1. Extreme weather events;
Historical Data Analysis and Economic Impacts
By:
Niloufar Nouri
PhD student
CCNY-Department of Civil Engineering
NOAA CREST

2. What is extreme weather?
Includes unusual, unpredictable, sever or unseasonal weather; sometimes, extreme events are based on a location’s recorded weather history and defined as lying in the most unusual 10%.
Have sufficient intensity to cause loss of life, injuries, significant property damage, and/or disruption to commerce

3. Examples of extreme weather
Tornado: clouds, strong wind, rain, hail
Hurricane or cyclone: strong wind, heavy rain
Blizzard: heavy snow, ice, cold temperatures
Flooding: heavy rainfall
Dust storm: strong winds, arid conditions
Ice storm: freezing rain
Drought
Wildfire

4. Losses due to extreme events in US
Billion dollar weather and climate disasters are on the rise in the US
Since 1980, the U.S. has sustained 203 weather and climate disasters each produced losses in excess of $5 million and cumulative costs which exceed $1.1 trillion dollar.
The Midwest drought of 1988–1989 ($39 billion)
Hurricane Andrew in South Florida in 1992 ($30 billion)
Midwest flood of 1993 ($19 billion)
In 2016 :
There were 15 weather and climate events with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States. These events included drought, wildfire, 4 inland flood events, 8 severe storm events, and a tropical cyclone event.
Cumulatively, these events led to 138 fatalities and caused $46.0 billion in total, direct costs.

5. Motivation of research

6. Objectives of research
Investigation of the time and spatial trends of historical events
Finding vulnerable sections and estimating the probability of having specific weather extremes in US regions.
Estimation of losses (both economic and human life)

7. Motivation
Losses from extreme events plays an important role in estimating the cost of Greenhouse gases (e.g. CO2, Methane, chlorofluorocarbons CFCs) emissions.
Greenhouse gases (can be produced by human activities like burning fossil fuels) are a group of compounds that are able to trap heat and allow sunlight to pass through the atmosphere; Increases in the amount of GHG in the atmosphere enhances global warming and consequently climate change)
The impacts differ across regions due to natural and social factors.
Explaining vulnerability to extremes will be useful for policy making, governmental agencies like NWS , Private companies ( e.g. construction companies) , Emergency managers, Insurance companies , Healthcare, Agriculture industry, laws, media, etc….

8. What we will learn:
Studying about different types of severe weather and their causes and effects.
Introductory data analysis using NOAA storm event data base.
Quantifying the impact of weather extremes by visualizing historical records of extreme weathers.
(e.g. producing geographic maps of events frequency and the losses)
Analyzing the variables which affect the losses of weather extremes

9. Events in our Data base :

10. Winter Weather Condition Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Floods
Flash Flood
Coastal Flood
Flood
Drought
Convective
Storms
Thunderstorm Wind
Lightning
Tornado
Funnel Cloud
Hail
Heavy Rain
Winter Related
Storms
Blizzard
Winter Storm
Ice Storm
Heavy Snow
Winter Weather Condition
Non-Convective Wind
High Wind
Strong Wind
Temperature
Extreme
Freeze/Frost
Cold/Wind Chill
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill

11. Data visualization

13. Thank you 