July 3, 2013

Weather extremes unprecedented in records kept since 1850 pummeled Earth during the decade of 2001-2010, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported today. The decade was the warmest for both hemispheres and for both land and ocean surface temperatures. The year 2010 was the warmest ever recorded, with an average temperature estimated at 1 Fahrenheit degree (0.54 Celsius degree) above the long-term average during the 1961-1990 base period. More national temperature records were reported broken than in any previous decade.

Extreme heat waves, particularly in Europe in 2003 and in Russia in 2010, caused a record number of deaths. The record high temperatures were accompanied by the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice, Antarctic ice sheets, and Greenland glacier ice. As a result, global mean sea levels rose during the 2001-2010 decade by 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) per year–about double the average rise of 1/16 inch (1.6 millimeters) during the 20th century.

Scientists believe that higher ocean temperatures are generating hurricanes of greater severity. (AP/Wide World)

The authors of the report analyzed trends, both global and regional, and such extreme events as Hurricane Katrina, floods in Pakistan, and droughts in the Amazon, Australia and East Africa. They noted that the decade of 2001-2010 was also the second wettest since 1901 and that 2010 was the wettest year ever recorded. They attribute the unprecedented weather extremes mainly to greenhouse gases generated by human action.

Additional World Book articles:

• Global warming
• Australia 2008 (a Back in Time article)
• Australia 2009 (a Back in Time article)
• Australia 2010 (a Back in Time article)
• Europe 2003 (a Back in Time article)
• Russia 2010 (a Back in Time article)
• Twisted–More Terrible Storms (a special report)

August 29, 2012

Hurricane Isaac barreled into the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, bringing storm surges, heavy rains, stiff winds, flooding, and threats of tornadoes. The Category 1 hurricane, which struck parts of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, was expected to reach New Orleans late this evening, seven years to the day that Hurricane Katrina slammed into the city. One of the most destructive storms in United States history, Katrina killed about 1,800 people and caused about $100 billion in damage. About 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded as parts of the city’s system of levees (flood barriers) failed. Most of the approximately 1,500 Louisianians who died because of the storm were from New Orleans.

Isaac made its first landfall at about 7:45 p.m. (EDT), about 95 miles (153 kilometers) south of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish. The storm then wobbled westward and back into the gulf but returned for a second landfall at 3 a.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, near Port Fourchon, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of New Orleans. Heavy rainfall and storm surges along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Mississippi caused flooding as deep as 14 feet (4 meters) in some areas, sending residents who chose not to evacuate to the rooftops of their houses. Local residents and members of the National Guard mounted rescue operations in Plaquemines Parish, where a 12-foot (3.6-meter) storm surge overtopped (flowed over) an 18-mile (5.4-meter) section of levee.

By midday Tuesday, the slow-moving storm had essentially stalled, leading forecasters to predict that heavy rains would pound the area for several days. New Orleans could receive up to 20 inches (51 centimeters), said an official with the National Weather Service. Residents and officials in New Orleans were keeping a close eye on the city’s levees and pumps, which had undergone a $14-billion federal upgrade after the flood protection system had failed catastrophically during the much-stronger Hurricane Katrina.

A street intersection lies flooded near downtown New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck the city in August 2005. The hurricane caused many deaths and widespread damage. A combination of storm surge (a rapid rise in water levels produced when winds drive ocean waters ashore), heavy rainfall, and broken levees (walls to prevent flooding) caused water to cover most of the city. (© Chris Graythen, Getty Images)

Ahead of Isaac’s arrival, the governors of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi ordered mandatory evacuations in some counties. The next day, U.S. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Louisiana. troops were placed on stand-by alert to help communities affected by the storm. New Orleans officials also declared a state of emergency and provided buses for people to wished to leave their homes voluntarily.

Before hitting the Gulf Coast, Isaac–then a tropical storm–had lashed central and southern Florida with heavy rains and strong winds. The storm also caused the deaths of 24 people in Haiti and widespread damage along that country’s southern coast. The storm left 5 people dead in neighboring Dominican Republic.

Additional World Book articles:

• Corps of Engineers
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• The Second Battle of New Orleans (a Special Report)
• City (2005) (a Back in Time article)
• Safety (2005) (a Back in Time article)