The past year has featured a multitude of climate disasters, extreme weather events, and solar activity. From hurricanes to torrential rainfall to heatwaves to northern lights, 2024 saw a countless number of environmental events, many of which were driven by climate change. My list seeks to briefly describe some of the most impactful, but this list is incomplete as it does not account for all natural disasters, extreme weather events, or days with above-average solar activity.
Starting at the end of January, the Mindanao Islands of the Philippines received extreme rainfall from a monsoon, causing damages to infrastructure and agricultural land, power outages, and landslides. There was an ongoing drought in the Panama Canal which began in 2023 and lasted over a year, up until late June 2024. There were a number of shipping restrictions because ships needed to take routes that were longer than normal to avoid areas of drought. Furthermore, from January to March, extreme heat and drought in South Africa led to temperatures fluctuating around 40ºC. Temperatures were 4 to 5ºC above the historic average for that time of year. Another heatwave struck Asian countries including Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria in the West; to Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines in the East. Temperatures rose above 40ºC for an extended period.
In January and February, a number of storms made landfall in Ireland and the UK, including storms Isha and Jocelyn. These storms were especially detrimental to coastal regions that were hit by strong winds and waves. Increased rainfall in April and May resulted in flash floods in Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. These three countries rank among the lowest ranked by the Human Development Index, a sign of vulnerability and difficulty recovering from environmental disasters. At the end of July, Kerala, India was hit by heavy rains that triggered landslides. Hundreds of deaths occurred and the disaster resulted in about $120 million USD in damages. Also in late July, Typhoon Gaemi, known as Super Typhoon Carina in the Philippines, was a powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall in East China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. The storm resulted in flash floods and widespread infrastructure damage. In mid-September high rainfalls continued for four days in central Europe, affecting Poland, Czechia, Austria, Romania, Hungary, Germany and Slovakia.
In late September, Hurricane Helene swept the southeast U.S., even reaching inland states such as Tennessee. North Carolina was particularly ill-prepared, as a state that has historically only been hit by hurricanes after they have dissipated. Nearly 300 lives were lost, the majority of which were in North Carolina. Shortly after Helene struck, another hurricane, Milton, made landfall in Florida, but quickly trailed out into the Atlantic Ocean. Much of central Florida was met with doubling damages due to the successive storm. (Find more information about Helene in my earlier article: https://www.since1872.ca/news/hurricane-helene-hits-florida-georgia-and-the-carolinas/)
In late October, southern Spain was hit by torrential rains, including Barcelona, a popular tourist destination. Prolonged flooding resulted in damages of about 3.5 billion euros. On November 22, a bomb cyclone developed in the Pacific, causing high winds and surf throughout British Columbia, Washington state, Oregon, and Northern California. At the time of writing, damages are still being assessed, but this was a particularly impactful storm, reaching major cities including Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and San Francisco.
In addition to weather events, 2024 has featured a record number of viewing opportunities for the Aurora Borealis. This phenomenon is common due to the sun’s current position on its axis; the most active solar flares were released on May 10 and October 10, creating excellent chances for night-time photography in most of the upper half of the Northern Hempisphere. Active solar flares are projected to continue for the next two years. (More information about the solar cycle and how it affects the northern lights can be found here: https://www.since1872.ca/news/the-return-of-the-northern-lights/)
Although the northern lights are not driven by climate change, all other extreme weather events demonstrate the decreased predictability of weather patterns. Let these tragic results of major storms serve as a reminder to be proactive in minimizing one’s impact on the environment.
