The year 2017 was certainly a year to remember for several reasons. It will definitely go down as one of the costliest years for weather related disasters in United States history.
In today's column I will discuss the top five weather events of 2017.
The first memorable weather event from 2017 was actually a good one. California saw historic rains in January and February, which ended the five year long drought in the state.
Second, was the historic tornado outbreak which brought 79 tornadoes in the month of January; that's more tornadoes in the first month of 2017 than all of 2016 combined. That's also the most tornadoes we had ever seen in a winter month.
Third, was the late season freeze in the southeast. After an almost nonexistent winter, much of the southeast saw a historic freeze, which destroyed millions of dollars worth of crops along the Gulf coast.
In Virginia, March was our coldest month with subfreezing nights even into early spring. This came despite record warmth throughout much of January and February. There was even some damage to the cherry blossoms, which bloomed very early as a result of the record warmth.
Number four was obviously the four major hurricanes that struck the United States. This was the first time four major hurricanes had struck the U.S. in one single year, in all of U.S. history. The most interesting part was that prior to 2017, the U.S. hadn't seen a major hurricane since 2005. I guess we were due.
The fifth most memorable weather event from 2017 was the deadly California wildfires. Millions of acres have recently burned in December, but even with the rains in early 2017, the dry summer just led to even more fires.
Well that was 2017, here's to a more peaceful 2018. Happy New Year!
My favorite thing to do is study the weather. It is truly fascinating. Nothing beats a good thunderstorm. I became very interested in weather when I lived in Okinawa, Japan for four years and was actually inside a super typhoon.
Please check out my Facebook page for daily, local weather exclusive to Western Prince William County.
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