Worst Weather of the Twentieth Century
Updated August 31, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
Climatologists, meteorologists, and hydrologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) compiled a list of the world's most notable weather, water, and climate events in the twentieth century. Criteria for selection included an event's magnitude, meteorological uniqueness, as well as its economic impact and death toll. Events are listed in chronological order.
United States
| Date(s) | Event |
|---|---|
| 1900 | Galveston Hurricane |
| 1925 | Tri-state Tornado |
| 1928 | Great Okeechobee Hurricane and Flood |
| 1930s | Dust Bowl |
| 1935 | Florida Keys Hurricane |
| 1938 | New England Hurricane |
| 1950 | “Storm of the Century” |
| 1969 | Hurricane Camille |
| 1974 | Super Tornado Outbreak |
| 1978 | New England Blizzard |
| 1982–83 & 1997–98 | El Niño Episodes |
| 1992 | Hurricane Andrew |
| 1993 | Great Midwest Flood |
| 1993 | “Superstorm” |
| 1999 | Okla./Kan. Tornado Outbreak |
Source: consensus of climate and weather experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For background on individual events, see www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s334c.htm .
World
| Date(s) | Event |
|---|---|
| 1910–1914, 1940–44, 1970–85 | Sahel Drought, Africa |
| India: 1900, 1907, 1965–67; China: 1907, 1928–30, 1936, 1941–42; Soviet Union: 1921–22 | Asian Droughts |
| 1912, 1922 | China Typhoons |
| 1931 | Yangtze River Flood, China |
| 1952 | Great Smog of London |
| 1953 | Europe Storm Surge |
| 1954 | Great Iran Flood |
| 1958 | Typhoon Vera, Japan |
| 1970 | Bangladesh Cyclone |
| 1971 | North Vietnam Flood |
| 1972 | Iran Blizzard |
| 1982–83 | El Niño |
| 1991 | Typhoon Thelma, Philippines |
| 1991 | Bangladesh Cyclone |
| 1998 | Hurricane Mitch, Honduras and Nicaragua |
| Retired Hurricane Names | Weather | El Niño |
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