Thread by @BiIndia

#CycloneAmphan was the most expensive #cyclone of 2020 and the fourth most expensive natural disaster overall

businessinsider.in/science/enviro…

By @pabsgill

@pabsgill The year 2020 saw at least ten extreme weather events that indicate #climatechange worsening — each costing more than $1.5 billion.

#NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill From the bushfires in Australia and the locust swarms in East Africa, here’s a full list of the top 10 most extreme weather events driven by #climatechange.

#NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 1. Atlantic Hurricane Season — $41 billion

It saw record-breaking 30 individual storms hit across the US and Central America. #HurricaneIota was the strongest hurricane of 2020 and the strongest storm to hit Nicaragua on record.

#HurricaneSeason #climatechange #NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 2. Floods in China — $32 billion

In June, the People’s Republic of China saw intense flooding, which affected 35 million people and left at least 278 dead or missing.

#ChinaFloods #climatechange #NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 3. California fires — $20 billion

It’s not uncommon for the drought season to ignite wildfires and wreak havoc during the summer months. In 2020 the fire season along the West Coast of the US was one of the most destructive on record.

#wildfires #climatechange #NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 4. Cyclone Amphan — $13 billion

#CycloneAmphan was the strongest on record for the Bay of Bengal with wind speeds swishing as fast as 270 kilometers per hour. It’s the most expensive cyclone of 2020 at $13 billion.

#climatechange #NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 5. Floods in India — $10 billion

Between the months of June to October, the country saw a massive number of floods and landslides culminating in damages of around $10 billion with over 2,000 fatalities.

#Floods #climatechange #NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 6. Locust swarms in East Africa — $8.5 billion

Similar to the crisis that India saw, many countries in East Africa also saw the invasion of #locusts in the early months of 2020. Locust swarms destroyed crops across Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.

#NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 7. Kyushu Floods in Japan — $8.5 billion

The record-breaking intensity of rainfall on the island of Kyushu in Japan caused floods and landslides that forced the evacuation of more than 250,000 people.

#KyushuFlood #climatechange #NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 8. Windstorms in Europe — $5.9 billion

Many windstorms hit Europe in 2020, but Ciara and Alex had the most impact. Their combined damage amounts to $5.9 billion.

#windstorm #climatechange #NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 9. Bushfires in Australia — $5 billion

The blaze destroyed thousands of buildings, killed at least 34 people and wreaked havoc on over a billion wild animals in the area.

#AustraliaBushfires #climatechange #NaturalDisasters

@pabsgill 10. Floods in Pakistan — $1.5 billion

This year, the downpours in the city of Karachi were the most intense on record since 1931. In Sindh, extreme rain occurred almost back-to-back between the months of July and August.

#Floods #climatechange #NaturalDisasters