mph or 29–38 m/s [105–137 km/h])- to strongest – an EF5 tornado (wind speeds of greater than 200 mph o r89 m/s [320 km/h]) based on harm caused to property and infrastructure.

National Weather Service

Over 80 deaths and 1,500 injuries in the U.S. are associated with tornadoes each year. In 2020, tornadoes resulted in about $2.53 billion worth of damage across the nation. The video below shows one of the most extended tracks and duration tornadoes in history formed in Arkansas and ran through 6 U.S. states on November 10, 2021, producing EF-4 damage in countless places along the way.

The map below shows the Tornado Risk Index, representing a community’s relative risk for Tornados compared to the rest of the U.S.

Most tornadoes in the U.S. happen east of the Rocky Mountains. The Great Plains, the Midwest, the Mississippi Valley, and the southern states are the most severely affected tornadoes. This area is also called “Tornado Alley.”

Tornado Alley

The term “Tornado Alley” was first utilized in 1952 as the study project heading to study extreme weather in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. Tornado climatologists indicate intense activity in particular areas, and storm hunters have long determined the Tornado Alley.

U.S. states of the Tornado Valey with the highest average number of tornadoes per 10,000 square miles (25,900 km square kilometers) per year:

According to the publication in Nature, Tornado alley has been moving eastward over the past 40 years.

Track and Peak Intensity of U.S. Tornadoes

The map below created by Robert Rohde shows the approximate track and peak intensity of every tornado recorded in the United States from 1950 to 2017. The data is from the National Weather Service’s archive of Severe Weather Reports.

The map clearly shows the frequency of tornados varies enormously with geographic location across the United States, with the “Tornado alley” and parts of the Gulf Coast being particularly susceptible. However, tornadoes occur at least occasionally in every state shown.

For the most part, tornados travel throughout the tornado valley in west-to-east paths or southwest-to-northeast.

The map below created by Reddit user AJgloe shows the relative frequency of tornadoes by the direction they traveled in the United States over 60 years.

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The map typically divides the world into different seismic zones based on the level of earthquake hazard. These zones are often color-coded, with red or darker colors indicating higher seismic risk and blue or lighter colors representing lower risk.

Seismic hazard is often highest along tectonic plate boundaries, where plates interact and create stress that can lead to earthquakes.

The Global Seismic Hazard Map depicts the geographic distribution of the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) with a 10% possibility of being exceeded in 50 years, calculated for reference rock conditions (shear wave velocity, VS30, of 760-800 m/s). The map below was made by collating maps computed using national and regional probabilistic seismic hazard models produced by different institutions and projects, and by Global Earthquake Model Foundation scientists.

If you liked this map, you may also be interested in the following maps:

• World Map of Volcanoes Earthquakes Impact Craters & Plate Tectonics
• Seismic-Hazard maps for the conterminous United States

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The seismic hazard map of Turkey below highlights areas with different probabilities of seismic events.

One of Turkey’s most dangerous fault lines is the North Anatolian Fault (NAF), which stretches about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) across the country’s north. This highly active strike-slip fault has triggered some of Turkey’s most destructive earthquakes, including the 1999 İzmit earthquake, which killed over 17,000 people. Since the fault runs close to Istanbul, a city of 16 million, experts warn that another major quake in the area is only a matter of time.

Another major fault, the East Anatolian Fault (EAF), cuts through eastern Turkey. This fault was responsible for the February 6, 2023, earthquake (Mw 7.8), which devastated Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep, killing more than 50,000 people and leaving millions homeless.

Off the country’s southwestern coast, the Hellenic Arc Subduction Zone lies beneath the Mediterranean. This underwater fault has caused strong earthquakes and tsunamis, particularly affecting cities along Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines.

The Devastation of the 2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake

The February 6, 2023, earthquake was one of the deadliest in Turkey’s history. Striking at 4:17 AM, when most people were asleep, it flattened buildings in minutes. Rescue efforts lasted weeks, with thousands left homeless in freezing temperatures.

With over 50,000 deaths and $100 billion in damages, it was a tragic reminder of Turkey’s vulnerability to seismic disasters.

What’s Next?

Scientists warn that another major earthquake could strike within the next few decades, particularly near Istanbul. Many buildings in high-risk zones remain structurally weak, increasing the danger.

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According to the National Lightning Safety Council, since 2006, Florida has had 94 lightning deaths. Texas is way behind at 41. Then Colorado with 25, Alabama with 23, and North Carolina with 22. Meanwhile, Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire, and Washington? Zero deaths in that entire time.

Looking at the lightning strike density map created by Reddit user: adkinsadam1, Florida lives up to its reputation. The state has the highest lightning strike density in the US—more strikes per square kilometer than anywhere else. The peninsula sits between the Gulf and the Atlantic, so sea breezes from both sides crash into each other over hot land, spawning storms almost daily in summer. Combined with millions of people at the beach or outside doing something year-round, that creates constant exposure to risk.

The National Lightning Detection Network tracks actual strikes. You’ll see clusters in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, through the Midwest. Compare this to the fatality map, though—they don’t line up the way you’d expect. Where lightning strikes most often isn’t necessarily where people are getting killed.

Men get hit four times more often than women. The typical victim is around 37. June, July, August—these three months account for over 70% of deaths. What were they doing? Fishing and boating cause 14% of deaths. Leisure activities overall? 63%. The National Lightning Safety Council lists fishing, beach time, boating, and camping as your highest risks. Yard work accounts for 20% of deaths, with farmers and ranchers getting hit more than most.

Water activities are especially dangerous. You’re stuck out in the open. The boat motor or crashing waves drown out thunder. By the time you notice the storm building, you’ve got to get back to shore first.

Staying Safe

The 30-30 rule. See a flash? Start counting. Hear thunder before 30 seconds pass? Get inside. Lightning strikes can happen 10 miles away from the main storm, even when it’s not raining where you are.

Rain stopped? Don’t go back out yet. Give it 30 minutes from the last thunder. Half the people killed by lightning die after they assume it’s safe. You need an actual building. Four walls, roof, preferably with plumbing or wiring. If it has plumbing or wiring, even better—that gives electricity a path to ground. Your car counts as safe too, just don’t touch metal parts. Park pavilions and dugouts won’t cut it.

Stuck outside? Nothing you can do will make a thunderstorm safe when you’re exposed. Remember that crouch position some people talk about? It doesn’t help. Won’t save you from current running through the ground or electricity arcing off a nearby tree .Your only real option is heading for shelter. In a group? Don’t bunch up—put 50 to 100 feet (15-30 m) between people. Get away from anything tall and isolated. Standing alone in a field? Keep moving. Get off the water immediately. The key is getting to actual shelter as fast as possible.

Here’s some good news: deaths have been dropping. Last year only 12 people died from lightning versus the typical 20 per year average we’ve seen over two decades. People are catching on. When you hear thunder, go inside. Your golf round can wait. So can that fish you were about to catch.

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Source: usgs.gov

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– Hurricane Irma Photo Map
– Harvey, Katia, and Irma sure did churn up and heat from the oceans into the form of kinetic energy

The post Where and when rivers flooded from Hurricane Irma appeared first on Vivid Maps.

The post Harvey, Katia, and Irma sure did churn up and heat from the oceans into the form of kinetic energy appeared first on Vivid Maps.

The post A Hurricane by any other name appeared first on Vivid Maps.

Under favorable conditions, Irma rapidly intensified shortly after formation, becoming a Category 2 hurricane within a mere 24 hours. It became a Category 3 hurricane (and therefore a major hurricane) shortly afterward; however, the intensity fluctuated for the next several days due to a series of eyewall replacement cycles. On September 5, Irma became a Category 5 hurricane, and by early the next day, Irma reached peak intensity with 185 mph (295 km/h) winds and a minimum pressure of 914 mbar (914 hPa; 27.0 inHg). This ties it as the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane by wind speed, surpassed only by Allen of 1980 which reached wind speeds of 190 mph (310 km/h). However, Irma sustained these 185 mph winds for 37 hours, setting a record above Allen, which had sustained 180 mph (290 km/h) winds for 18 hours. In addition, Irma achieved one of the longest durations of Category 5 strength winds ever on record. Irma’s low pressure also makes it the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2017 so far.

It caused catastrophic damage in Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands as a Category 5 with winds of 185 mph (295 km/h). Irma was the strongest hurricane to strike the northern Leeward Islands and one of the worst storms to hit the region, along with Hurricane Donna in 1960 and Hurricane Luis in 1995. As of September 9, the hurricane has caused at least 24 deaths.

Size of Hurricane Irma vs Europe

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