The Weather Isn't Getting Worse

Global warming doomsayers have seized upon Hurricane Sandy as proof of the increasing intensity of storms that is supposed  to occur as a result of greenhouse gas emissions. It's clear, though that any greater  losses due to hurricanes are a result of  increased business development and pricey homes near coastal areas.  Roger  Pielke Jr., a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado,  responds to  passions with fact in a Wall Street Journal online op-ed:

In studying hurricanes, we can make rough comparisons over time by adjusting past losses to account for inflation and the growth of coastal communities. If Sandy causes $20 billion in damage (in 2012 dollars), it would rank as the 17th most damaging hurricane or tropical storm (out of 242) to hit the U.S. since 1900—a significant event, but not close to the top 10. The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 tops the list (according to estimates by the catastrophe-insurance provider ICAT), as it would cause $180 billion in damage if it were to strike today. Hurricane Katrina ranks fourth at $85 billion.

While it's hardly mentioned in the media, the U.S. is currently in an extended and intense hurricane "drought." The last Category 3 or stronger storm to make landfall was Wilma in 2005. The more than seven years since then is the longest such span in over a century.

It's not just that major hurricanes that are occurring  less frequently, so are droughts, tornadoes and floods:

Flood damage has decreased as a proportion of the economy since reliable records were first kept by the National Weather Service in the 1930s, and there is no evidence of increasing extreme river floods. Historic tornado damage (adjusted for changing levels of development) has decreased since 1950, paralleling a dramatic reduction in casualties. Although the tragic impacts of tornadoes in 2011 (including 553 confirmed deaths) were comparable only to those of 1953 and 1964, such tornado impacts were far more common in the first half of the 20th century.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that drought in America's central plains has decreased in recent decades. And even when extensive drought occurs, we fare better. For example, the widespread 2012 drought was about 10% as costly to the U.S. economy as the multiyear 1988-89 drought, indicating greater resiliency of American agriculture.

So losses may be greater  now, but that's due to inflation and increased building, not storm intensity.  Something to think about next time you hear that the new paradigm is increased storm ferocity due to global warming/climate change/climate disruption.