For years now we have been told that due to mankind’s addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and presumed resultant warming of the atmosphere, the Earth would be subject to increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. This was certainly demonstrated in An Inconvenient Truth as Al Gore stands in front of a NASA image of Hurricane Katrina, with the obvious implication that the storm was our fault.
Now, while the storm itself was an entirely natural occurrence, the degree of devastation wrought upon the city of New Orleans was indeed the result of human ineptitude, or was at the least substantially aggravated by human action, as exemplified in Government response on all levels, before, during and after the actual onset of the storm itself. But that is a story for another place.
Here I intend only to address the question of intensity and frequency of weather events before they could be blamed upon any meaningful anthropogenic increase of CO2 to the atmosphere. So, to that end I have compiled a broad sample of events in the several centuries leading up to a point prior to any belief that the planet was warming due to the burning of fossil fuels, placed somewhat arbitrarily at 1965. I could have come closer to the present, up to the 1980s for example, but I wanted to stay well short of the advent of global warming dogma in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Another thing is, I could have added many more events than the ones listed here but I think there are enough that any unprejudiced reader will get the point. Suffice it to say that extreme weather and climate change events have occurred on all timescales throughout the history of the Earth. Here I am listing only those events that are a part of the human scale experience of recent history. Please read through the list carefully to gain a realistic context for understanding the claim that some contemporary flood, storm, hurricane or drought is anthropogenically caused and unprecedented.
Whatever may or may not be true regarding the global warming creed, it is certainly not true that the last several decades have seen an increase in either the severity or frequency of weather or climate related events. In fact, a considerable amount of evidence points in the opposite direction.
I provide most of my sources at the end of the list.
– Randall Carlson
Extreme Climate and Weather Related Events Prior to the Advent of
Significant Amounts of Anthropogenic CO2 to the Global Atmosphere
[meteor_slideshow slideshow=”extreme-storms”]
Extreme cyclonic storm, Dartmoor England – Oct. 21, 1638: Violent tornado like storm throwing fireballs demolishes a church while in service, killing about 50 parishioners, spawns legends attributing the freak storm to the devil.
Extreme hurricane strikes Guadeloupe – Aug. 4, 1666: Six foot thick rock walls smashed to rubble by gigantic sea wave, dozens of ships demolished and sunk, thousands drown.
Savage Atlantic hurricane – Nov. 1703: Pounds coastal England for fourteen days. Giant waves flood the Thames River, some 300 ships and 30,000 sailors are lost in the storm. Many ships thrown up onto land by the huge waves, thousands of casualties and drowned cattle.
Severe hurricane sinks Spanish flotilla off coast of Florida – July 31, 1715: Preceded by a strange mist that envelops the fleet, 100 mph winds destroy a Spanish fleet of 11 treasure laden ships within 5 minutes, more than 1,000 men are killed.
Powerful cyclone, Bay of Bengal India – Oct. 7, 1737: Huge cyclone drives a 40 foot high storm wave across densely populated land near mouth of Hooghly River, engulfing seaport, destroying 20,000 ships and drowning 300,000 people.
Alabama struck by powerful back to back hurricanes — 1740
Devastating drought induced famine in Hindustan, India – 1769 – 1770: No rain for a year and a half wipes out entire province, 3,000,000 die of starvation and disease. When crops finally return no one remains to harvest them and they rot in the fields.
Powerful hurricane strikes North Carolina – Sept. 1 – 3, 1772: Eastern seaboard devastated under massive hurricane, 15 large frigates ripped from their moorings and thrown inland for several miles.
Savanna-La-Mar Hurricane – October 3, 1780: Entire port town of Savanna-La-Mar, Jamaica is swept away by a powerful storm, 763 people perish. [pullquote]Savanna-La-Mar Hurricane – October 3, 1780: Entire port town of Savanna-La-Mar, Jamaica is swept away by a powerful storm, 763 people perish.
[/pullquote]
Great hurricane, Caribbean – Oct. 10, 1780: Gigantic hurricane unleashes its fury across the West Indies. Every tree and building on the island of Barbados is destroyed, 6,000 are killed. On Martinique 40 ships in a French fleet are demolished and 4,000 soldiers drown, 20 villages are completely destroyed along with 9,000 people. The storm is so violent it actually causes earthquakes.
Cyclone, Coringa, India – 1789: The storm surge from an intense cyclone kills 20,000.
Extreme hurricane blasts Savannah – Sept. 12, 1804: 100+ mile per hour winds flatten forests and a military fort, tossing 4,800 pound cannons hundreds of feet into the air. Sweeping north it devastates Charleston, wrecking dozens of ships and sinking five. It continues north to New England crushing forests and houses along the way.
Hurricane, West Indies, Barbados, Louisiana – Aug. 10-11, 1831: Barbados is laid waste by intense, destructive storm that destroys virtually all trees and vegetation on the island. 1,500 killed, damage at $7.5 million.
Cyclone, Coringa, India – November 16 – 25, 1839: Extreme winds and storm surge destroys 25,000 ships and vessels and kills 300,000 people.
Alabama again struck by back to back hurricanes – 1860
Savage Cyclone wipes out Calcutta, India – Oct. 5, 1864: Intense winds drive a 40 foot sea wave into Calcutta harbor, destroying more than 200 ships, submerging the city and instantly drowning more than 50,000 inhabitants. Destruction of the water system brings on disease which kills another 30,000 within a few weeks.
[pullquote]Savage Cyclone wipes out Calcutta, India – Oct. 5, 1864: Intense winds drive a 40 foot sea wave into Calcutta harbor, destroying more than 200 ships, submerging the city and instantly drowning more than 50,000 inhabitants. Destruction of the water system brings on disease which kills another 30,000 within a few weeks.[/pullquote]
Great Bahama Hurricane of 1866: – Slams into Inagua Island with 145 mph winds, 16 foot storm surges drives ships onto reef heads, uproots great trees, and smashes buildings to the ground. At least 220 people perish when they are buried under rubble or are swept out to sea.
Intense hurricane, Nova Scotia, Canada – Aug. 24 – 25, 1873: Utterly destroys the harbors of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and Newfoundland. Over 1000 ships sink, or are torn apart. 600 lives are lost.
Cyclone, Backergunge, India – Oct. 31, 1876: Massive cyclone with sustained wind speeds of 150 mph, smashes into the Bay of Bengal region of India, instantly drowning 100,000 people, 100,000 additional deaths due to disease spread by the storm. The storm surge totally washes away some 1700 buildings.
Freak gale of Feb. 21-22, 1879: pushes massive waves against Gloucester, Massachusetts. 15 ships in harbor are overturned by the intense wind, drowning 157 men.
Drought and massive famine, China – 1877 – 1878: Failure of monsoons for three years straight triggers devastating famine in 4 provinces of northern China. Between 10 and 13 million perish. Widespread cannibalism, suicides, mass death with millions of rotting corpses. Nearby provinces experience crop destroying floods.
[pullquote]Cyclone, Coringa, India – November 16 – 25, 1839: Extreme winds and storm surge destroys 25,000 ships and vessels and kills 300,000 people.[/pullquote]
Northwest coast of Australia (Queensland) hit by extreme Category 5 cyclone – Jan. 7, 1881: Winds up to 170 mph, pressure reading of 27.00 inches, every single building in the town of Cossack (over 1000) has its roof blown off, 19 ft storm surge smashes into the harbor destroying boats, killing at least 230 people, 30 foot storm waves destroy many fishing boats.
Great Bombay Cyclone – June 6, 1882: 110 mph winds with an 18-foot storm surge claim more than 100,000 lives in Bombay, India.
Devastating tornado, Iowa – June 17, 1882: wipes away the towns of Grinnel, Mount Pleasant, Malcolm and Brooklyn, Iowa. Tornado cuts a swath over 90 miles long, moving at 56 miles per hour.
Severe Hurricane, Louisiana – Oct. 1, 1893: Produces tidal wave 12 feet high, many ships lost, millions in property damage, 2,000 dead.
Huge Tornado strikes St. Louis Missouri – May 27, 1896: Causes 255 deaths and 2.54 billion in damages adjusted for inflation.
Massive Yellow River flood, China – Spring 1887: Heavy rains cause the Yellow River to burst its banks, 600 towns and villages washed away, 1500 villages inundated by 40 to 50 feet of water. Estimated deaths: 1.5 to 7 million.
Drought induced famine, India – 1898: Intense drought affects some 300,000 square miles of southern and western India and the Punjab, causes widespread crop failures two years in a row. More than a million people starve to death, over 60 million people are severely affected.
Horrific drought in India –1899 – 1900: Millions die of starvation, millions more die of disease and prolonged famine.
Violent typhoon, Hong Kong, China – Sept. 18, 1906: 10,000 are killed, Hong Kong is totally wrecked, one and two thousand ton ships are picked up by the winds and tossed about, other ships are demolished and sink.
Lethal famine in China in 1907: A poor harvest year is coupled with a massive storm that floods 40,000 square miles of prime agricultural land. 5000 people die in the storm, an estimated 25 million die of starvation in the subsequent harvest failures.
Hurricane gale, sinks 9,339 ton liner Waratah – July 28, 1909: 465 foot ship vanishes without a trace in a great storm. All 211 passengers and crew are lost.
Giant Hurricane smashes into Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama – Sept. 10 – 20, 1909: 350 killed, Mississippi River rises 3 feet when dikes give way, New Orleans inundated, several smaller towns utterly flattened.
Enormous Floods, Yangtze River, China – Sept. 1911: Seven hundred square miles of 4 provinces and the city of Shanghai are inundated when the river bursts its embankments, immediately drowning 100,000 people, starvation soon kills another 100,000, more than half a million refugees. [pullquote]Enormous Floods, Yangtze River, China – Sept. 1911: Seven hundred square miles of 4 provinces and the city of Shanghai are inundated when the river bursts its embankments, immediately drowning 100,000 people, starvation soon kills another 100,000, more than half a million refugees.[/pullquote]
Intense hurricane, Jamaica – Nov. 18, 1912: Multiple hurricanes pummel Jamaica in 1912. The fiercest has 120 mile per hour winds accompanied by massive tidal waves.
Mass Flooding, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois – March 25, 1913: Intense, prolonged rains cause swollen rivers in Ohio to burst their banks, breaching dikes and levees. Dayton, Ohio is under 12 feet of water, 125,000 residents take refuge on rooftops and up in trees. It is estimated that 18 billion tons of rainwater fall on Ohio over three days. 70,000 people instantly rendered homeless. 500 people die in floods which inundate over 1,000 miles of the Ohio River basin. 175,000 people are ultimately left homeless, $147 million in damage.
Devastating floods, Otay Valley California – Jan. 1916: Massive, freakish rainfalls for several weeks, some measuring up to 395 cubic feet per second per square mile overwhelm the Otay River and tributaries, breaking the Otay dam and releasing a flood that destroys millions of dollars’ worth of homes and crops.
Massive storm spawns multiple tornadoes, Midwest USA – May 26-27, 1917: Deadly tornadoes tear across Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. 350 killed, whole towns leveled.
Hurricane, Corpus Christi, Texas – Sept. 14, 1919: Massive storm swallows 10 ships, the Spanish liner Valbanera being the largest, with 400 passengers and 88 crew members, 16 foot waves engulf Corpus Christi.
Dozens of savage tornados strike Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Dakota and Nebraska – March 28, 1920: Chicago suffers massive destruction, over 220 deaths are recorded throughout the region.
Tornado swarm devastates southern U.S. – April 15 – 16, 1921: 30 tornadoes over two days causes widespread damage.
Massive snowstorm, Eastern U.S.A. – Jan. 27 – 29, 1922: Rages from South Carolina to Massachusetts, buildings collapse from the weight of snow, theater in Wash. D.C. collapses killing 98 people.
Giant Tornado – Missouri, March 18, 1925: Mile wide tornado begins its rampage in Annapolis, Missouri, cuts a swath for 219 miles to Petersburg, Indiana, 689 people killed, more than one half billion dollars in damages.
Hurricane, Florida – Sept. 15 – 22, 1926: Florida devastated from Miami to Palm Beach, 450 killed, thousands injured, 135 mph winds, over 100 million in damages.
Hurricane, Cuba – Oct. 20, 1926: 130 mph winds kill 650 people, 25 foot waves, 10,000 homeless and $100 million in damages
Enormous cluster of tornadoes in midwest U.S.A. – May 9, 1927: 36 tornadoes in one day ravage the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and Missouri. Town of Poplar Bluff, Missouri is wiped off the map by a tornado traveling over 50 mph.
Huge killer hurricane – Sept. 10 – 16, 1928: Extraordinarily powerful hurricane with diameter of 230 miles and eyewall winds of 500 mph devastates the Lesser Antilles, the Bahamas, Florida and Atlantic coast of the USA up to Cape Hatteras. Every building in Guadeloupe is flattened, 284,000 are rendered homeless in Puerto Rico. 21 miles of dikes around Lake Okeechobee, Florida are destroyed, flooding large areas and killing thousands. [pullquote]Huge killer hurricane – Sept. 10 – 16, 1928:Extraordinarily powerful hurricane with diameter of 230 miles and eyewall winds of 500 mph devastates the Lesser Antilles, the Bahamas, Florida and Atlantic coast of the USA up to Cape Hatteras. Every building in Guadeloupe is flattened, 284,000 are rendered homeless in Puerto Rico. 21 miles of dikes around Lake Okeechobee, Florida are destroyed, flooding large areas and killing thousands.[/pullquote]
Decade of the 1930s: Devastating drought affects North American heartland from 1931 through the end of the decade. Most severe years are from 1934 to 1936.
Powerful hurricane batters Belize – Sept. 10, 1931: 132 mph winds pulverize dozens of ships, flooding Belize and drowning 1,500 people in a matter of minutes.
Devastating tornadoes, Alabama – March 21-22, 1932: At least one dozen violent tornadoes devastate 5 states in addition to Alabama, including Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia. Hundreds of homes demolished, 268 killed.
Bahamas struck by 5 major hurricanes – 1933.
Massive hurricane pounds El Salvador and Western Honduras – June 8, 1934: Many ships sink, massive downpour of rain, rivers overrun their banks by 45 feet, thousands drown.
Extreme drought in Nevada – Summer, 1934: Worst drought in state history devastates livestock industry, Lake Tahoe at its all time lowest, Lake Washoe completely dries up.
Typhoon hits Osaka, Japan – Sept. 21, 1934: 125 mile per hour winds devastate Osaka, more than 80 schools are demolished killing 420 children and injuring 1000. 200 patients at a Leper hospital are swept away in the wind, 3,082 factories are destroyed, over 4,000 residents die in the storm.
Extreme hurricane devastates Florida Keys – Sept. 2, 1935: Many villages wiped out by 250 mph winds and 20 to 30 foot waves. Hundreds killed. Barometer plunges to 26.35, the lowest ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. Witnesses said the air was thick with flying debris and dead bodies. Hundreds of WWI veterans in a road building camp are literally blown away by the wind.
Hurricanes, West Indies – 1935: 4 massive hurricanes devastate the West Indies in 1935. One of these hurricanes kills more than 2,000 people in Haiti alone on October 22.
Major drought followed by famine, West China – 1936: 5 million people die [pullquote]Major drought followed by famine, West China – 1936: 5 million people die[/pullquote]
North American cold wave – Jan. – Feb. 1936: Intense, record breaking cold paralyzes Midwest, affects all of North America.
Destructive Tornados in the American South – April 5 and 6, 1936: 3 tornadoes devastate Gainesville, Georgia and Tupelo Mississippi. 454 casualties.
Worst heat wave on record in North America – Late June – early Sept, 1936: Record breaking cold wave is followed by extreme heat wave. North Dakota reaches 121°, Ontario and Manitoba set still standing records of 110°. Heat records are set in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, N. Dakota, S. Dakota, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, W. Virginia, New Jersey. 5000 heat related deaths.
“The Great New England Hurricane” – Sept. 17 – 21, 1938: Gigantic storm with 186 mph winds causes enormous damage to Long Island, New York and southern New England. Almost 600 killed or missing, nearly 14,000 buildings destroyed, more than 2,500 boats sunk. Almost one half billion dollars in damages. 60,000 left homeless. This was the ninth major hurricane to have struck New England since record keeping began.
Tornados, Charleston, South Carolina – Sept. 29, 1938: From 6:45 A.M. to 8:30 A.M, 5 tornados at once descend on Charleston and surrounding area causing widespread damage and causing extensive casualties and injuries.
Great Floods and famine, China – Sept. – Nov. 1939: A series of giant floods inundate northern provinces destroying grain and rice crops. 25 million rendered destitute, large swaths of land under 10 feet of water. Subsequent famine kills 200,000 over the next 3 months.
Giant Cyclone over Michigan and northern plains –Nov. 11 – 12, 1940: Furious cyclonic storm sinks 69 ships in Lake Michigan, kills 73 in the state of Michigan.
Devastating drought strikes China from 1941 through 1942: Exceptional winds, hailstorms and locust plagues descend upon China’s breadbasket region. Grain harvests collapse, 3 million Chinese die of starvation by the end of 1943, millions become refugees. [pullquote]Devastating drought strikes China from 1941 through 1942: Exceptional winds, hailstorms and locust plagues descend upon China’s breadbasket region. Grain harvests collapse, 3 million Chinese die of starvation by the end of 1943, millions become refugees.[/pullquote]
Cyclone hits Bengal, India – Oct. 16, 1942: Powerful cyclone with 150 mph winds devastates the province of Bengal. 40,000 are killed when the storm hits Calcutta. Many villages completely flattened.
Violent typhoon, Philippines – Dec. 17 – 18, 1944: 150 mph winds ravage the Philippines, catching American Third Fleet with 100 foot waves, sending 3 destroyers to the bottom, drowning 790 sailors and damaging all 28 surviving ships.
Massive flood on Columbia River – May-June, 1948: Aggravated by 3 days of intense rainfall , below normal temperatures delay snow melt in nearby mountain ranges, resulting in a flood in excess of 1 million cfs in Columbia Valley. Flood erases the city of Vanport Oregon, causing 19,000 to flee with only the clothes on their backs.
Hurricanes – 1951: 12 large hurricanes in the season, the worst being Charlie on Aug. 17. 125 mph winds destroy every wooden structure on the island of Jamaica and break apart dozens of ships, damage is so widespread that recovery takes 5 years.
Hurricane winds, dike failure, destructive floods, Netherlands – Feb. 1, 1953: 100 mph winds breach 50 dikes, flooding a half million acres, drowning 1,835 people and a half million head of livestock and poultry. The same storm kills hundreds of people in England and Belgium.
Hurricane Carol, East Coast USA – Aug. 26 – 31, 1954: 135 mile per hour winds smash into Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. 60 dead, thousands of homes smashed, cars tossed into the sea, giant sea waves, $460 million in damages.
Typhoons sweep over Japan – 1954: 15 powerful, deadly typhoons sweep over Japan in one year in 1954. A typhoon of Sept. 26 has winds so powerful they capsize a 4,300-ton ferry boat, dumping more than 1000 passengers into the sea and drowning them all. 9 powerful Typhoons strike Japan during 1955 season.
Connie and Diane, east coast USA – Aug. 4 – 18, 1955: Back to back hurricanes pound east coast of U.S. Particularly hard hit are the Carolinas, Delaware, New York, Virginia, Maryland. 125 mph winds, ten foot swells, torrential rains, 310 dead.
Hurricane Janet, Gulf of Mexico – Sept. 22 – 28, 1955: Monster hurricane with 114 mph winds devastates vast areas of coastal Mexico, Honduras over six day period. Over 500 killed, 60,000 left homeless. Every one of 10,000 coconut trees are snapped off by the wind on Swan Island. Hundreds of people die from snakebites by poisonous snakes washed into villages by overflowing rivers.
Massive blizzards, extreme cold in Europe – Feb. of 1956: 907 persons lose their lives to the extreme weather.
Typhoon Wanda, Yangtze area of China – Aug. 2, 1956: Following upon the worst heat wave in a century, massive typhoon devastates multiple provinces, killing 1,960, destroying 38,000 homes.
Powerful hurricane, Grenada – Sept. 22, 1956: Winds up to 127 mph destroy every building on the island of Grenada, leaving some 250 dead, 40,000 rendered homeless.
Hurricane Audrey – June 27 – 30, 1957: Early season hurricane with 105 mph winds catches people in the bayous and lowlands of Texas and Louisiana off guard. The town of Cameron, La. is utterly demolished when Gulf waters surge 25 miles inland. Storm steamrolls north to Ohio before dissipating, destroying 40,000 homes and killing 524.
Typhoon Ida, Japan – Sept. 27 – 28, 1958: Intense typhoon with 100 mph winds demolishes 244 bridges, washes away 1,000 homes, spawning over 1,800 landslides. 1800 people killed or missing, 120,000 acres of rice paddies drowned, 10,000 rendered homeless.
Hurricane Donna – Sept. 4 – 12, 1960: Furious storm with 150 mph winds, gusting up to 180 mph, devastates Puerto Rico, Florida Keys, moves up East Coast to Gulf of St. Lawrence. 143 killed, thousands of buildings demolished.
Two great cyclones obliterate East Pakistan – Oct. 1960: An estimated 14,000 people lose their lives to the storms. Winds reach 120 mph.
Hurricane Hattie – Oct. 31, 1961: 200 mph winds engulf Belize, 10 foot tidal waves. At least 400 people killed, thousands injured. Hattie was the 8th powerful hurricane of the 1961 season.
Hurricane winds in the North Sea: – Feb. 17, 1962 Causes massive, record flooding along Germany’s coast. Over 500 people die, 500,000 left homeless.
Gigantic cyclone devastates East Pakistan on May 28 – 29, 1963: Winds of 150 mph pummel the countryside for 15 hours. Estimated 1 million homes destroyed, 300,000 left homeless, 22,000 dead, whole islands swept bare, tidal waves reached inland up to 3 miles, 4 ocean liners swept half a mile inland and dumped. [pullquote]Gigantic cyclone devastates East Pakistan on May 28 – 29, 1963: Winds of 150 mph pummel the countryside for 15 hours. Estimated 1 million homes destroyed, 300,000 left homeless, 22,000 dead, whole islands swept bare, tidal waves reached inland up to 3 miles, 4 ocean liners swept half a mile inland and dumped.[/pullquote]
Destructive tornadoes, Midwest USA – April 11, 1965: Some 50 intense storms across the Midwest spawn at least 35 or more tornadoes devastating large areas in Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio within about 12 hours. Widespread associated flooding in 7 states including Minnesota and Montana. 271 persons killed, hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
Hurricane Betsy, batters Gulf Coast – August 22 – Sept. 10, 1965: Path of destruction reaches across the Bahamas, southern Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. 147 mph winds, severe flooding, 1.4 billion in damages.
Some of the resources consulted in compiling the list Extreme Climate and Weather Related Events Prior to the Advent of Significant Amounts of Anthropogenic CO2 to the Global Atmosphere
Calder, Nigel (1974) The Weather Machine: How Our Weather Works and Why it is Changing. Penguin Books, Ltd.
Drye, Willie (2002) Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. National Geographic Society
Eliot, J. (1888) Cyclones of the Bay of Bengal. Calcutta: Superintendent of the Government Printing Office
Fassig, Oliver L. (1913) Hurricanes of the West Indies. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Weather Bureau
Flora, Snowden, D. (1953) Tornados of the United States. Norman Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press.
Gray, R. W. (1933) “Florida Hurricanes.” Monthly Weather Review 61, August.
Kraft, R. H. (1966) “Great Hurricanes 1955—1965” Mariners Weather Log, November
Longshore, David (1998) Encyclopedia of hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones. Facts On File, Inc.
Nash, Jay Robert (1977) Darkest Hours: The Great Book of Worldwide Disasters – From Ancient Times to the Present. Wallaby Edition by Pocket Books.
Readers Digest (1989) Great Disasters: Dramatic True Stories of Nature’s Awesome Powers. Ed. By Kaari Wood
Russell, Thomas H. (1913) Flood and Cyclone Disasters. Chicago: Thomas H. Morrison.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/20/18382450-six-of-the-worst-twisters-in-us-history
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The Pied Piper Path…
I will share this article, but the title as written is much too dense for the average person to WANT to click on…
Perhaps something like:
List of Extreme Climate Events Before Man-Made CO2 Even Hit the Planet
Crazy-Long List of Climate Catastrophes Before Humans Even Started Pumping CO2
You Won’t Believe All These Crazy Climate Changes from Pre-Modern Times
NEW SMOKING GUN EVIDENCE BANNED ON YOUTUBE!! YOUR MIND CONTROLLED SHEEP!!! BOOK-READERS DISTRACTION AND DISRUPTION DISTASTE DEBUNKED!!! THINK THERE LIPS ARE MOVING TOO ALOOK SMART?? YOUR BEING LIED T0O!!
[ ] Like? 13,042,023 [ ] Dislike? 9
SCIENCE FAGS PWND BY ILLUMINATI DESIGNED GMO CREATIONIST TROLLS BUILT OUT OF BILLIONS OF TINY NANOBAMAS!! ‘ORIGIN OF SPECIES’ SATANIC LUCIFER’S PAGAN SPELL BOOK BLOOD RITUAL!!! 100% CONFIRMED!!! NEW MAY 2016 REPORT
[ ] Like? 777,666,111 [ ] Dislike? 3
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If it requires a fish hook with click bait to get them on board, they’ll probably just end up pissing and shitting on deck to spite those who built the boat out of boredom and disdain for data.
If someone can’t get through a headline with their attention span in tact, what are they going to get out of a conversation with stupid freakin’ concepts drawn out annoyingly over multiple sentences?
We used to call those “paragraphs”, some folks may recognize them from their iPhone’s disclaimer agreement. They were the groups of words all together in one place, kinda like a bowl of alphabet soup!, above where they clicked the little box.
But don’t let my silly arrogant elitism detract from the question: What kind of cognitive acquisition or contribution should we expect from an individual who’s participation is contingent upon a drool response to buzzfeed headline bells.
+Sherry April Bailey knows the TRUTH! It’s the Pavlovian Pied Piper tootin’ on his soundbyte flute!
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Hah, those headlines are amazing. I’d click ’em.
Not sure what your point is. Yes, disasters have always happened. What we need to know is, is there a change in frequency already observed, and is there likely to be such a change in the (not-too-distant) future? Your compendium of past events doesn’t help to answer either question.
Via Randall Carlson
I think the point of this is self-evident. How many times have I heard that extreme climate and weather events are on the increase due to the increase in anthropogenically derived CO2? I mentioned Al Gore in the intro to this list and his unambiguous correlation of increased numbers and frequency of severe events and the rise of CO2 that he made in An Inconvenient Truth.
Here is a statement from a left wing magazine that has accepted the entire global warming narrative whole cloth.
“…In many parts of the world, the climate emergency has already arrived. An estimated 26 million people have already been displaced by the increases in hurricanes, floods, desertification, and drought brought on by climate change. In the North Atlantic, Category 5 hurricanes, the most destructive kind, occur three to four times more often than they did a decade ago.” (Act Up. Act Now. Yes! Magazine, Winter 2010 – Sarah van Gelder, Madeline Ostrander, and Doug Pibel, pp. 18 – 21)
The article here quoted provides not one single reference or study to back up the claim that there has been an increase in hurricanes, floods, etc. Here’s a quote from the book The Heat is On by Ross Gelbspan, another hysterical polemic which is long on distortions and propaganda and short on credible climate science.
Gelbspan quotes some “world-class scientist” (who conveniently goes unnamed):
“If the last 150 years had been marked by the kind of climatic instability we are now beginning to see,” says one world-class scientist, “the world might never have been able to support its current population of five billion people.”
Oh really? I should mention that this was written in 1997, almost 20 years ago. One would think that if intensified climate instability was an observable fact 2 decades ago, then by now it should be overwhelmingly obvious.
And here is a statement from Dan Lashof, Natural Resources Defense Council from the year 2000:
“Over the last few years, you begin to get increased probability of extreme events. You’re beginning to get a sense that these are happening more than they used to. And people are beginning to connect that with global warming.”
Oh yes, we are “beginning to get a sense” that severe events are “happening more than they used to.” But again, no supporting evidence at all, just an ambiguous statement about “a sense” that things are getting worse. This litany of claims has continued unabated for several decades now and it is resurrected every time there is a severe weather event as if there would no longer be storms, forest fires, droughts, floods, tornadoes etc. etc. except for the activities of man.
All these claims, of which I could have presented dozens of examples, collapse under scrutiny. The studies contradicting them are prolific and I will gladly supply sources to those that really want to learn instead of just bolstering their ideological preconceptions.
There has been no statistically meaningful increase in tornadoes, droughts or floods or wildfires. Total Accumulated Cyclonic Energy is at its lowest in more than 30 years. There is nothing happening now that is out of the norm of things that have occurred over and over again throughout the centuries with no help from us. That is the point of the list. I don’t think it could be more obvious.
Thanks so much, Randall. I was just posting on this same issue the other day at the RealClimate blog, but your list of past weather catastrophes goes way beyond my own. I’ve also posted references to scientific papers demonstrating the lack of any long-term worldwide trends as far as tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, etc. are concerned. You and your readers might be interested in my book, “The Unsettled Science of Climate Change,” available via the Kindle Store: http://www.amazon.com/Unsettled-Science-Climate-Change-Critical-ebook/dp/B00YOARTPQ/
To Kevin McKinney below:
I think the point of this is self-evident. How many times have I heard that extreme climate and weather events are on the increase due to the increase in anthropogenically derived CO2? I mentioned Al Gore in the intro to this list and his unambiguous correlation of increased numbers and frequency of severe events and the rise of CO2 that he made in An Inconvenient Truth. Here is a statement from a left wing magazine that has accepted the entire global warming narrative whole cloth. “…In many parts of the world, the climate emergency has already arrived. An estimated 26 million people have already been displaced by the increases in hurricanes, floods, desertification, and drought brought on by climate change. In the North Atlantic, Category 5 hurricanes, the most destructive kind, occur three to four times more often than they did a decade ago.” (Act Up. Act Now. Yes! Magazine, Winter 2010 – Sarah van Gelder, Madeline Ostrander, and Doug Pibel, pp. 18 – 21) The article here quoted provides not one single reference or study to back up the claim that there has been an increase in hurricanes, floods, etc. Here’s a quote from the book The Heat is On by Ross Gelbspan, another hysterical polemic which is long on distortions and propaganda and short on credible climate science. Gelbspan quotes some “world-class scientist” (who conveniently goes unnamed): “If the last 150 years had been marked by the kind of climatic instability we are now beginning to see,” says one world-class scientist, “the world might never have been able to support its current population of five billion people.” Oh really? I should mention that this was written in 1997, almost 20 years ago. One would think that if intensified climate instability was an observable fact 2 decades ago, then by now it should be overwhelming obvious. And here is a statement from Dan Lashof, Natural Resources Defense Council from the year 2000: “Over the last few years, you begin to get increased probability of extreme events. You’re beginning to get a sense that these are happening more than they used to. And people are beginning to connect that with global warming.” Oh yes, we are “beginning to get a sense” that severe events are “happening more than they used to.” But again, no supporting evidence at all, just an ambiguous statement about “a sense” that things are getting worse. This litany of claims has continued unabated for several decades now and it is resurrected every time there is a severe weather event as if there would no longer be storms, forest fires, droughts, floods, tornadoes etc. etc. except for the activities of man. All these claims, of which I could have presented dozens of examples, collapse under scrutiny. The studies contradicting them are prolific and I will gladly supply sources to those that really want to learn instead of just bolstering their ideological preconceptions. There has been no statistically meaningful increase in tornadoes, droughts or floods or wildfires. Total Accumulated Cyclonic Energy is at its lowest in more than 30 years. There is nothing happening now that is out of the norm of things that have occurred over and over again throughout the centuries with no help from us. That is the point of the list. I don’t think it could be more obvious.
See here, then:
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2/
Hello Kevin
Thanks for the link. I am quite familiar with the IPCC reports. You have to be more specific in regards to some specific data in the reports to which you are referring. There is no empirical data in these reports that leads one to conclude that either magnitude or frequency of extreme weather events have increased in recent decades. There always have been, and always will be, extreme and anomalous weather and climate related events. The question is whether or not a minuscule increase in ambient atmospheric CO2 concentrations attributable to human activities is driving an increase in these events. It is clear from a study of events prior to the advent significant anthropogenic CO2 additions to the atmosphere that there were many, many events that qualify as extreme, and many factors are driving these events besides human activity. Could anthropogenic sourced CO2 be a contributing factor? Certainly it could, however, It would be completely illogical to assume that natural forces are no longer operating in the global climate system. And, it also seems that the influence of anthropogenic CO2 is likely to be relatively trivial within the big picture of climate change. More on that later. I don’t know if you actually read, and pondered, the list of extreme events that I provided or if you just saw what it was and reacted to it. It is difficult to believe, after contemplating this list, that anything the planet has experienced in the past couple of decades is out of the ordinary.
The whole WG II report is about impacts, so I’d have to disagree with you that there is no empirical evidence presented. It’s not across the board; the IPCC would agree with you vis a vis, say, tornadoes (which have in any case never been claimed as a possible impact, though research continues). On the other hand, extreme precipitation has pretty definitely increased in North America (we don’t have enough earlier data elsewhere to tell if it’s global, but the presumption from physics would have to be that it is.) Heatwaves have clearly increased on a global basis.
No one claims, either, that natural forces have somehow ceased to operate.
“…it also seems that the influence of anthropogenic CO2 is likely to be relatively trivial within the big picture of climate change.”
I’d disagree that that is what the evidence suggests, as well.
“No one claims, either, that natural forces have somehow ceased to operate.”
Not directly, because that would sound ridiculous. Nevertheless it is implicit in the assertions made by proponents of AGW. Most commonly, they will talk about anthropogenic influence on climate change, then cite data demonstrating change is occurring. Natural climate change is simply not part of the discussion. The implication, therefore, is that modern changes in climate are solely due to anthropogenic influence….which must imply that natural forces have ceased to be a factor.
I have asked about this directly many times. The most common response is that natural forces have not disappeared, they have just been overwhelmed and are no longer a factor. When I point out that the forces driving historical climate changes are largely unknown and thus can hardly be ruled out, I’ve been told that causes of past climate changes are actually very well understood.
IMO the assertion that natural climate change is well understood is patently false, but it doesn’t really matter. If they were well understood, they would have to be corrected for, but they’re not.
This is part of the point Randall was making. You say “The whole WG II report is about impacts, so I’d have to disagree with you that there is no empirical evidence presented,” a statement which exemplifies the constant muddying of the waters by proponents of AGW. The report lists climactic impacts, of which plenty of empirical evidence is given. However, the assumption made is that all that impact is driven by human activity, an assertion for which there is zero empirical evidence.
“Natural climate change is simply not part of the discussion.”
Certainly it is. If you look at the Working Group I report, you’ll find natural forcings considering in voluminous detail.
“However, the assumption made is that all that impact is driven by human
activity…”
No, there is no such assumption–or assertion–made. Read the report. You’ll find discussions considering at length what the evidence is for attribution of various impacts to human activity.
“…an assertion for which there is zero empirical evidence…”
Nope. Again, read the report.
“…implies that natural forces have ceased to operate.”
Double nope. It’s explicitly acknowledged that ‘natural forces’ continue to operate. For example, many impacts are considered from a probabilistic perspective, in which, say, extreme precipitation *tends* to increase in frequency or intensity or both.
All the ‘natural forces’ continue to operate, and normal weather phenomena, such as ENSO quasi-cycles for one, still have their accustomed effect. That’s the whole idea behind Hansen’s phrase “loading the climate dice.”
You’re creating a strawman of your own here, but I can assure you that climate science continues to consider all factors, natural or not, in seeking a comprehensive understanding of weather and climate. It would make no sense (and flatly wouldn’t work) to try to model weather or climate without input data such as solar radiation and aerosol burdens in the atmosphere.
Hope that helps!
Sheesh. I’m telling you what proponents of AGW have told me in response to my questions. I think they are wrong, and so do you apparently, but somehow you’ve decided that it’s me that is wrong, lol.
Let’s be clear. I was not constructing strawmen for use in the debate about climate, I was telling you what I have been told by many proponents of AGW. These are widely held beliefs, I didn’t make them up. You think they’re wrong, take it up with them. They certainly don’t listen to me, hah.
Another well constructed article. One recommendation though: The share link that is used for facebook or otherwise should reflect the thumbnail used on this website. I tend to share an article from your website whenever I feel it’s relevant. All shared links from here display the same thumbnail: the banner from your website. I’ve no problem with your banner, it just doesn’t grab the attention of folks who see the post on facebook. Aside from this, I’ve no complaints about the website. Keep sharing the wisdom!
Thank you Bret. With the new version of the website this will be an upgraded feature we plan to employ. Thank you for sharing the article and for your thoughtful comments!
Very interesting, I am new to your site, found you on joe rogan. Is it safe to say it is impossible to quantify the number, frequency and severity of storms worldwide and give an actual statistic like the IPCC has done?