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1993_Storm_of_the_Century

The 1993 Storm of the Century ( also known as the 93 Super Storm or the Great Blizzard of 1993 ) was a large cyclonic storm that formed over the Gulf of Mexico on March 12 , 1993 . The storm eventually dissipated in the North Atlantic Ocean on March 15 , 1993 . It was unique for its intensity , massive size , and wide-reaching effects . At its height , the storm stretched from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico . The cyclone moved through the Gulf of Mexico and then through the eastern United States before moving onto Canada . Heavy snow was first reported in highland areas as far south as Alabama and northern Georgia , with Union County , Georgia reporting up to 35 inches of snow in the north Georgia mountains . Birmingham , Alabama , reported a rare 13 in of snow . The Florida Panhandle reported up to 4 in , with hurricane-force wind gusts and record low barometric pressures . Between Louisiana and Cuba , the hurricane-force winds produced high storm surges across Northwestern Florida which , in combination with scattered tornadoes , killed dozens of people . Record cold temperatures were seen across portions of the south and east of the US in the wake of this storm . In the United States , the storm was responsible for the loss of electric power to more than 10 million households . An estimated 40 percent of the country 's population experienced the effects of the storm with a total of 208 fatalities .

1997_Atlantic_hurricane_season

The 1997 Atlantic hurricane season was a below average season and is the most recent season to feature no tropical cyclones in August -- typically one of the most active months . The season officially began on June 1 , and lasted until November 30 . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin . The 1997 season was inactive , with only seven named storms forming , with an additional tropical depression and an unnumbered subtropical storm . It was the first time since the 1961 season that there were no active tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin during the entire month of August . A strong El Niño is credited with reducing the number of storms in the Atlantic , while increasing the number of storms in the Eastern and Western Pacific basin to 19 and 29 storms , respectively . As is common in El Niño years , tropical cyclogenesis was suppressed in the tropical latitudes , with only two becoming tropical storms south of 25 ° N. The first system , an operationally unnoticed subtropical storm , developed north of The Bahamas on June 1 and dissipated by the following day without impact . Tropical Storm Ana developed offshore South Carolina on June 30 and dissipated on July 4 , after causing minor affects in North Carolina . Hurricane Bill was a short-lived storm between that lasted from July 11 to July 13 and produced light rainfall in Newfoundland . As Bill as dissipating , Tropical Storm Claudette developed and caused rough seas in North Carolina . The most devastating storm was Hurricane Danny , which caused extensive flooding , particularly in southern Alabama . Danny resulted in 9 fatalities and about $ 100 million ( 1997 USD ) in damage . The outerbands of Hurricane Erika brought rough seas and gusty winds to the Lesser Antilles , causing two deaths and $ 10 million in losses . The precursor to Tropical Storm Grace caused minor flooding in Puerto Rico . Tropical Depression Five and Tropical Storms Fabian did not impact land . Collectively , the storms of the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season resulted in 12 fatalities and approximately $ 111.46 million in damage .

1999_Pacific_typhoon_season

The 1999 Pacific typhoon season was the last Pacific typhoon season to use English names as storm names . It had no official bounds ; it ran year-round in 1999 , but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean . The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean , north of the equator and west of the international date line . Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes ; see 1999 Pacific hurricane season . Tropical Storms formed in the entire west Pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center . Tropical depressions in this basin have the `` W '' suffix added to their number . Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric , Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA . This can often result in the same storm having two names .

1808/1809_mystery_eruption

A colossal volcanic eruption in the VEI 6 range is believed to have taken place in late 1808 and is suspected of contributing to a period of global cooling that lasted for years , in a similar way to how the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora ( VEI 7 ) led to the Year Without a Summer in 1816 .

100%_renewable_energy

The endeavor to use 100 % renewable energy for electricity , heating and cooling , and transport is motivated by global warming , pollution and other environmental issues , as well as economic and energy security concerns . Shifting the total global primary energy supply to renewable sources requires a transition of the energy system . In 2013 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that there are few fundamental technological limits to integrating a portfolio of renewable energy technologies to meet most of total global energy demand . Renewable energy use has grown much faster than even advocates anticipated . In 2014 , renewable sources such as wind , geothermal , solar , biomass , and burnt waste provided 19 % of the total energy consumed worldwide , with roughly half of that coming from traditional use of biomass . The most important sector is electricity with a renewable share of 22.8 % , most of it coming from hydropower with a share of 16.6 % , followed by wind with 3.1 % . There are many places around the world with grids that are run almost exclusively on renewable energy . At the national level , at least 30 nations already have renewable energy contributing more than 20 % of the energy supply . Professors S. Pacala and Robert H. Socolow of Princeton University have developed a series of `` Climate stabilization wedges '' that can allow us to maintain our quality of life while avoiding catastrophic climate change , and `` renewable energy sources , '' in aggregate , constitute the largest number of their `` wedges . '' Mark Z. Jacobson , professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and director of its Atmosphere and Energy program , says that producing all new energy with wind power , solar power , and hydropower by 2030 is feasible , and that existing energy supply arrangements could be replaced by 2050 . Barriers to implementing the renewable energy plan are seen to be `` primarily social and political , not technological or economic '' . Jacobson says that energy costs today with a wind , solar , and water system should be similar to today 's energy costs from other optimally cost-effective strategies . The main obstacle against this scenario is the lack of political will . Similarly , in the United States , the independent National Research Council has noted that `` sufficient domestic renewable resources exist to allow renewable electricity to play a significant role in future electricity generation and thus help confront issues related to climate change , energy security , and the escalation of energy costs ... Renewable energy is an attractive option because renewable resources available in the United States , taken collectively , can supply significantly greater amounts of electricity than the total current or projected domestic demand . '' The main barriers to the widespread implementation of large-scale renewable energy and low-carbon energy strategies are political rather than technological . According to the 2013 Post Carbon Pathways report , which reviewed many international studies , the key roadblocks are : climate change denial , the fossil fuels lobby , political inaction , unsustainable energy consumption , outdated energy infrastructure , and financial constraints .

1964_Pacific_typhoon_season

The 1964 Pacific typhoon season was the most active tropical cyclone season recorded globally , with a total of 40 tropical storms forming . It had no official bounds ; it ran year-round in 1964 , but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean . The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean , north of the equator and west of the International Date Line . Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes ; see 1964 Pacific hurricane season . Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center . Tropical depressions in this basin have the `` W '' suffix added to their number . Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric , Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA . This can often result in the same storm having two names . The 1964 Pacific typhoon season was the most active season in recorded history with 39 storms . Notable storms include Typhoon Louise , which killed 400 people in the Philippines , Typhoons Sally and Opal , which had some of the highest winds of any cyclone ever recorded at 195 mph , Typhoons Flossie and Betty , which both struck the city of Shanghai , China , and Typhoon Ruby , which hit Hong Kong as a powerful 140 mph Category 4 storm , killing over 700 and becoming Hong Kong 's worst named typhoon in history .

1997–98_El_Niño_event

The 1997 -- 98 El Niño was regarded as one of the most powerful El Niño -- Southern Oscillation events in recorded history , resulting in widespread droughts , flooding and other natural disasters across the globe . It caused an estimated 16 % of the world 's reef systems to die , and temporarily warmed air temperature by 1.5 ° C , compared to the usual increase of 0.25 ° C associated with El Niño events . It led to a severe outbreak of Rift Valley fever after extreme rainfall in north-eastern Kenya and southern Somalia . It also led to record rainfalls in California during the water season of 1997 -- 98 and one of Indonesia 's worst droughts on record . 1998 ultimately became the warmest year in recorded history ( up until then ) .

1919_Florida_Keys_hurricane

The 1919 Florida Keys hurricane ( also known as the 1919 Key West hurricane ) was a massive and damaging tropical cyclone that swept across areas of the northern Caribbean Sea and the United States Gulf Coast in September 1919 . Remaining an intense Atlantic hurricane throughout much of its existence , the storm 's slow-movement and sheer size prolonged and enlarged the scope of the hurricane 's effects , making it one of the deadliest hurricanes in United States history . Impacts were largely concentrated around the Florida Keys and South Texas areas , though lesser but nonetheless significant effects were felt in Cuba and other areas of the United States Gulf Coast . The hurricane developed near the Leeward Islands as a tropical depression on September 2 and gradually gained in strength as it tracked on a generally west-northwesterly path , crossing the Mona Passage and moving across the Bahamas . On September 7 , the storm reached hurricane intensity over the eastern Bahamas . On September 9 -- 10 , the storm made its eponymous pass of the Florida Keys , passing over the Dry Tortugas with an intensity equivalent to that of a modern-day Category 4 hurricane . Over the next several days , the intense cyclone traversed the Gulf of Mexico , fluctuating in strength before making landfall near Texas ' Baffin Bay on September 14 as a large Category 3 hurricane . As it tracked further inland , land interaction caused the storm to gradually weaken ; the storm was last noted on September 16 over West Texas .

1971

The world population increased by 2.1 % this year ; the highest in history .

1990

For the album by Enigma see MCMXC a.D. Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen , the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project ( finished in 2003 ) , the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope , the separation of Namibia from South Africa , and the Baltic states declaring independence from the Soviet Union amidst Perestroika . Yugoslavia 's communist regime collapses amidst increasing internal tensions and multiparty elections held within its constituent republics result in separatist governments being elected in most of the republics marking the beginning of the breakup of Yugoslavia . Also in this year began the crisis that would lead to the Gulf War in 1991 following the Iraq invasion and the largely internationally unrecognized annexation of Kuwait resulting in a crisis in the Persian Gulf involving the issue of the sovereignty of Kuwait and fears by Saudi Arabia over Iraqi aggression against their oil fields near Kuwait , this resulted in Operation Desert Shield being enacted with an international coalition of military forces being built up on the Kuwaiti-Saudi border with demands for Iraq to peacefully withdraw from Kuwait . Also in this year , Nelson Mandela was released from prison , and Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after over 11 years . 1990 was an important year in the Internet 's early history . In the fall of 1990 , Tim Berners-Lee created the first web server and the foundation for the World Wide Web . Test operations began around December 20 and it was released outside of CERN the following year . 1990 also saw the official decommissioning of the ARPANET , a forerunner of the Internet system and the introduction of the first content search engine , Archie on September 10 . September 14 , 1990 saw the first case of successful somatic gene therapy on a patient . Due to the early 1990s recession that began that year and uncertainty due to the collapse of the socialist governments in Eastern Europe , birth rates in many countries stopped rising or fell steeply in 1990 . In most western countries the Echo Boom peaked in 1990 ; fertility rates declined thereafter . Encyclopædia Britannica , which ceased printing in 2012 , saw its highest all time sales in 1990 ; 120,000 volumes were sold that year . The number of librarians in the United States also peaked around 1990 .

1928_Haiti_hurricane

The 1928 Haiti hurricane was considered the worst tropical cyclone in Haiti since the 1886 Indianola hurricane . The second tropical cyclone and second hurricane of the season , the storm developed from a tropical wave near Tobago on August 7 . Steadily intensifying as it moved northwestward , the system passed through the southern Windward Islands . Upon entering the Caribbean Sea early on August 8 , the tropical depression strengthened into a tropical storm . On August 9 , the storm strengthened to the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane . The next day , the hurricane peaked with winds of 90 mph ( 150 km/h ) . After striking the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti , the cyclone began weakening and fell to tropical storm intensity on August 12 . By midday on the following day , the storm made landfall near Cienfuegos , Cuba . Upon emerging into the Straits of Florida , the storm began to re-strengthen . Early on August 13 , it struck Big Pine Key , Florida , as a strong tropical storm . Weakening slowly while moving north-northwestward , the system made another landfall near St. George Island . After moving inland , the tropical storm slowly deteriorated and dissipated over West Virginia on August 17 . In Haiti , the storm completely wiped out livestock and many crops , particularly coffee , cocoa , and sugar . Several villages were also destroyed , rendering approximately 10,000 people homeless . Damage reached $ 1 million and there were at least 200 deaths . The only impact in Cuba was downed banana trees . In Florida , the storm left minor wind damage along the coast . A Seaboard Air Line Railroad station was destroyed in Boca Grande , while signs , trees , and telephone poles were knocked down in Sarasota . Several streets in St. Petersburg were closed due to flooding or debris . Between Cedar Key and the Florida Panhandle , several vessels capsized . Water washed up along the side of roads and in wooded areas . The storm contributed to flooding onset by the previous hurricane , with rainfall peaking at 13.5 in in Caesars Head , South Carolina . The worst impact from flooding occurred in North Carolina , where several houses were destroyed . Six people were killed in the state , of which four due to flooding . Property damage in the state totaled over $ 1 million . Overall , the storm caused at least $ 2 million in damage and 210 fatalities .

1995_Chicago_heat_wave

The 1995 Chicago heat wave was a heat wave which led to 739 heat-related deaths in Chicago over a period of five days . Most of the victims of the heat wave were elderly poor residents of the city , who could not afford air conditioning and did not open windows or sleep outside for fear of crime . The heat wave also heavily impacted the wider Midwestern region , with additional deaths in both St. Louis , Missouri and Milwaukee , Wisconsin .

1997_Miami_tornado

The 1997 Miami Tornado ( also known as the Great Miami Tornado ) was an F1 tornado which touched down in Miami , Florida on May 12 , 1997 . It is remembered not for its minor damage but for its haunting pictures , which made headlines around the world . The tornado formed in the afternoon ( around 2:00 PM ) , initially touching down in the Silver Bluff Estates area . It then swept through Downtown , bypassing the city 's skyscrapers . It then crossed the MacArthur Causeway and the Venetian Causeway , towards Miami Beach , sideswiping a cruise ship . It lifted from the water halfway through Biscayne Bay and touched down briefly again in Miami Beach , flipping over a car and then dissipating . The Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma had noted the possibility for tornadoes in the area and warned that there might be more to come . While hurricanes are often seen as the biggest weather threat to Miami , tornadoes are relatively common in South Florida , although the vast majority of the ones that strike Miami-Dade County are small , relatively weak F0 or F1 tornadoes . Most of these tornadoes form as either waterspouts off Biscayne Bay , as part of the frequent afternoon thunderstorms , or spawned from a tropical storm or hurricane . Tornadoes can and have occurred in every month of the year in Miami-Dade County .

1961_Pacific_typhoon_season

The 1961 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds ; it ran year-round in 1961 , but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean . The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean , north of the equator and west of the international date line . Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes ; see 1961 Pacific hurricane season . Tropical storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center . Tropical depressions in this basin had the `` W '' suffix added to their number .

1990_in_science

The year 1990 in science and technology involved some significant events .

1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens

On May 18 , 1980 , a major volcanic eruption occurred at Mount St. Helens , a volcano located in Skamania County , in the state of Washington , United States . The eruption ( a VEI 5 event ) was the only significant volcanic eruption to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states since the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California . However , it has often been declared as the most disastrous volcanic eruption in United States history . The eruption was preceded by a two-month series of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes , caused by an injection of magma at shallow depth below the volcano that created a large bulge and a fracture system on the mountain 's north slope . An earthquake at 8:32:17 a.m. PDT ( UTC − 7 ) on Sunday , May 18 , 1980 , caused the entire weakened north face to slide away , creating the largest landslide ever recorded . This allowed the partly molten , high-pressure gas - and steam-rich rock in the volcano to suddenly explode northwards toward Spirit Lake in a hot mix of lava and pulverized older rock , overtaking the avalanching face . An eruption column rose 80,000 ft into the atmosphere and deposited ash in 11 U.S. states . At the same time , snow , ice and several entire glaciers on the volcano melted , forming a series of large lahars ( volcanic mudslides ) that reached as far as the Columbia River , nearly 50 mi to the southwest . Less severe outbursts continued into the next day , only to be followed by other large , but not as destructive , eruptions later that year . Approximately fifty-seven people were killed directly , including innkeeper Harry R. Truman , photographers Reid Blackburn and Robert Landsburg , and geologist David A. Johnston . Hundreds of square miles were reduced to wasteland , causing over a billion U.S. dollars in damage ( $ 3.03 billion in 2017 dollars ) , thousands of game animals were killed , and Mount St. Helens was left with a crater on its north side . At the time of the eruption , the summit of the volcano was owned by the Burlington Northern Railroad , but afterward the land passed to the United States Forest Service . The area was later preserved , as it was , in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument .

1960s

The 1960s ( pronounced `` nineteen-sixties '' ) was a decade that began on 1 January 1960 , and ended on 31 December 1969 . The term `` 1960s '' also refers to an era more often called the Sixties , denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends around the globe . This `` cultural decade '' is more loosely defined than the actual decade , beginning around 1963 with the Kennedy assassination and ending around 1972 with the Watergate scandal .

1000

This article is about the single year 1000 ; see 1000s , 990s , 10th century , 11th century for events or processes with `` approximate date '' 1000 . Year 1000 ( M ) was a leap year starting on Monday ( link will display the full calendar ) of the Julian calendar . It was also the last year of the 10th century as well as the last year of the 1st millennium of the Dionysian era ending on December 31st , but the first year of the 1000s decade . The year falls well into the period of Old World history known as the Middle Ages ; in Europe , it is sometimes and by convention considered the boundary date between the Early Middle Ages and the High Middle Ages . The Muslim world was in its Golden Age . China was in its Song dynasty , Japan was in its classical Heian period . India was divided into a number of lesser empires , such as the Rashtrakuta Dynasty , Pala Empire ( Kamboja Pala dynasty ; Mahipala ) , Chola dynasty ( Raja Raja Chola I ) , Yadava dynasty , etc. . Sub-Saharan Africa was still in the prehistoric period , although Arab slave trade was beginning to be an important factor in the formation of the Sahelian kingdoms . The pre-Columbian New World was in a time of general transition in many regions . Wari and Tiwanaku cultures receded in power and influence while Chachapoya and Chimú cultures rose toward florescence in South America . In Mesoamerica , the Maya Terminal Classic period saw the decline of many grand polities of the Petén like Palenque and Tikal yet a renewed vigor and greater construction phases of sites in the Yucatán region like Chichén Itzá and Uxmal . Mitla , with Mixtec influence , became the more important site of the Zapotec , overshadowing the waning Monte Albán . Cholula flourished in central Mexico , as did Tula , the center of Toltec culture . World population is estimated to have been between c. 250 and 310 million .

15th_parallel_north

The 15th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 15 degrees north of the Earth 's equatorial plane . It crosses Africa , Asia , the Indian Ocean , the Pacific Ocean , Central America , the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean . In the Chadian-Libyan conflict of 1978 to 1987 , the parallel , known as the `` Red Line '' , delineated areas controlled by opposing combatants . ( See also Operation Manta . ) At this latitude the sun is visible for 13 hours , 1 minute during the summer solstice and 11 hours , 14 minutes during the winter solstice .

1908

According to NASA reports , 1908 was the coldest recorded year since 1880 .

1966_New_York_City_smog

The 1966 New York City smog was a historic air-pollution event in New York City that occurred from November 23 -- 26 , that year 's Thanksgiving holiday weekend . It was the third major smog in New York City , following events of similar scale in 1953 and 1963 . On November 23 , a large mass of stagnant air over the East Coast trapped pollutants in the city 's air . For three full days , New York City experienced severe smog with high levels of carbon monoxide , sulfur dioxide , smoke , and haze . Smaller pockets of air pollution pervaded the New York metropolitan area throughout other parts of New York , New Jersey , and Connecticut . On November 25 , regional leaders initiated a `` first-stage alert '' in the city , state , and neighboring states . During the alert , leaders of local and state governments asked residents and industry to take voluntary steps to minimize emissions . People with respiratory or heart conditions were advised by health officials to stay indoors . The city 's garbage incinerators were shut off , requiring massive hauling of garbage to landfills . A cold front dispersed the smog on November 26 and the alert ended . A medical research group conducted a study estimating that 10 percent of the city 's population suffered some negative health effects from the smog , such as stinging eyes , coughing , and respiratory distress . City health officials initially maintained that the smog had not caused any deaths . However , a statistical analysis indicated that 168 people likely died because of the smog , and another study found 366 people likely had their lives shortened . The smog served as a catalyst for greater national awareness of air pollution as a serious health problem and political issue . New York City updated its local laws on air pollution control , and a similar weather event passed in 1969 without major smog . Prompted by the smog , President Lyndon B. Johnson and members of Congress worked to pass federal legislation regulating air pollution in the United States , culminating in the 1967 Air Quality Act and the 1970 Clean Air Act . The 1966 smog is a milestone that has been used for comparison with other recent pollution events , including the health effects of pollution from the September 11 attacks and pollution in China .

1906_Valparaíso_earthquake

The 1906 Valparaíso earthquake hit Valparaíso , Chile , on August 16 at 19:55 local time . Its epicenter was offshore from the Valparaíso Region , and its intensity was estimated at magnitude 8.2 MW . Much of Valparaíso was destroyed ; there was severe damage in central Chile from Illapel to Talca . The earthquake was felt from Tacna , Peru to Puerto Montt . Reports said the earthquake lasted four minutes . A tsunami was also generated . The earthquake killed a reported 3,886 people . The record of previous seismic activity includes major earthquakes in 1647 , 1730 and 1822 . The 1906 disaster was predicted by Captain Arturo Middleton , Chief of the Chilean Army Meteorological Office , in a letter that was published in El Mercurio , one week before it occurred . Admiral Luis Gómez Carreño ordered the shooting of at least 15 people , who were caught looting after the earthquake . A Board for Reconstruction was formed some weeks after the earthquake . The Seismological Service of Chile was also created . Fernand de Montessus de Ballore was appointed as the first chief executive of the Service .

1620_Geographos

The asteroid 1620 Geographos -LSB- dʒiːoʊˈɡræfɒs -RSB- was discovered on September 14 , 1951 , at the Palomar Observatory by Albert George Wilson and Rudolph Minkowski . It was originally given the provisional designation 1951 RA . Its name , a Greek word meaning `` geographer '' ( geo -- ` Earth ' + graphos ` drawer/writer ' ) , was chosen to honour geographers and the National Geographic Society . Geographos is a Mars-crosser asteroid and a near-Earth object belonging to the Apollos . In 1994 , during the asteroid 's closest approach to Earth in two centuries at 5.0 Gm-which will not be bettered until 2586 - a radar study of it was conducted by the Deep Space Network at Goldstone , California . The resultant images show Geographos to be the most elongated object in the solar system ; it measures 5.1 × 1.8 km . Geographos is an S-type asteroid , meaning that it is highly reflective and composed of nickel-iron mixed with iron - and magnesium-silicates . Geographos was to be explored by the U.S. 's Clementine mission ; however , a malfunctioning thruster ended the mission before it could approach the asteroid . 1620 Geographos is a potentially hazardous asteroid ( PHA ) because its minimum orbit intersection distance ( MOID ) is less than 0.05 AU and its diameter is greater than 150 meters . The Earth-MOID is 0.0304 AU . Its orbit is well-determined for the next several hundred years .

1946_Aleutian_Islands_earthquake

The 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake occurred near the Aleutian Islands , Alaska on April 1 . The shock had a moment magnitude of 8.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI ( Strong ) . It resulted in 165 -- 173 casualties and over $ 26 million in damage . The seafloor along the fault was elevated , triggering a Pacific-wide tsunami with multiple destructive waves at heights ranging from 45 -- 130 ft. The tsunami obliterated the Scotch Cap Lighthouse on Unimak Island , Alaska among others , and killed all five lighthouse keepers . Despite the destruction to the Aleutian Island Unimak , the tsunami had almost an imperceptible effect on the Alaskan mainland . The wave reached Kauai , Hawaii 4.5 hours after the quake , and Hilo , Hawaii 4.9 hours later . The residents of these islands were caught completely off-guard by the onset of the tsunami due to the inability to transmit any warnings from the destroyed posts at Scotch Cap . The effects of the tsunami also reached the West Coast of the United States . The tsunami was unusually powerful for the size of the earthquake . The event was classified as a tsunami earthquake due to the discrepancy between the size of the tsunami and the relatively low surface wave magnitude . The large-scale destruction prompted the creation of the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System , which later became the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in 1949 .

1901_Louisiana_hurricane

The 1901 Louisiana hurricane was the first hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana in the month of August or earlier since 1888 . The fourth tropical cyclone and second hurricane of the season , this storm developed southwest of the Azores on August 2 . Moving southwestward and later westward , the depression remained weak for several days , until strengthening into a tropical storm while approaching the Bahamas early on August 9 . It then crossed through the islands and intensified only slightly . Late on August 10 , the storm made landfall near Deerfield Beach , Florida . After reaching the Gulf of Mexico the next day , continuous intensifying occurred and by August 12 , the storm reached hurricane status . Peaking with winds of 90 mph ( 150 km/h ) , it struck Louisiana late on August 14 and then Mississippi less than 24 hours later . The system weakened to a tropical storm early on August 16 and became extratropical several hours later . Along portions of the east coast of Florida , `` considerable damage '' was reported due to strong winds . In Alabama , trees were uprooted , houses were de-roofed , and chimneys collapsed in Mobile . Some areas of the city were also inundated with up to 18 in of water due to storm tide . Several yachts , schooners , and ships were wrecked or sunk , resulting in at least $ 70,000 ( 1901 USD ) in damage . However , due to warnings by the Weather Bureau , the Mobile Chamber of Commerce estimated that several millions of dollars in damage was evaded . All towns along the coast of Mississippi `` suffered seriously '' . In Louisiana , severe damage was reported at some towns due to strong winds and high tides . The community of Port Eads reported that only the lighthouse was not destroyed , while other sources state that an office building also remained standing . In New Orleans , overflowing levees inundated numerous streets . Outside the city , crops suffered severely , particularly rice . Overall , the storm caused 10 -- 15 deaths and $ 1 million in damage .

1930_Atlantic_hurricane_season

The 1930 Atlantic hurricane season was the second least active Atlantic hurricane season on record -- behind only 1914 -- with only three systems reaching tropical storm intensity . Of those three , two reached hurricane status , both of which also became major hurricanes , Category 3 or higher storms on the Saffir -- Simpson hurricane wind scale . The first system developed in the central Atlantic Ocean on August 21 . Later that month , a second storm , the Dominican Republic hurricane , formed on August 29 . It peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 mph ( 250 km/h ) . The third and final storm dissipated on October 21 . Due to the lack of systems that developed , only one tropical cyclone , the second hurricane , managed to make landfall during the season . It severely impacted areas of the Greater Antilles , particularly the Dominican Republic , before making subsequent landfalls on Cuba and the U.S. states of Florida and North Carolina , with less severe effects . The estimated 2,000 to 8,000 deaths caused by the storm in the Dominican Republic alone ranked it as one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes in recorded history . No other storms affected any landmasses during the year , although the first storm damaged a cruise ship in open waters . The season 's inactivity was reflected in its low accumulated cyclone energy ( ACE ) rating of 50 . ACE is , broadly speaking , a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed , so storms that last a long time , as well as particularly strong hurricanes , have high ACEs . It is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 39 mph ( 63 km/h ) , which is tropical storm strength .

100,000-year_problem

The 100,000-year problem ( `` 100 ky problem '' , `` 100 ka problem '' ) of the Milankovitch theory of orbital forcing refers to a discrepancy between the reconstructed geologic temperature record and the reconstructed amount of incoming solar radiation , or insolation over the past 800,000 years . Due to variations in the Earth 's orbit , the amount of insolation varies with periods of around 21,000 , 40,000 , 100,000 , and 400,000 years ( Milankovitch cycles ) . Variations in the amount of incident solar energy drive changes in the climate of the Earth , and are recognised as a key factor in the timing of initiation and termination of glaciations . While there is a Milankovitch cycle in the range of 100,000 years , related to Earth 's orbital eccentricity , its contribution to variation in insolation is much smaller than those of precession and obliquity . The 100,000-year-problem refers to the lack of an obvious explanation for the periodicity of ice ages at roughly 100,000 years for the past million years , but not before , when the dominant periodicity corresponded to 41,000 years . The unexplained transition between the two periodicity regimes is known as the mid-Pleistocene transition , dated to some 800,000 years ago . The related `` 400,000-year-problem '' refers to the absence of a 400,000-year periodicity due to orbital eccentricity in the geological temperature record over the past 1.2 million years .

1976_Pacific_typhoon_season

The 1976 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds ; it ran year-round in 1976 , but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean . The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean , north of the equator and west of the international date line . Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes ; see 1976 Pacific hurricane season . Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center . Tropical depressions in this basin have the `` W '' suffix added to their number . Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric , Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA . This can often result in the same storm having two names .

1997_Pacific_hurricane_season

The 1997 Pacific hurricane season was a very active hurricane season . With hundreds of deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage , this season was one of the costliest and deadliest Pacific hurricane seasons . This was due to the exceptionally strong 1997 -- 98 El Niño event . The 1997 Pacific hurricane season officially started on May 15 , 1997 , in the eastern Pacific , and on June 1 , 1997 , in the central Pacific , and lasted until November 30 , 1997 . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when almost all tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean . Several storms impacted land . The first was Tropical Storm Andres which killed four people and left another two missing . In August , Tropical Storm Ignacio took an unusual path , and its extratropical remnants caused minor damage in the Pacific Northwest and California . Linda became the most intense east Pacific hurricane in recorded history , a record it maintained until it was surpassed by Hurricane Patricia in 2015 . Although it never made landfall , it produced large surf in Southern California and as a result five people had to be rescued . Hurricane Nora caused flooding and damage in the Southwestern United States , while Olaf made two landfalls and caused eighteen deaths and several other people were reported missing . Hurricane Pauline killed several hundred people and caused record damage in southeastern Mexico . In addition , Super Typhoons Oliwa and Paka originated in the region before crossing the International Date Line and causing significant damage in the western Pacific . There were also two Category 5 hurricanes : Linda and Guillermo . Activity in the season was above average . The season produced 17 named storms , which was a little above normal . The average number of named storms per year is 15 . The 1997 season also had 9 hurricanes , compared to the average of 8 . There were also 7 major hurricanes compared to the average of 4 .

1900_(film)

1900 ( Novecento , `` Twentieth Century '' ) is a 1976 Italian epic historical drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci , starring Robert De Niro , Gérard Depardieu , Dominique Sanda , Sterling Hayden , Alida Valli , Romolo Valli , Stefania Sandrelli , Donald Sutherland , and Burt Lancaster . Set in Bertolucci 's ancestral region of Emilia , the film is a praise of communism and chronicles the lives of two men during the political turmoils that took place in Italy in the first half of the 20th century . The film was screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival , but was not entered into the main competition . Due to the film 's length , 1900 was presented in two parts when originally released in many countries and regions , including Italy , East and West Germany , Denmark , Belgium , Norway , Sweden , Colombia and Hong Kong . Other countries , such as the United States , released an edited version of the film .

1947_Fort_Lauderdale_hurricane

The 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane was an intense tropical cyclone that affected the Bahamas , southernmost Florida , and the Gulf Coast of the United States in September 1947 . The fourth Atlantic tropical cyclone of the year , it formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on September 4 , becoming a hurricane , the third of the 1947 Atlantic hurricane season , less than a day later . After moving south by west for the next four days , it turned to the northwest and rapidly attained strength beginning on September 9 . It reached a peak intensity of 145 mph on September 15 while approaching the Bahamas . In spite of contemporaneous forecasts that predicted a strike farther north , the storm then turned to the west and poised to strike South Florida , crossing first the northern Bahamas at peak intensity . In the Bahamas , the storm produced a large storm surge and heavy damage , but with no reported fatalities . A day later , the storm struck South Florida as a Category 4 hurricane , its eye becoming the first and only of a major hurricane to strike Fort Lauderdale . In Florida , advance warnings and stringent building codes were credited with minimizing structural damage and reducing loss of life to 17 people , but nevertheless widespread flooding and coastal damage resulted from heavy rainfall and high tides . Many vegetable plantings , citrus groves , and cattle were submerged or drowned as the storm exacerbated already high water levels and briefly threatened to breach the dikes surrounding Lake Okeechobee . However , the dikes held firm , and evacuations were otherwise credited with minimizing the potential death toll . On the west coast of the state , the storm caused further flooding , extensive damage south of the Tampa Bay Area , and the loss of a ship at sea . On September 18 , the hurricane entered the Gulf of Mexico and threatened the Florida Panhandle , but later its track moved farther west than expected , ultimately leading to a landfall southeast of New Orleans , Louisiana . Upon making landfall , the storm killed 34 people on the Gulf Coast of the United States and produced a storm tide as high as 15.2 ft , flooding millions of square miles and destroying thousands of homes . The storm was the first major hurricane to test Greater New Orleans since 1915 , and the widespread flooding that resulted spurred flood-protection legislature and an enlarged levee system to safeguard the flood-prone area . In all , the powerful storm killed 51 people and caused $ 110 million ( 1947 US$ ) in damage .

1947_Cape_Sable_hurricane

The 1947 Cape Sable hurricane , sometimes known informally as Hurricane King , was a weak tropical cyclone that became a hurricane and caused catastrophic flooding in South Florida and the Everglades in mid-October 1947 . The eighth tropical storm and fourth hurricane of the 1947 Atlantic hurricane season , it first developed on October 9 in the southern Caribbean Sea and hence moved north by west until a few days later it struck western Cuba . The cyclone then turned sharply to the northeast , accelerated , and strengthened to a hurricane , within 30 hours crossing the southern Florida peninsula . Across South Florida , the storm produced widespread rainfall up to 15 in and severe flooding , among the worst ever recorded in the area , that led to efforts by the United States Congress to improve drainage in the region . Once over the Atlantic Ocean on October 13 , the storm made history when it was the first to be targeted for modification by government and private agencies ; dry ice was spread by airplanes throughout the storm in an unsuccessful effort to weaken the hurricane , though changes in the track were initially blamed upon the experiment . On the same day as that of the seeding , the cyclone slowed dramatically and turned westward , making landfall on the morning of October 15 south of Savannah , Georgia . Across the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina , the small hurricane produced tides up to 12 ft and significant damage to 1,500 structures , but the death toll was limited to one person . The system dissipated the next day over Alabama , after causing $ 3.26 million in losses along its path .

1968_Thule_Air_Base_B-52_crash

On 21 January 1968 , an aircraft accident ( sometimes known as the Thule affair or Thule accident ( -LSB- ˈtuːli -RSB- ) ; Thuleulykken ) involving a United States Air Force ( USAF ) B-52 bomber occurred near Thule Air Base in the Danish territory of Greenland . The aircraft was carrying four hydrogen bombs on a Cold War `` Chrome Dome '' alert mission over Baffin Bay when a cabin fire forced the crew to abandon the aircraft before they could carry out an emergency landing at Thule Air Base . Six crew members ejected safely , but one who did not have an ejection seat was killed while trying to bail out . The bomber crashed onto sea ice in North Star Bay , Greenland , causing the conventional explosives aboard to detonate and the nuclear payload to rupture and disperse , which resulted in radioactive contamination . The United States and Denmark launched an intensive clean-up and recovery operation , but the secondary stage of one of the nuclear weapons could not be accounted for after the operation completed . USAF Strategic Air Command `` Chrome Dome '' operations were discontinued immediately after the accident , which highlighted the safety and political risks of the missions . Safety procedures were reviewed and more stable explosives were developed for use in nuclear weapons . In 1995 , a political scandal resulted in Denmark after a report revealed the government had given tacit permission for nuclear weapons to be located in Greenland , in contravention of Denmark 's 1957 nuclear-free zone policy . Workers involved in the clean-up program have been campaigning for compensation for radiation-related illnesses they experienced in the years after the accident .

1917_Nueva_Gerona_hurricane

The 1917 Nueva Gerona hurricane was the most intense tropical cyclone to strike the Florida Panhandle until Hurricane Opal in 1995 . The eighth tropical cyclone and fourth tropical storm of the season , this system was identified as a tropical storm east of the Lesser Antilles on September 20 . After crossing the Lesser Antilles , the system entered the Caribbean Sea and achieved hurricane intensity on September 21 . After becoming a Category 2 hurricane , the storm struck the northern coast of Jamaica on September 23 . Early on September 25 , the cyclone reached Category 4 status and attained maximum sustained winds of 150 mph ( 240 km/h ) soon thereafter . Later that day , the hurricane made landfall in eastern Pinar del Río Province , Cuba . The system entered the Gulf of Mexico shortly thereafter and weakened slightly . Recurving to the northeast , the hurricane briefly threatened Louisiana before turning toward Florida . Early on September 29 , the hurricane made landfall near Fort Walton Beach , Florida , with winds of 115 mph ( 185 km/h ) . Once over land , the cyclone rapidly weakened and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone before dissipating on September 30 . Some islands in the Lesser Antilles experienced strong winds and heavy rainfall , including Dominica , Guadeloupe , and Saint Lucia . In Jamaica , the hurricane caused significant damage to banana and coconut plantations . Communications from Holland Bay were disrupted when the station was demolished . The greatest damages were reported from the northern half of the island . Nine deaths occurred in the city of Port Antonio . In Nueva Gerona , Cuba , strong winds destroyed well-constructed buildings and all but 10 homes . The Isla de la Juventud overall experienced about $ 2 million ( 1917 USD ) in damage and there were at least 20 fatalities . Orchards and crops were destroyed on the Pinar del Río Province . In Louisiana and Mississippi , impact was generally limited to damaged crops and timber stands . Ten deaths from drowning were reported in Louisiana . Farther east in Mobile , Alabama , portions of roofs , trees , and other debris littered streets . Communications were severed in Pensacola , Florida . Several small watercraft washed ashore , and numerous wharves , docks , and boat storages suffered impact . Total damages were estimated near $ 170,000 in Pensacola area . Five deaths were reported in Florida , all of them in Crestview . The storm and its remnants also produced rainfall in Georgia , North Carolina , and South Carolina .

1911_Eastern_North_America_heat_wave

The 1911 Eastern North America heat wave was an 11-day heat wave in New York City and other Eastern cities that killed 380 people starting on July 4 , 1911 . In Nashua , New Hampshire , the temperature peaked at 106 degrees Fahrenheit ( 41 C ) . In New York City , 146 people and 600 horses died . In Boston , the temperature rose to 104 ° ( 40 ° C ) on July 4 , an all-time record high that still stands today .

1935_Labor_Day_hurricane

The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane was the most intense hurricane to make landfall in the United States on record , as well as the 3rd most intense Atlantic hurricane ever . The second tropical cyclone , second hurricane , and second major hurricane of the 1935 Atlantic hurricane season , the Labor Day Hurricane was the first of three Category 5 hurricanes to strike the United States at that intensity during the 20th century ( the other two being 1969 's Hurricane Camille and 1992 's Hurricane Andrew ) . After forming as a weak tropical storm east of the Bahamas on August 29 , it slowly proceeded westward and became a hurricane on September 1 . On Long Key it struck about midway through the calm . The waters quickly receded after carving new channels connecting the bay with the ocean . But gale force winds and high seas persisted into Tuesday , preventing rescue efforts . The storm continued northwest along the Florida west coast , weakening before its second landfall near Cedar Key , Florida , on September 4 . The compact and intense hurricane caused extreme damage in the upper Florida Keys , as a storm surge of approximately 18 to 20 feet ( 5.5 -- 6 meters ) swept over the low-lying islands . The hurricane 's strong winds and the surge destroyed nearly all the structures between Tavernier and Marathon . The town of Islamorada was obliterated . Portions of the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway were severely damaged or destroyed . The hurricane also caused additional damage in northwest Florida , Georgia , and the Carolinas .

1936_North_American_cold_wave

The 1936 North American cold wave ranks among the most intense cold waves in recorded North American meteorological history . The states of the Midwest United States and the Prairie Provinces of Canada were hit the hardest , but only the Southwest and California largely escaped its effects . February 1936 was the coldest month recorded in the states of North Dakota , South Dakota , and Minnesota , and rivals that of 1899 the coldest February on record for the continent as a whole . Only a few parts of the Great Basin , the Bering Sea coast of Alaska and the Labrador Sea coast of Canada were even close to their long-term means . The 1930s had previously seen some of the mildest winters in recorded North American climatic history -- 1930/1931 in the northern Plains and Western Canada , 1931/1932 in the East , 1932/1933 in New England and 1933/1934 in the Western United States . The northern plains had during the previous eleven years experienced six of their ten warmest Februaries between 1895 and 1976 -- those of 1925 , 1926 , 1927 , 1930 , 1931 and 1935 -- with only February 1929 being severe during this period . Despite a warm March over most areas east of the Rockies , the extended winter from October to March was the fifth-coldest on record over the conterminous United States and the coldest since 1917 . The cold wave was followed by one of the hottest summers on record , the 1936 North American heat wave .

1980_United_States_heat_wave

The 1980 United States Heat Wave was a period of intense heat and drought that wreaked havoc on much of the Midwestern United States and Southern Plains throughout the summer of 1980 . It is among the most devastating natural disasters in terms of deaths and destruction in U.S. history , claiming at least 1,700 lives and because of the massive drought , agricultural damage reached US$ 20.0 billion ( US$ 55.4 billion in 2007 dollars , adjusted for the GNP inflation index ) . It is among the billion-dollar weather disasters listed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

1998_Atlantic_hurricane_season

The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the deadliest and costliest Atlantic hurricane seasons that featured the highest number of storm-related fatalities in over 200 years . It officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30 , dates which conventionally delimit the period during which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean . The first tropical cyclone , Tropical Storm Alex , developed on July 27 , and the season 's final storm , Hurricane Nicole , became extratropical on December 1 . The strongest storm , Mitch , was tied with Hurricane Dean for the seventh most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded . Mitch is also the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in recorded history . The system dropped tremendous amounts of rainfall in Central America , causing 19,000 confirmed deaths and at least $ 6.2 billion ( 1998 USD ) in damage . The season was the first since Hurricane Andrew in the 1992 season to feature a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir -- Simpson hurricane wind scale . Several storms made landfall or directly affected land . Hurricane Bonnie made landfall in southeastern North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane in late August , killing five people and causing about $ 1 billion in damage . Hurricane Earl caused $ 79 million in damage and three deaths after making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane . The two deadliest and most destructive hurricanes of the season , Hurricane Georges and Mitch , caused $ 9.72 billion in damage and $ 6.2 billion in damage , respectively . Hurricane Georges was an intense Category 4 hurricane that moved through many of the Caribbean Islands , causing significant damage before making landfall near Biloxi , Mississippi . Hurricane Mitch was a very powerful and destructive late-season hurricane that affected much of Central America before making landfall in Florida as a tropical storm . The significant amount of rainfall that Mitch produced across Central America caused significant damage and killed at least 11,000 people , making the system the second deadliest hurricane in recorded history , behind only the Great Hurricane of 1780 .

1982–83_El_Niño_event

The 1982 -- 83 El Niño event was one of the strongest El Niño events since records were kept . It led to widespread flooding across the southern United States , droughts in Indonesia and Australia , and lack of snow in northern areas of the United States . The estimated economic impact was over US$ 8 billion . This El Niño event also led to an abnormal amount of hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean during this time span ; the strongest hurricane up to 1983 hit Hawaii during this El Niño event . It led to declines of 77 % among Galápagos penguins and 49 % among flightless cormorants . In addition to these losses in penguins and cormorants , this El Niño event caused a quarter of adult native sea lions and fur seals on Peru 's coast to starve , while the entirety of both seals ' pup populations perished . In Ecuador heavy rainfall and flooding led to high fish and shrimp harvests , however the large amounts of standing water also allowed mosquito populations to thrive , leading to large outbreaks of malaria .

1991_Pacific_typhoon_season

The 1991 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds ; it ran year-round in 1991 , but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean . The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean , north of the equator and west of the international date line . Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes ; see 1991 Pacific hurricane season . Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center . Tropical depressions in this basin have the `` W '' suffix added to their number . Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric , Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA . This can often result in the same storm having two names .

2016_Sumatra_earthquake

The 2016 Sumatra earthquake was a 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck on 2 March 2016 in the Indian Ocean , approximately 800 kilometers ( 500 miles ) southwest of Sumatra in Indonesia . Tsunami warnings were issued for Indonesia and Australia , but were withdrawn two hours later . Heronimus Guru , the National Meteorological Agency 's deputy head of operations , initially stated that `` there are some who have died '' , without citing an official death toll ; however , it is now known that there were no deaths directly related to the earthquake .

2012_Atlantic_hurricane_season

The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season was the final year in a consecutive string of three extremely active seasons , although most of the storms were weak . It tied with 1887 , 1995 , 2010 , and 2011 for having the third-most named storms on record . It was also the second-costliest season , behind 2005 . The season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30 , dates that conventionally delimit the period during each year in which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean . However , Alberto , the first system of the year , developed on May 19 -- the earliest date of formation since Tropical Storm Ana in 2003 . A second tropical cyclone , Beryl , developed later that month . This was the first occurrence of two pre-season named storms in the Atlantic basin since 1951 . It moved ashore in North Florida on May 29 with winds of 65 mph ( 100 km/h ) , making it the strongest pre-season storm to make landfall in the Atlantic basin . This season marked the first time since 2009 where no tropical cyclones formed in July . Another record was set by Hurricane Nadine later in the season ; the system became the fourth-longest-lived tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic , with a total duration of 22.25 days . The final storm to form , Tony , dissipated on October 25 -- however , Hurricane Sandy , which formed before Tony , became extratropical on October 29 . Pre-season forecasts by the Colorado State University ( CSU ) called for a below average season , with 10 named storms , 4 hurricanes , and 2 major hurricanes . The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) issued its first outlook on May 24 , predicting a total of 9 -- 15 named storms , 4 -- 8 hurricanes , and 1 -- 3 major hurricanes ; both agencies noted the possibility of an El Niño , which limits tropical cyclone activity . Following two pre-season storms , the CSU updated their forecast to 13 named storms , 5 hurricanes , and 2 major hurricanes , while the NOAA upped their forecast numbers to 12 -- 17 named storms , 5 -- 8 hurricanes , and 2 -- 3 major hurricanes on August 9 . Despite this , activity far surpassed the predictions . Impact during the 2012 season was widespread and significant . In mid-May , Beryl moved ashore the coastline of Florida , causing 3 deaths . In late June and early August , Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Ernesto caused 10 and 13 deaths after striking Florida and the Yucatán , respectively . In mid-August , the remnants of Tropical Storm Helene killed two people after making landfall in Mexico . At least 41 deaths and $ 2.39 billion were attributed to Hurricane Isaac , which struck Louisiana on two separate occasions in late August . However , by far the costliest , deadliest and most notable cyclone of the season was Hurricane Sandy , which formed on October 22 . After striking Cuba at Category 3 intensity on the Saffir -- Simpson hurricane wind scale , the hurricane moved ashore the southern coastline of New Jersey . Sandy left 286 dead and $ 75 billion worth of damage in its wake , making it the second-costliest Atlantic hurricane on record , behind only Hurricane Katrina in 2005 . Collectively , the season 's storms caused at least 355 fatalities and about $ 79.2 billion in damage , making 2012 the deadliest season since 2008 and the costliest since 2005 . __ TOC __

2010_Northern_Hemisphere_summer_heat_waves

The 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat waves included severe heat waves that impacted most of the United States , Kazakhstan , Mongolia , China , Hong Kong , North Africa and the European continent as a whole , along with parts of Canada , Russia , Indochina , South Korea and Japan during May , June , July , and August 2010 . The first phase of the global heatwaves was caused by a moderate El Niño event , which lasted from June 2009 to May 2010 . The first phase lasted only from April 2010 to June 2010 , and caused only moderate above average temperatures in the areas affected . But it also set new record high temperatures for most of the area affected , in the Northern Hemisphere . The second phase ( the main , and most devastating phase ) was caused by a very strong La Niña event , which lasted from June 2010 to June 2011 . According to meteorologists , the 2010 -- 11 La Niña event was one of the strongest La Niña events ever observed . That same La Niña event also had devastating effects in the Eastern states of Australia . The second phase lasted from June 2010 to October 2010 , caused severe heat waves , and multiple record-breaking temperatures . The heatwaves began on April 2010 , when strong anticyclones began to develop , over most of the affected regions , in the Northern Hemisphere . The heatwaves ended in October 2010 , when the powerful anticyclones over most of the affected areas dissipated . The heat wave during the summer of 2010 was at its worst in June , over the Eastern United States , Middle East , Eastern Europe and European Russia , and over Northeastern China and southeastern Russia . June 2010 marked the fourth consecutive warmest month on record globally , at 0.66 ° C ( 1.22 ° F ) above average , while the period April -- June was the warmest ever recorded for land areas in the Northern Hemisphere , at 1.25 ° C ( 2.25 ° F ) above average . The previous record for the global average temperature in June was set in 2005 at 0.66 ° C ( 1.19 ° F ) , and the previous warm record for April -- June over Northern Hemisphere land areas was 1.16 ° C ( 2.09 ° F ) , set in 2007 . Sometime during June 2010 , the highest recorded temperature caused by the heatwave was 53.5 ° C , in Southeastern Russia , just north of Kazakhstan . The strongest of the anticyclones , the one situated over Siberia , registered a maximum high pressure of 1040 millibars . The weather caused forest fires in China , where three in a team of 300 died fighting a fire that broke out in the Binchuan County of Dali , as Yunnan suffered the worst drought in 60 years by February 17 . A major drought was reported across the Sahel as early as January . In August , a section of the Petermann Glacier tongue connecting northern Greenland , the Nares Strait and the Arctic Ocean broke off , the biggest ice shelf in the Arctic to detach in 48 years . By the time the heatwaves had ended in late October 2010 , about $ 500 billion ( 2011 USD ) of damage was done , in the Northern Hemisphere alone . The World Meteorological Organization stated that the heat waves , droughts and flooding events fit with predictions based on global warming for the 21st century , include those based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 's 2007 4th Assessment Report . Some climatologists argue that these weather events would not have happened if the atmospheric carbon dioxide was at pre-industrial levels .

2001_Eastern_North_America_heat_wave

A rather cool and uneventful summer along the East Coast of the United States ( with a more average heat pattern occurring in the Midwest/Great Lakes regions ) changed abruptly when a ridge of high pressure centered off the coast of South Carolina strengthened in late July . It began in early August for areas of the Midwest and western Great Lakes before spreading eastward and intensifying . It waned in most areas by the middle of the month , and although fairly short in duration compared with some other continental heat waves , it was very intense at its peak . The high humidity and high temperatures led to major heat wave that overtook the major Northeast Megalopolis . Temperatures in Central Park , New York City reached a peak of 103 F . The temperature reached 105 F in Newark , New Jersey . Meanwhile , in Ontario and Quebec , extreme temperatures were also reported daily during the first week of August . Ottawa recorded its second-hottest day ever when the mercury approached 37 C on August 9 and at the Toronto Airport it hit 38 C on the same day , the hottest day there since 1955 with four straight days topping 35 C. Numerous records were shattered during the heatwave . Even in Nova Scotia , surrounded by the relatively cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean , temperatures still broke 35 C in some locations . Glace Bay , which has a sub-Arctic climate reached a record-breaking 35.5 C on August 10 . At least four New Yorkers died of hyperthermia . Chicago had at least 21 deaths .

2006_North_American_heat_wave

The 2006 North American heat wave spread throughout most of the United States and Canada beginning on July 15 , 2006 , killing at least 225 people . That day the temperature reached 117 ° F ( 47 ° C ) in Pierre , South Dakota , with many places in South Dakota that hit well into the 120s . In early reports from this heat wave , at least three died in Philadelphia , Arkansas , and Indiana . In Maryland , the state health officials reported that three people died of heat-related causes . Another heat related death was suspected in Chicago . Although many heat related deaths go unreported , by July 19 , the Associated Press reported that the soaring heat was blamed for 12 deaths from Oklahoma City to the Philadelphia area . Reports by early morning July 20 raised the death toll to at least 16 in seven states . This period of heat also saw a wind storm ( derecho ) in St. Louis that caused widespread power outages , including for cooling centers designed to provide relief for those suffering from the heat . In addition , places on the West Coast , like California 's Central Valley and Southern California experienced humid heat , which is unusual for the area .

21st_century

The 21st century is the current century of the Anno Domini era , in accordance with the Gregorian calendar . It began on January 1 , 2001 and will end on December 31 , 2100 . It is the first century of the 3rd millennium . It is distinct from the time span known as the 2000s , which began on January 1 , 2000 and will end on December 31 , 2099 .

2013_Pacific_hurricane_season

The 2013 Pacific hurricane season featured a high quantity of storms , although most remained weak . It officially began on May 15 , 2013 in the Eastern Pacific and started on June 1 , 2013 in the Central Pacific . Both ended on November 30 , 2013 . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the eastern Pacific basin . However , the formation of a storm is possible at any time . The second storm of the season , Hurricane Barbara , brought widespread heavy rains to much of Southwestern Mexico and Central America . Damage estimates from the storm range from $ 750,000 to $ 1 million ( 2013 USD ) ; four people were killed and four others are reportedly missing . In addition to Barbara , Hurricane Cosme killed three people despite remaining far offshore the Mexican coast . Hurricane Erick also brought slight effects to the region as well , killing two people . Later that month , Tropical Storm Flossie threatened to become the first storm to make a `` direct hit '' on Hawaii in 20 years , causing minimal damage . Ivo and Juliette both threatened Baja California Sur , and the former triggered flash floods across the Southwestern United States . In mid-September , Hurricane Manuel killed at least 169 people in Mexico , and was responsible for significant damage to the western coast and the area around Acapulco . In late October , Hurricane Raymond became the strongest storm of the season .

2014–15_North_American_winter

The 2014 -- 15 North American winter refers to winter as it occurred across the continent from late 2014 through early 2015 . While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere , there are two definitions of winter which may be used . Based on the astronomical definition , winter begins at the winter solstice , which in 2014 occurred on December 21 , and ends at the March equinox , which in 2015 occurred on March 20 . Based on the meteorological definition , the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 28 . Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months , with some variability . While both the meteorological and astronomical definitions of winter involve the onset of winter occurring in December , many places in North America experienced their first wintry weather during mid November . A period of below-average temperatures affected much of the contiguous United States , and several records were broken . An early trace of snowfall was recorded in Arkansas . There were greater accumulations of snow across parts of Oklahoma as well . A quasi-permanent phenomenon referred to as the polar vortex may have been partly responsible for the cold weather . Temperatures in much of the United States dropped 15 to below average by November 19 following a southward `` dip '' of the polar vortex into the eastern two-thirds of the country . The effects of this dip were widespread , bringing about temperatures as low as 28 F in Pensacola , Florida . Following a significant snowstorm there , Buffalo , New York received several feet of snow from November 17 -- 21 . During the 2014 -- 15 winter season , Boston broke its all-time official seasonal 107.6 in snowfall record from the winter of 1995 -- 96 , with a total snowfall record of 108.6 in as of March 15 , 2015 . Many records for snowfall and temperature were broken , many for the month of February , with every state east of the Mississippi River being colder than average , some for the entire winter . However , this meteorological winter was the 19th-warmest of the past 120 winters over the lower 48 states , largely due to persistent warm weather in the West .

2013_in_science

A number of significant scientific events occurred in 2013 , including the discovery of numerous Earthlike exoplanets , the development of viable lab-grown ears , teeth , livers and blood vessels , and the atmospheric entry of the most destructive meteor since 1908 . The year also saw successful new treatments for diseases such as HIV , Usher syndrome and leukodystrophy , and a major expansion in the use and capabilities of technologies such as 3D printing and autonomous cars . The United Nations designated 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation .

2009_flu_pandemic_in_the_United_States

The 2009 flu pandemic in the United States was a pandemic experienced in the United States of a novel strain of the Influenza A/H1N1 virus , commonly referred to as `` swine flu '' , that began in the spring of 2009 . The virus had spread to the US from an outbreak in Mexico . As of mid-March 2010 , the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) estimated that about 59 million Americans contracted the H1N1 virus , 265,000 were hospitalized as a result , and 12,000 died .

2016_North_American_heat_wave

In the month of July 2016 , a major heat wave began to plague much of the central U.S with record high temperatures . Some places experienced temperatures of up to 39 C. Heat indexes in some places climbed as high as 45 C.

2nd_millennium

The second millennium was a period of time that began on January 1 , 1001 and ended on December 31 , 2000 of the Gregorian calendar . It was the second period of one thousand years in the Anno Domini or Common Era . It encompassed the High and Late Middle Ages , the Mongol Empire , the Renaissance , the Baroque era , the early Modern Age , the age of Enlightenment , the age of colonialism , industrialization , the rise of nation states , and the 19th and 20th century with the impact of science , widespread education , and universal health care and vaccinations in many nations . The centuries of expanding large-scale warfare with high-tech weaponry ( of the World Wars and nuclear bombs ) were offset by growing peace movements , the United Nations , plus doctors and health workers crossing borders to treat injuries and disease , and the return of the Olympics as contest without combat . Scientists prevailed in explaining intellectual freedom ; humans took their first steps on the Moon during the 20th century ; and new technology was developed by governments , industry , and academia across the world , with education shared by many international conferences and journals . The development of movable type , radio , television , and the internet spread information worldwide , within minutes , in audio , video , and print-image format to inform , educate and entertain billions of people by the end of the 20th century . The Renaissance saw the beginning of the second migration of humans from Europe , Africa , and Asia to the Americas , beginning the ever-accelerating process of globalization . The interwoven international trade led to the formation of multi-national corporations , with home offices in multiple countries . International business ventures reduced the impact of nationalism in popular thought . The world population doubled over the first seven centuries of the millennium ( from 310 million in 1000 to 600 million in 1700 ) and later increased tenfold over its last three centuries , exceeding 6 billion in 2000 . Consequently , unchecked human activity had considerable social and environmental consequences , giving rise to extreme poverty , climate change and biotic crisis .

2449_Kenos

2449 Kenos , provisional designation , is a bright Hungaria asteroid and medium-sized Mars-crosser from the inner regions of the asteroid belt , approximately 3 kilometers in diameter . It was discovered by American astronomer William Liller at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile , on 8 April 1978 . The E-type asteroid is a member of the Hungaria family , which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System . Kenos orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.6 -- 2.2 AU once every 2 years and 8 months ( 963 days ) . Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 25 ° with respect to the ecliptic . Based on assumption made by the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link , the body has a high albedo of 0.4 , which is typical for E-type asteroids with a magnesium silicate surface ( also see Enstatite chondrite ) . Observations performed at the Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado Springs , Colorado , during 2007 produced a light-curve with a period of hours and a brightness range of in magnitude . Two more recent observations confirmed the 3.85-hour period . The minor planet was named after Kenos , the first man in the Selknam mythology of the Native Americans of Tierra del Fuego , sent by the Supreme Being to bring order into the world . He created the human race by using peat to make male and female organs , taught them language and instructed them in rules to fashion a harmonious society . Naming citation was published on 6 February 1993 .

2011_North_American_heat_wave

The 2011 North American heat wave was a deadly summer 2011 heat wave that affected the Southern Plains , Midwestern United States , Eastern Canada , Northeastern United States , and much of the Eastern Seaboard , and had Heat index/Humidex readings reaching upwards of 131 ° F. On a national basis , the heat wave was the hottest in 75 years .

2011_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference

The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference ( COP17 ) was held in Durban , South Africa , from 28 November to 11 December 2011 to establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions . A treaty was not established , but the conference agreed to establish a legally binding deal comprising all countries by 2015 , which was to take effect in 2020 . There was also progress regarding the creation of a Green Climate Fund for which a management framework was adopted . The fund is to distribute US$ 100 billion per year to help poor countries adapt to climate impacts . While the president of the conference , Maite Nkoana-Mashabane , declared it a success , scientists and environmental groups warned that the deal was not sufficient to avoid global warming beyond 2 ° C as more urgent action is needed .

2016_American_Northeast_heat_wave

The 2016 American Northeast heat wave was a heat wave which affected New York , New Jersey , and Pennsylvania with heat indexes reaching up to 45 C.

2009_flu_pandemic_in_the_United_States_by_state

The United States experienced the beginnings of a pandemic of a novel strain of the influenza A/H1N1 virus , commonly referred to as `` swine flu '' , in the spring of 2009 . The earliest reported cases in the US began appearing in late March 2009 in California , then spreading to infect people in Texas , New York , and other states by mid-April . Early cases were associated with recent travel to Mexico ; many were students who had traveled to Mexico for Spring Break . This spread continued across the country 's population and by the end of May there were approximately 0 confirmed cases throughout all 50 states . On April 28 , 2009 , the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) confirmed the first official US death of swine flu , a 23-month-old toddler from Mexico who died on April 27 while visiting Texas . By June 24 , 132 deaths had been attributed to the virus . As of January 11 , 2010 , at least 13,837 deaths were attributed to the virus worldwide , and at least 2290 deaths in the US were confirmed to be due to the virus . The CDC suspects , however , that the total number of deaths in the US is much higher than the official total , as some deaths probably went unconfirmed .

2010–13_Southern_United_States_and_Mexico_drought

The 2010 -- 2013 Southern United States and Mexico drought was a severe to extreme drought plaguing the US South , including parts of Texas , Oklahoma , Kansas , Colorado , New Mexico , Arizona , Louisiana , Arkansas , Mississippi , Alabama , Georgia , South Carolina , and North Carolina , as well as large parts of Mexico . The worst effects have been in Texas , where near-record drought has parched the state since January 2011 . Texas suffered an estimated $ 7.62 billion in crop and livestock losses , surpassing its record loss of $ 4.1 billion in 2006 . In Texas , combined with the rest of the South , at least $ 10 billion in agricultural losses were recorded in 2011 . In 2010 -- 11 , Texas experienced its driest August -- July ( 12-month ) period on record . The drought began due to a strong La Niña developing by the summer of 2010 which brings below average rainfall to the southern United States , the effects of the La Niña could be noticed immediately as much of the south receives important rainfall during the summer , and this was the driest summer for Texas and Georgia in the 21st century thus far , and much of the south received record low rainfall . Throughout 2011 , the drought was confined to the Deep South as the mid-south received flooding due to severe weather and tornadoes . However , the drought continued and intensified in the Deep South as Texas saw 2011 be its second-driest year on record , Oklahoma saw its fourth-driest , and Georgia saw its seventh-driest year on record . The winter of 2011 -- 12 was one of the driest winters on record for the eastern and central United States . In the spring of 2012 , the drought made a massive expansion from the Deep South to the Midwest , Mid south , Great Plains , and Ohio valley . At its peak in August 2012 the drought covered approximately 81 % of the United States . Throughout the winter of 2012 -- 13 , heavy rain and snow brought relief to the drought in the southern and eastern United States , even causing severe flooding . By March 2013 , the eastern United States was drought-free , effectively ending the 2010 -- 13 southern U.S. drought . Drought continued on the Great Plains until 2014 . However , drought developed in the western United States in 2013 and still exists today . The 2011 drought was the worst one-year drought in Texas since 1895 . The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that Lubbock , Texas has experienced the nation 's worst average level of drought since the beginning of 2011 . McAllen , Harlingen , Brownsville and Corpus Christi also ranked among the nine U.S. cities most affected by extreme drought .

2013_extreme_weather_events

The 2013 extreme weather events included several all-time temperature records in Northern and Southern Hemisphere . The February extent of snow cover in Eurasia and North America was above average , while the extent of Arctic ice in the same month was 4,5 % below the 1981 -- 2010 average . The Northern Hemisphere weather extremes have been linked to the melting of Arctic sea ice , which alters atmospheric circulation in a way that leads to more snow and ice . By January 11 , 233 weather-related deaths were reported in India . Elsewhere , particularly in Russia , the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom , low temperatures affected wildlife , delaying bird breeding and disrupting the bird migration . On January 10 Bangladesh faced the lowest temperature since country 's independence , at 3.0 ° C in Saidpur . While Finland and most of Northern European countries got the record high , and even the highest temperatures at Europe during May and June , Western - and Middle Europe faced much cooler weather and even their wettest May and June ever . During summer prolonged heat waves in the Northern Hemisphere set new record high temperatures . On March 24 , 2014 , the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization Michel Jarraud announced that `` many of the extreme events of 2013 were consistent with what we would expect as a result of human-induced climate change '' .

2006_European_cold_wave

The 2006 European cold wave was an unusual cold wave which resulted in abnormal winter conditions over much of Europe . Southern Europe saw cold and snow , while places in northern Norway saw abnormally mild conditions . The phenomenon started on 20 January in Russia with temperatures below -40 ° C and extended to Central Europe where parts of Poland , Slovakia and Austria saw temperatures drop below -30 ° C . The cold resulted in the deaths of up to 50 people in Russia and a significant death toll in Eastern Europe including Moldova and Romania . The abnormal conditions gradually abated towards the end of the month .

2003_Atlantic_hurricane_season

The 2003 Atlantic hurricane season was an active Atlantic hurricane season with tropical activity before and after the official bounds of the season -- the first such occurrence in 49 years . The season produced 21 tropical cyclones , of which 16 developed into named storms ; seven cyclones attained hurricane status , of which three reached major hurricane status . With sixteen storms , the season was tied for the sixth most active Atlantic hurricane season on record . The strongest hurricane of the season was Hurricane Isabel , which reached Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale northeast of the Lesser Antilles ; Isabel later struck North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane , causing $ 3.6 billion in damage ( 2003 USD , $ USD ) and a total of 51 deaths across the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States . The season began with Subtropical Storm Ana on April 20 , prior to the official start of the season ; the bounds of the season are from June 1 to November 30 , which conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin . In early September , Hurricane Fabian struck Bermuda as a Category 3 hurricane , where it was the worst hurricane since 1926 ; on the island it caused four deaths and $ 300 million in damage ( 2003 USD , $ USD ) . Hurricane Juan caused considerable destruction to Nova Scotia , particularly Halifax , as a Category 2 hurricane , the first hurricane of significant strength to hit the province since 1893 . Additionally , Hurricanes Claudette and Erika struck Texas and Mexico , respectively , as minimal hurricanes .

2000s_(decade)

The 2000s ( pronounced `` two-thousands '' or `` twenty-hundreds '' ) was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1 , 2000 , and ended on December 31 , 2009 . The growth of the Internet contributed to globalization during the decade , which allowed faster communication among people around the world . The economic growth of the 2000s had considerable social , environmental and mass extinction consequences , raised demand for diminishing energy resources , and was still vulnerable , as demonstrated by the financial crisis of 2007 -- 08 .

2005_Pacific_hurricane_season

The 2005 Pacific hurricane season continued the trend of generally below-average activity that began a decade prior . The season officially began on May 15 in the eastern Pacific , and on June 1 in the central Pacific ; it lasted until November 30 in both basins . These dates conventionally delimit the period during each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean . Activity began with the formation of Hurricane Adrian , the fourth-earliest-forming tropical storm on record in the basin at the time . Adrian led to flash flooding and several landslides across Central America , resulting in five deaths and $ 12 million ( 2005 USD ) in damage . Tropical storms Calvin and Dora caused minor damage along the coastline , while Tropical Storm Eugene led to one death in Acapulco . In early October , Otis produced tropical storm-force winds and minor flooding across the Baja California peninsula . The remnants of Tropical Depression One-C in the central Pacific , meanwhile , caused minor impacts in Hawaii . The strongest storm of the period was Hurricane Kenneth , which attained peak winds of 130 mph ( 215 km/h ) over the open Pacific . Cooler than average ocean temperatures throughout the year aided in below-average activity through the course of the season , which ended with 15 named storms , 7 hurricanes , 2 major hurricanes , and an Accumulated cyclone energy index of 75 units .

2000

2000 was designated as : International Year for the Culture of Peace World Mathematical Year Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium due to a tendency of grouping the years according to decimal values , as if year zero were counted . According to the Gregorian Calendar , these distinctions fall to the year 2001 because the 1st century was retroactively said to start with year AD 1 . Since the calendar does not have year zero , its first millennium spanned from years 1 to 1000 inclusively and its second millennium from years 1001 to 2000 ( See more at Millennium ) . The year 2000 is sometimes abbreviated as `` Y2K '' ( the `` Y '' stands for `` year '' , and the `` K '' stands for `` kilo '' which means `` thousand '' ) . The year 2000 was the subject of Y2K concerns , which are fears that computers would not shift from 1999 to 2000 correctly . However , by the end of 1999 , many companies had already converted to new , or upgraded , existing software . Some even obtained Y2K certification . As a result of massive effort , relatively few problems occurred .

2006_Pacific_typhoon_season

The 2006 Pacific typhoon season was a near-average season that produced a total of 23 named storms , 15 typhoons and six super typhoons . The season ran throughout 2006 , though most tropical cyclones typically develop between May and October . The season 's first named storm , Chanchu , developed on May 9 , while the season 's last named storm , Trami , dissipated on December 20 . This season was also much active , costly and deadly than the previous season . Throughout the season , many typhoons made landfall at a higher intensity . Typhoon Saomai was the most powerful typhoon to strike China for over 50 years , as a Category 4 typhoon , responsible for over 400 deaths . Typhoon Shanshan struck Japan and became the costliest typhoon this season with a total damage of about $ 2.5 billion . The Philippines got hit by a total of six typhoons , which saw the highest number since 1974 . All six typhoons were responsible for over 1,000 casualties and several millions of damages . Typhoon Ioke , which formed from the Central Pacific , entered the basin and became the strongest Central Pacific hurricane . Moreover , it was stated that the ratio of intense typhoons was 0.73 , which was the highest since 1970 . The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean to the north of the equator between 100 ° E and 180th meridian . Within the northwestern Pacific Ocean , there are two separate agencies that assign names to tropical cyclones which can often result in a cyclone having two names . The Japan Meteorological Agency ( JMA ) will name a tropical cyclone should it be judged to have 10-minute sustained wind speeds of at least 65 km/h ( 40 mph ) anywhere in the basin , whilst the Philippine Atmospheric , Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration ( PAGASA ) assigns names to tropical cyclones which move into or form as a tropical depression in their area of responsibility located between 135 ° E and 115 ° E and between 5 ° N -- 25 ° N regardless of whether or not a tropical cyclone has already been given a name by the JMA . Tropical depressions that are monitored by the United States ' Joint Typhoon Warning Center ( JTWC ) are given a number with a `` W '' suffix .

2016_Taiwan_earthquake

At 03:57 local time ( 19:57 UTC ) on 6 February 2016 , an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.4 struck 28 km ( 17 mi ) northeast of Pingtung City in southern Taiwan , in the Meinong District of Kaohsiung . The earthquake struck at a depth of around 23 km ( 14 mi ) . Its comparatively shallow depth caused more intense reverberations on the surface . The earthquake had a maximum intensity of VII ( Very strong ) on the Mercalli intensity scale , causing widespread damage and 117 deaths . Almost all of the deaths were caused by a collapsed residential building , named Weiguan Jinlong in Yongkang District , except two others , who were killed in Guiren District . Sixty-eight aftershocks have occurred . The earthquake was the deadliest earthquake in Taiwan since the 921 earthquake in 1999 .

2013–14_North_American_winter

The 2013 -- 14 North American winter refers to winter as it occurred across the continent from late 2013 through early 2014 . While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere , there are two definitions of winter which may be used . Based on the astronomical definition , winter begins at the winter solstice , which in 2013 occurred on December 21 , and ends at the March equinox , which in 2014 occurred on March 20 . Based on the meteorological definition , the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 28 . Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months , with some variability . __ TOC __

2007_Western_North_American_heat_wave

The 2007 western North American heat wave was a record-breaking event that began in late June 2007 . The heat stretched from Mexico to Alberta , Saskatchewan , Manitoba and into northwestern Ontario . The record heat has exacerbated already present record-breaking drought conditions in much of the Western U.S. , allowing fires to grow to record-breaking sizes . The combination of conditions forced major freeway closures , animal and human deaths , evacuations , and destruction of property . Much of eastern North America experienced more average conditions through July 2007 , with little in the way of prolonged heat waves . However , drought remained a problem in some areas of the east , particularly parts of the southeast .

2006_European_heat_wave

The 2006 European heat wave was a period of exceptionally hot weather that arrived at the end of June 2006 in certain European countries . The United Kingdom , France , Belgium , the Netherlands , Luxembourg , Italy , Poland , the Czech Republic , Hungary , Germany and western parts of Russia were most affected . Several records were broken . In the Netherlands , Belgium , Germany , Ireland and the United Kingdom , July 2006 was the warmest month since official measurements began .

2006_Atlantic_hurricane_season

The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season was significantly less active than the record previous season . It marked the first season since 2001 in which no hurricanes made landfall in the United States , and was the first since 1994 in which no tropical cyclones formed during October . Following the intense activity of 2005 , forecasters predicted that the 2006 season would be only slightly less active . Instead activity was slowed by a rapidly forming moderate El Niño event , the presence of the Saharan Air Layer over the tropical Atlantic , and the steady presence of a robust secondary high-pressure area to the Azores high centered on Bermuda . There were no tropical cyclones after October 2 . Tropical Storm Alberto was indirectly responsible for two deaths when it made landfall in Florida . Hurricane Ernesto caused heavy rainfall in Haiti , and directly killed at least seven in Haiti and the United States . Four hurricanes formed after Ernesto , including the strongest storms of the season , Hurricanes Helene and Gordon . In total , the season was responsible for 14 deaths and $ 500 million ( 2006 USD ; $ USD ) in damage . The calendar year 2006 also saw Tropical Storm Zeta , which arose in December 2005 and persisted until early January , only the second such event on record . The storm can be considered a part of the 2005 and 2006 seasons , although it occurred outside the June 1 -- November 30 period during which most Atlantic basin tropical cyclones form .

2004_Atlantic_hurricane_season

The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest Atlantic hurricane season on record until surpassed by the following year . More than half of the 16 tropical cyclones brushed or struck the United States . The season officially began on June 1 , and ended on November 30 . Due to a Modoki El Niño -- a rare type of El Niño in which unfavorable conditions are produced over the eastern Pacific instead of the Atlantic basin due to warmer sea surface temperatures farther west along the equatorial Pacific -- activity was above average . The first storm , Alex , developed offshore of the Southeastern United States on July 31 . It brushed the Carolinas and the Mid-Atlantic , causing one death and $ 7.5 million ( 2004 USD ) in damage . Several storms caused only minor damage , including tropical storms Bonnie , Earl , Hermine , and Matthew . In addition , hurricanes Danielle , Karl , and Lisa , Tropical Depression Ten , Subtropical Storm Nicole and Tropical Storm Otto had no effect on land while tropical cyclones . Hurricane Charley made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir -- Simpson hurricane wind scale ( SSHWS ) , causing $ 15.1 billion in damage in the United States alone . Later in August , Hurricane Frances struck the Bahamas and Florida , causing at least 49 deaths and $ 9.5 billion in damage . The most intense storm , and the one that caused the most damage , was Hurricane Ivan . It was a Category 5 hurricane that devastated multiple countries adjacent to the Caribbean Sea , before entering the Gulf of Mexico and causing catastrophic destruction on the Gulf Coast of the United States , especially Alabama and Florida . Throughout the countries it passed through , Ivan left 129 fatalities and over $ 23.33 billion in damage . The most significant tropical cyclone in terms of deaths was Hurricane Jeanne . In Haiti , torrential rainfall in the mountainous areas resulted in mudslides and severe flooding , causing at least 3,006 fatalities . Jeanne also struck Florida , inflicting extensive destruction . Overall , the storm caused at least $ 8.1 billion in damage and 3,042 deaths . Collectively , the storms of this season caused at least 3,270 deaths and about $ 57.37 billion in damage , making it the costliest Atlantic hurricane season at the time , until the following season . With six hurricanes reaching at least Category 3 intensity , 2004 also had the most major hurricanes since 1996 . However , that record would also be surpassed in 2005 , with seven major hurricanes that year . In the spring of 2005 , four names were retired : Charley , Frances , Ivan , and Jeanne . This tied the then-record most names retired with 1955 and 1995 , while five were retired in 2005 .

2009_California_wildfires

The 2009 California wildfires were a series of 8,291 wildfires that were active in the state of California , USA , during the year 2009 . The fires burned more than 404601 acre of land from early February through late November , due to Red Flag conditions , destroying hundreds of structures , injuring 134 people , and killing two . The wildfires also caused at least $ 134.48 million ( 2009 USD ) in damage . Although the fires burned many different regions of California in August , the month was especially notable for several very large fires which burned in Southern California , despite being outside of the normal fire season for that region . The Station Fire , north of Los Angeles , was the largest and deadliest of these wildfires . It began in late August , and resulted in the devastation of 160577 acre of land as well as the death of two firefighters . Another large fire was the La Brea Fire , which burned nearly 90000 acre in Santa Barbara County earlier in the month . A state of emergency was also declared for the 7800 acre Lockheed Fire in Santa Cruz County to the north .

2015_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference , COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris , France , from 30 November to 12 December 2015 . It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties ( COP ) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) and the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties ( CMP ) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol . The conference negotiated the Paris Agreement , a global agreement on the reduction of climate change , the text of which represented a consensus of the representatives of the 196 parties attending it . The agreement will enter into force when joined by at least 55 countries which together represent at least 55 percent of global greenhouse emissions . On 22 April 2016 ( Earth Day ) , 174 countries signed the agreement in New York , and began adopting it within their own legal systems ( through ratification , acceptance , approval , or accession ) . According to the organizing committee at the outset of the talks , the expected key result was an agreement to set a goal of limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius ( ° C ) compared to pre-industrial levels . The agreement calls for zero net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to be reached during the second half of the 21st century . In the adopted version of the Paris Agreement , the parties will also `` pursue efforts to '' limit the temperature increase to 1.5 ° C . The 1.5 ° C goal will require zero emissions sometime between 2030 and 2050 , according to some scientists . Prior to the conference , 146 national climate panels publicly presented draft national climate contributions ( called `` Intended Nationally Determined Contributions '' , INDCs ) . These suggested commitments were estimated to limit global warming to 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100 . For example , the EU suggested INDC is a commitment to a 40 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 . The agreement establishes a `` global stocktake '' which revisits the national goals to `` update and enhance '' them every five years beginning 2023 . However , no detailed timetable or country-specific goals for emissions were incorporated into the Paris Agreement -- as opposed to the previous Kyoto Protocol . A number of meetings took place in preparation for COP21 , including the Bonn Climate Change Conference , 19 to 23 October 2015 , which produced a draft agreement .

2007_Chinese_anti-satellite_missile_test

On January 11 , 2007 , China conducted an anti-satellite missile test . A Chinese weather satellite -- the FY-1C polar orbit satellite of the Fengyun series , at an altitude of 865 km , with a mass of 750 kg -- was destroyed by a kinetic kill vehicle traveling with a speed of 8 km/s in the opposite direction ( see Head-on engagement ) . It was launched with a multistage solid-fuel missile from Xichang Satellite Launch Center or nearby . Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine first reported the test . The report was confirmed on January 18 , 2007 by a United States National Security Council ( NSC ) spokesman . At first the Chinese government did not publicly confirm whether or not the test had occurred ; but on January 23 , 2007 , the Chinese Foreign Ministry officially confirmed that a test had been conducted . China claims it formally notified the U.S. , Japan and other countries about the test in advance . It was the first known successful satellite intercept test since 1985 , when the United States conducted a similar anti-satellite missile test using an ASM-135 ASAT to destroy the P78-1 satellite . The New York Times , Washington Times and Jane 's Intelligence Review reported that this came on the back of at least two previous direct-ascent tests that intentionally did not result in an intercept , on July 7 , 2005 and February 6 , 2006 . A classified U.S. State Department cable revealed by Wikileaks indicates that the same system was tested against a ballistic target in January 2010 in what the Chinese government publicly described as a test of `` ground-based midcourse missile interception technology '' . That description also closely matches the Chinese government 's description of another test in January 2013 , which has led some analysts to conclude that it was yet another test of the same ASAT system , again against a ballistic target and not a satellite .

2011_Super_Outbreak

The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest , costliest , and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks ever recorded , affecting the Southern , Midwestern , and Northeastern United States and leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake . The event affected Alabama and Mississippi the most severely , but it also produced destructive tornadoes in Arkansas , Georgia , Tennessee and Virginia , and affected many other areas throughout the Southern and Eastern United States . In total , 362 tornadoes were confirmed by NOAA 's National Weather Service ( NWS ) and Government of Canada 's Environment Canada in 21 states from Texas to New York to southern Canada . Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak , with April 27 being the most active day with a record of 218 tornadoes touching down that day from midnight to midnight CDT ( 0500 -- 0500 UTC ) . Four of the tornadoes were destructive enough to be rated EF5 , which is the highest ranking possible on the Enhanced Fujita scale ; typically these tornadoes are only recorded about once each year or less . In total , 348 people were killed as a result of the outbreak , which includes 324 tornado-related deaths across six states and an additional 24 fatalities caused by other thunderstorm-related events such as straight-line winds , hail , flash flooding or lightning . In Alabama alone , 238 tornado-related deaths were confirmed by the Storm Prediction Center ( SPC ) and the state 's Emergency Management Agency . April 27 's 317 fatalities were the most tornado-related fatalities in the United States in a single day since the `` Tri-State '' outbreak on March 18 , 1925 ( when at least 747 people were killed ) . Nearly 500 preliminary local storm reports were received for tornadoes over four days , including 292 in 16 states on April 27 alone . This event was the costliest tornado outbreak and one of the costliest natural disasters in United States history ( even after adjustments for inflation ) , with total damages of approximately $ 11 billion ( 2011 USD ) .

2012–13_North_American_drought

The 2012 -- 13 North American drought , an expansion of the 2010 -- 13 Southern United States drought , originated in the midst of a record-breaking heat wave . Low snowfall amounts in winter , coupled with the intense summer heat from La Niña , caused drought-like conditions to migrate northward from the southern United States , wreaking havoc on crops and water supply . The drought has inflicted , and is expected to continue to inflict , catastrophic economic ramifications for the affected states . It has exceeded , in most measures , the 1988 -- 89 North American drought , the most recent comparable drought , and is on track to exceed that drought as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history . The drought includes most of the U.S. , parts of Mexico , and central and Eastern Canada . At its peak on July 17 , 2012 , it covered approximately 81 percent of the contiguous United States with at least abnormally dry ( D0 ) conditions . Out of that 81 % , 64 % was designated as at least moderate drought ( D1 ) conditions . Its area was comparable to the droughts in the 1930s and 1950s but it has not yet been in place for as long . In March 2013 , heavy winter rains broke a three-year pattern of drought in much of the Southeastern United States , while drought conditions still plague the Great Plains and other parts of the U.S. , according to the U.S. Drought Monitor . Drought continued in parts of North America through 2013 . Beginning in March 2013 , improved rainfall across the Midwest , southern Mississippi Valley , and Great Plains began gradually alleviating drought in these areas , while drought continued to intensify in the Western United States . Heavy rains across previously drought-stricken areas resulted in widespread flooding in portions of the Midwest , a phenomenon which was named `` weather whiplash '' . By June 2013 , approximately the eastern half of the United States was drought-free , while conditions continued to gradually improve across the Plains . Moderate to severe drought continues to impact and worsen throughout the western United States , with some portions of the United States being afflicted by the drought for over three years . Through the winter of 2013 -- 2014 , California continued to receive record low rainfall . For many locations , the calendar year of 2013 was the driest year in over 130 years . Some locations received less than half of their previous record low rainfall amounts .

2008–09_Canadian_parliamentary_dispute

The 2008 -- 2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute was a political dispute during the 40th Canadian Parliament . It was triggered by the expressed intention of the opposition parties ( who together held a majority of seats in the House of Commons ) to defeat the Conservative minority government on a motion of non-confidence six weeks after the federal election on October 14 , 2008 . The intention to vote non-confidence arose from the government 's fiscal update , tabled on November 27 , 2008 . It included several contentious provisions that were rejected by the opposition parties and that the government would later withdraw to resolve the crisis . The Liberal Party and New Democratic Party reached an accord to form a minority coalition government . The Bloc Québécois agreed to provide support on confidence votes , thereby enabling the coalition a majority in the Commons . On December 4 , 2008 , Governor General Michaëlle Jean ( the representative of the Canadian monarch and head of state , Elizabeth II ) granted Prime Minister Stephen Harper ( the head of government ) a prorogation on the condition that parliament reconvene early in the new year ; the date was set as January 26 , 2009 . The first session of the 40th parliament thus ended , delaying a vote of no-confidence . After prorogation , the Liberals underwent a change in leadership and distanced themselves from the coalition agreement , while the NDP and Bloc remained committed to bring down the government . The Conservative government 's budget , unveiled on January 27 , 2009 , largely met the demands of the Liberals , who agreed to support it with an amendment to the budget motion .

2000_Southern_United_States_heat_wave

Aided by drought , a heat wave persisted in late Summer 2000 along the southern tier of the United States from July to early September of that year . Near the end of the period , daily , monthly , and even all-time record high temperatures were broken , with highs commonly peaking well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit . On September 4 , Houston hit 109 ° F ( 42.8 ° C ) and Dallas peaked at 111 ° F ( 43.9 ° C ) ; on September 5 , Corpus Christi peaked at 109 ° F ( 42.8 ° C ) , San Antonio peaked at 111 ° F ( 43.9 ° C ) while College Station and Austin reached 112 ° F ( 44.4 ° C ) . Damage totaled $ 4 billion , mainly due to wildfires and crop losses , and there were 140 deaths .

2009_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference

The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference , commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit , was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen , Denmark , between 7 and 18 December . The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties ( COP 15 ) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) and the 5th Meeting of the Parties ( MOP 5 ) to the Kyoto Protocol . According to the Bali Road Map , a framework for climate change mitigation beyond 2012 was to be agreed there . On Friday 18 December , the final day of the conference , international media reported that the climate talks were `` in disarray '' . Media also reported that in lieu of a summit collapse , only a `` weak political statement '' was anticipated at the conclusion of the conference . The Copenhagen Accord was drafted by the United States , China , India , Brazil and South Africa on 18 December , and judged a `` meaningful agreement '' by the United States government . It was `` taken note of '' , but not `` adopted '' , in a debate of all the participating countries the next day , and it was not passed unanimously . The document recognised that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the present day and that actions should be taken to keep any temperature increases to below 2 ° C . The document is not legally binding and does not contain any legally binding commitments for reducing emissions . In January 2014 , documents leaked by Edward Snowden and published by Dagbladet Information revealed that the US government negotiators were in receipt of information during the conference that was being obtained by spying against other conference delegations . The US National Security Agency provided US delegates with advance details other delegations ' positions , including the Danish plan to `` rescue '' the talks should they flounder . Members of the Danish negotiating team said that both the US and Chinese delegations were `` peculiarly well-informed '' about closed-door discussions : `` They simply sat back , just as we had feared they would if they knew about our document . ''

2014–16_El_Niño_event

The 2014 -- 16 El Niño was a warming of the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean that resulted in unusually warm waters developing between the coast of South America and the International Date Line . These unusually warm waters influenced the world 's weather in a number of ways , which in turn significantly affected various parts of the world . These included drought conditions in Venezuela , Australia and a number of Pacific islands while significant flooding was also recorded . During the event more tropical cyclones than normal occurred within the Pacific Ocean , while fewer than normal occurred in the Atlantic Ocean .

2013_Southwestern_United_States_heat_wave

The 2013 Southwestern United States heat wave occurred in late June to early July 2013 , lasting from around four days to a week locally . Daily highs were up to 15 ° C ( 26 ° F ) above average , with relative humidity below 15 % . Many locations experienced temperatures over 45 ° C ( 113 ° F ) . 46 monthly record high temperatures were reached or broken , and 21 records for the highest overnight temperatures were reached or broken .

2016_Atlantic_hurricane_season

The 2016 Atlantic hurricane season was the first above average Atlantic hurricane season since 2012 , producing a total of 15 named storms , 7 hurricanes , and 4 major hurricanes . It was also the costliest season since 2012 , and was the deadliest since at least 2008 . The season officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30 , though the first storm , Hurricane Alex which formed in the Northeastern Atlantic , developed on January 12 , being the first hurricane to develop in January since 1938 . The final storm , Otto , crossed into the Eastern Pacific on November 25 , a few days before the official end . Following Alex , Tropical Storm Bonnie brought flooding to South Carolina and portions of North Carolina . Tropical Storm Colin in early June brought minor flooding and wind damage to parts of the Southeastern United States , especially Florida . Hurricane Earl left 94 fatalities in the Dominican Republic and Mexico , 81 of which occurred in the latter . In early September , Hurricane Hermine , the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Hurricane Wilma in 2005 , brought extensive coastal flooding damage especially to the Forgotten and Nature coasts of Florida . Hermine was responsible for five fatalities and about $ 550 million ( 2016 USD ) in damage . The strongest , costliest , and deadliest storm of the season was Hurricane Matthew , the southernmost Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record and the first to reach that intensity since Felix in 2007 . With at least 603 deaths attributed to it , Matthew was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Stan of 2005 . Furthermore , damage from Matthew is estimated to be at least $ 15.1 billion , making it the ninth costliest Atlantic hurricane on record . Hurricane Nicole became the first major hurricane to directly impact Bermuda since Hurricane Fabian in 2003 , leaving widespread but relatively minor damage on the island . The final tropical cyclone of the season -- Hurricane Otto -- brought severe flooding to Central America in November , particularly in Costa Rica and Nicaragua . Otto left 23 deaths and about $ 190 million in damage . On November 25 , the storm emerged into the Eastern Pacific basin , the first such occurrence since Hurricane Cesar -- Douglas in 1996 . Most of the season 's tropical cyclones impacted land , and nine of those storms caused loss of life . Collectively , the storms left at least 743 fatalities and $ 16.1 billion in damage . Most forecasting groups predicted above average activity in anticipation of a dissipating El Niño event and the development of a La Niña , as well as warmer than normal sea surface temperatures . Overall , the forecasts were fairly accurate . __ TOC __

2016_Pacific_typhoon_season

The 2016 Pacific typhoon season had the fifth-latest start for a Pacific typhoon season since reliable records began . It was a near-average season , with a total of 26 named storms , 13 typhoons and six super typhoons . The season ran throughout 2016 , though typically most tropical cyclones develop between May and October . The season 's first named storm , Nepartak , developed on July 3 , while the season 's last named storm , Nock-ten , dissipated on December 28 . The development of Nepartak made the second-latest time within a season for the first named storm to develop and ended a 199-day period ( from December 17 , 2015 -- July 3 , 2016 ) during which no named storm was active in the basin . Tropical Storm Mirinae reached peak intensity while making landfall over the Red River Delta , causing very severe damage in Northern Vietnam . By the end of August , three storms had hit the Japanese island of Hokkaidō , the most since 1951 . In September , Typhoon Meranti reached peak intensity with a minimum pressure of 890 hPa , becoming one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record . Typhoon Chaba became the strongest typhoon to strike South Korea since 2012 . Tropical Storm Aere and a tropical depression brought the worst flooding in Vietnam since 2011 . The last storm of the season , Typhoon Nock-ten , became the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide on Christmas Day ( December 25 ) since at least 1960 , in terms of 1-minute maximum sustained winds . The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean to the north of the equator between 100 ° E and the 180th meridian . Within the northwestern Pacific Ocean , there are two separate agencies that assign names to tropical cyclones , which often results in a storm having two names . The Japan Meteorological Agency ( JMA ) will name a tropical cyclone should it be judged to have 10-minute sustained wind speeds of at least 65 km/h anywhere in the basin , whilst the Philippine Atmospheric , Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration ( PAGASA ) assigns names to tropical cyclones which move into or form as tropical depressions in their area of responsibility , located between 115 ° E and 135 ° E and between 5 ° N and 25 ° N , regardless of whether or not the tropical cyclone has already been given a name by the JMA . Tropical depressions monitored by the United States ' Joint Typhoon Warning Center ( JTWC ) are given a number with a `` W '' suffix .

20th_century

The 20th century was a century that began on January 1 , 1901 and ended on December 31 , 2000 . It was the tenth and final century of the 2nd millennium . It is distinct from the century known as the 1900s which began on January 1 , 1900 , and ended on December 31 , 1999 . The 20th century was dominated by a chain of events that heralded significant changes in world history as to redefine the era : World War I and World War II , nuclear power and space exploration , nationalism and decolonization , the Cold War and post-Cold War conflicts ; intergovernmental organizations and cultural homogenization through developments in emerging transportation and communications technology ; poverty reduction and world population growth , awareness of environmental degradation , ecological extinction ; and the birth of the Digital Revolution . It saw great advances in communication and medical technology that by the late 1980s allowed for near-instantaneous worldwide computer communication and genetic modification of life . The term `` short twentieth century '' was coined to represent the events from 1914 to 1991 . Global total fertility rates , sea level rise and ecological collapses increased ; the resulting competition for land and dwindling resources accelerated deforestation , water depletion . and the mass extinction of half the world 's estimated nine million unique species and wildlife population ; consequences which are now being dealt with . It took all of human history up to 1804 for the world 's population to reach 1 billion ; world population reached an estimated 2 billion in 1927 ; by late 1999 , the global population reached 6 billion . Global literacy averaged 80 % ; global lifespan-averages exceeded 40 + years for the first time in history , with over half achieving 70 + years ( three decades longer than it was a century ago ) .

350.org

350 . org is an international environmental organization encouraging citizens to action with the belief that publicizing the increasing levels of carbon dioxide will pressure world leaders to address climate change and to reduce levels from 400 parts per million to 350 parts per million . It was founded by author Bill McKibben with the goal of building a global grassroots movement to raise awareness about human-driven climate change , to confront climate change denial , and to cut emissions of carbon dioxide in order to slow the rate of global warming . 350 . org takes its name from the research of Goddard Institute for Space Studies scientist James E. Hansen , who posited in a 2007 paper that 350 parts-per-million ( ppm ) of CO2 in the atmosphere is a safe upper limit to avoid a climate tipping point .

2016_Louisiana_floods

In August 2016 , prolonged rainfall in southern parts of the U.S. state of Louisiana resulted in catastrophic flooding that submerged thousands of houses and businesses . Louisiana 's governor , John Bel Edwards , called the disaster a `` historic , unprecedented flooding event '' and declared a state of emergency . Many rivers and waterways , particularly the Amite and Comite rivers , reached record levels , and rainfall exceeded 20 in in multiple parishes . Because of the large number of homeowners without flood insurance that were affected , the federal government is providing disaster aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) . The flood has been called the worst US natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012 . 13 deaths have been reported as a result of the flooding .

2016–17_North_American_winter

The 2016 -- 17 North American winter refers to winter as it occurred across the continent from late 2016 through early 2017 . While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere , there are two definitions of winter which may be used . Based on the astronomical definition , winter begins at the winter solstice , which in 2016 occurred on December 21 , and ends at the March equinox , which in 2017 occurred on March 20 . Based on the meteorological definition , the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 28 . Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months , with some variability .

2015_North_American_heat_wave

The 2015 North American heat wave was a heatwave in the Northwest United States and southern British Columbia , that took place from June 18 - July 3 , 2015 . Many all time and monthly record highs and record high lows were recorded . In Canada , the heat wave mostly affected the Lower Mainland , and the Southern Interior .

Agricultural_Act_of_2014

The Agricultural Act of 2014 ( ; , also known as the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill ) , formerly the `` Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 '' , is an act of Congress that authorizes nutrition and agriculture programs in the United States for the years of 2014-2018 . The bill authorizes $ 956 billion in spending over the next ten years . The bill passed in the United States House of Representatives on January 29 , 2014 , and the United States Senate on February 4 , 2014 during the 113th United States Congress . U.S. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on February 7 , 2014 . The bill is considered two years late , since farm bills are traditionally passed every five years . The previous farm bill , Food , Conservation , and Energy Act of 2008 , expired in 2012 .

Acclimatisation_society

Acclimatisation societies were voluntary associations in the 19th and 20th centuries that encouraged the introduction of non-native species in various places around the world with the hope of their acclimatisation and adaptation . The motivation at the time was a sense that introducing these species of plants and animals would enrich the flora and fauna of a region . These societies were born during a period of colonialism when Europeans began to settle in unfamiliar environments , and the movement sought to establish familiar plants and animals ( mainly from Europe ) in new areas while also bringing exotic and useful foreign plants and animals into the European centres . Today it is widely understood that introducing species can be harmful to native species and their ecosystems ; for example , in Australia plants were harmed by rabbits ' overgrazing ; in North America house sparrows displace and kill native birds ; and around the world , salamander populations are today threatened by introduced fungal infections . At the time of acclimatisation societies , however , this was insufficiently understood . A definition of acclimatisation was attempted by Alfred Russel Wallace in his entry in the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica ( 1911 ) . Here Wallace tried to differentiate the idea from other terms like domestication and naturalization . He noted that a domesticated animal could live in environments controlled by humans . Naturalization , he suggested included the process of acclimatization which involved `` gradual adjustment '' . The idea , at least in France , was associated with Lamarckism and Wallace noted that there were some like Charles Darwin who denied the possibility of forcing individual animals to adjust . Wallace however pointed out that there was the possibility that there were variations among individuals and that some could have the ability to adapt to new environments .

Acidosis

Acidosis is an increased acidity in the blood and other body tissue ( i.e. an increased hydrogen ion concentration ) . If not further qualified , it usually refers to acidity of the blood plasma . Acidosis is said to occur when arterial pH falls below 7.35 ( except in the fetus - see below ) , while its counterpart ( alkalosis ) occurs at a pH over 7.45 . Arterial blood gas analysis and other tests are required to separate the main causes . The term acidemia describes the state of low blood pH , while acidosis is used to describe the processes leading to these states . Nevertheless , the terms are sometimes used interchangeably . The distinction may be relevant where a patient has factors causing both acidosis and alkalosis , wherein the relative severity of both determines whether the result is a high or a low pH. The rate of cellular metabolic activity affects and , at the same time , is affected by the pH of the body fluids . In mammals , the normal pH of arterial blood lies between 7.35 and 7.50 depending on the species ( e.g. healthy human-arterial blood pH varies between 7.35 and 7.45 ) . Blood pH values compatible with life in mammals are limited to a pH range between 6.8 and 7.8 . Changes in the pH of arterial blood ( and therefore the extracellular fluid ) outside this range result in irreversible cell damage .

Accident

An accident , also known as an unintentional injury , is an undesirable , incidental , and unplanned event that could have been prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized , and acted upon , prior to its occurrence . Most scientists who study unintentional injury avoid using the term `` accident '' and focus on factors that increase risk of severe injury and that reduce injury incidence and severity ( Robertson , 2015 ) .

90th_meridian_east

The meridian 90 ° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean , Asia , the Indian Ocean , the Southern Ocean , and Antarctica to the South Pole . It is the border between two tropical cyclone basins : the Australian region , and the Southwest Indian Ocean basin . The Ninety East Ridge is named after the meridian . The 90th meridian east forms a great circle with the 90th meridian west . This meridian is halfway between the Prime meridian and the 180th meridian and the center of the Eastern Hemisphere is on this meridian .

Advisory_Group_on_Greenhouse_Gases

The Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases , created in 1985 , was an advisory body for the review of studies into the greenhouse effect . The group was created by the International Council of Scientific Unions , the United Nations Environment Programme , and the World Meteorological Organization to follow up on the recommendations of the International conference of the Assessment of the role of carbon dioxide and of other greenhouse gases in climate variations and associated impacts , held at Villach , Austria , in October 1985 . The seven-member panel included Swedish meteorologist Bert Bolin and Canadian climatologist Kenneth Hare . The group held its last meeting in 1990 . It was gradually replaced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change .

50th_parallel_north

The 50th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 50 degrees north of the Earth 's equatorial plane . It crosses Europe , Asia , the Pacific Ocean , North America , and the Atlantic Ocean . At this latitude the sun is visible for 16 hours , 22 minutes during the summer solstice and 8 hours , 4 minutes during the winter solstice . The maximum altitude of the sun on the summer solstice is 63.5 degrees and on the winter solstice it is 16.5 degrees . At this latitude , the average sea surface temperature between 1982 and 2011 was about 8.5 ° C ( 47.3 ° F ) .

Acid_dissociation_constant

An acid dissociation constant , Ka , ( also known as acidity constant , or acid-ionization constant ) is a quantitative measure of the strength of an acid in solution . It is the equilibrium constant for a chemical reaction known as dissociation in the context of acid -- base reactions . In aqueous solution , the equilibrium of acid dissociation can be written symbolically as : where HA is a generic acid that dissociates into A − , known as the conjugate base of the acid and a hydrogen ion which combines with a water molecule to make a hydronium ion . In the example shown in the figure , HA represents acetic acid , and A − represents the acetate ion , the conjugate base . The chemical species HA , A − and H3O + are said to be in equilibrium when their concentrations do not change with the passing of time . The dissociation constant is usually written as a quotient of the equilibrium concentrations ( in mol/L ) , denoted by -LSB- HA -RSB- , -LSB- A − -RSB- and -LSB- H3O + -RSB- In all but the most concentrated aqueous solutions of an acid the concentration of water can be taken as constant and can be ignored . The definition can then be written more simply This is the definition in common usage . For many practical purposes it is more convenient to discuss the logarithmic constant , pKa pKa is sometimes referred to as an acid dissociation constant . Strictly speaking this is incorrect : it refers to the logarithm of a stability constant . The more positive the value of pKa , the smaller the extent of dissociation at any given pH ( see Henderson -- Hasselbalch equation ) -- that is , the weaker the acid . A weak acid has a pKa value in the approximate range − 2 to 12 in water . Acids with a pKa value of less than about − 2 are said to be strong acids ; the dissociation of a strong acid is effectively complete such that concentration of the undissociated acid is too small to be measured . pKa values for strong acids can , however , be estimated by theoretical means . The definition can be extended to non-aqueous solvents , such as acetonitrile and dimethylsulfoxide . Denoting a solvent molecule by S When the concentration of solvent molecules can be taken to be constant , , as before .

Agriculture_in_Argentina

Agriculture is one of the bases of Argentina 's economy . Argentine agriculture is relatively capital intensive , today providing about 7 % of all employment , and , even during its period of dominance around 1900 , accounting for no more than a third of all labor . Having accounted for nearly 20 % of GDP as late as 1959 , it adds , directly , less than 10 % today . Agricultural goods , whether raw or processed earn over half of Argentina 's foreign exchange and arguably remain an indispensable pillar of the country 's social progress and economic prosperity . An estimated 10-15 % of Argentine farmland is foreign owned . One fourth of Argentine exports of about US$ 86 billion in 2011 were composed of unprocessed agricultural primary goods , mainly soybeans , wheat and maize . A further one third were composed of processed agricultural products , such as animal feed , flour and vegetable oils . The national governmental organization in charge of overseeing agriculture is the Secretariat of Agriculture , Cattle Farming , Fishing and Food ( Secretaría de Agricultura , Ganadería , Pesca y Alimentos , SAGPyA ) .

ADEOS_I

ADEOS I ( Advanced Earth Observing Satellite 1 ) was an Earth observation satellite launched by NASDA in 1996 . The mission 's Japanese name , Midori , means `` green '' . The mission ended in July 1997 after the satellite sustained structural damage to the solar panel array . Its successor , ADEOS II , was launched in 2002 . Like the first mission , it ended after less than a year -- also following solar panel malfunctions .

ANDRILL

ANDRILL ( ANtarctic DRILLing Project ) is a scientific drilling project in Antarctica gathering information about past periods of global warming and cooling . The project involves scientists from Germany , Italy , New Zealand , and the United States . At two sites in 2006 and 2007 , ANDRILL team members drilled through ice , seawater , sediment and rock to a depth over more than 1,200 m and recovered a virtually continuous core record from the present to nearly 20 million years ago . The project is based at McMurdo Station in Antarctica . In studying the cores , ANDRILL scientists from various disciplines are gathering detailed information about past periods of global warming and cooling . A major goal of the project is to significantly improve the understanding of Antarctica 's impact on the world 's oceans currents and the atmosphere by reconstructing the behavior of Antarctic sea-ice , ice-shelves , glaciers and sea currents over tens of millions of years . Initial results imply rapid changes and dramatically different climates at various times on the southernmost continent.Quirin Scheirmeier , `` Sediment cores reveal Antarctica 's warmer past , '' Nature News , April 24 , 2008 . The $ 30 million project has achieved its operational goal of retrieving a continuous core record of the last 17 million years , filling crucial gaps left by previous drilling projects . Making use of knowledge gained through prior Antarctic drilling projects , ANDRILL employed novel techniques to reach record depths at its two drilling sites . Among the innovations deployed were a hot-water drilling system that allowed for easier ice-boring and a flexible drill pipe that could accommodate tidal oscillations and strong currents . On December 16 , 2006 , ANDRILL broke the previous record of 999.1 m set in 2000 by the Ocean Drilling Program 's drill ship , the Joides Resolution . The Antarctic-record 1285 m of core ANDRILL went on to recover represents geologic time to about 13 million years ago . In 2007 , drilling at the Southern McMurdo Sound , ANDRILL scientists recovered another 1138 meters ( 3733.6 ft ) of core . One goal in 2006 was to look at a period of around 3 to 5 million years ago in the Pliocene , which scientists know to be warmer . The team 's sedimentologists identified more than 60 cycles in which ice sheets or glaciers advanced and retreated across McMurdo Sound .