19 Severe Weather Facts For Kids

1. Severe weather is any meteorological event that possess a risk of loss of property and/or life.
2. Severe weather can be localized or generalized (affect a large geographical area).
3. A tornado is an example of localized severe weather that can affect a small area, while a hurricane is an example of generalized severe weather that can affect a large geographical area.
4. Severe weather can occur at any time of the day and during any month throughout the year.
5. In the warmer months, severe weather such as hurricanes, thunderstorms, and tornadoes can occur.
6. In the colder months, severe weather such as blizzards, hailstorms, and ice storms can occur.
7. Droughts, floods, heat waves and polar vortexes are more examples of severe weather.
8. In the United States, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tracks, monitors, and studies severe weather events.
9. The NWS and NOAA issue severe weather alerts (watches and warnings) based on current or future predicted weather conditions.
10. A few examples of the severe weather alerts issued by the NWS and NOAA are tornado watches/warnings, hurricane watches/warnings, flood watches/warnings and winter storm watches/warnings.
11. Between 2011 and 2021, in the United States, there was more than $291 billion in damage and 6,576 deaths related to severe weather events.
12. Between 2001 and 2021, in the United States, the deadliest year for severe weather was 2011 with 1,096 deaths and the costliest year for severe weather was 2018 with more than $40 billion in damages.
13. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over the past 50 years on average 115 people are killed and $202 million in damages are generated by severe weather, climate or water hazards every single day. That means every year 41,975 people lose their lives and $73 billion in damages are a result of severe weather, climate, or water hazards.
14. The deadliest hurricane ever to occur was the 1876 Bengal cyclone with an estimated 200,000 deaths.
15. The deadliest tornado ever to occur was the 1989 Daulatpur–Saturia tornado with an estimated 1,300 deaths.
16. The deadliest blizzard ever to occur was the 1972 Iran Blizzard with an estimated 4,000 deaths.
17. The deadliest hailstorm ever to occur was the 1888 Moradabad hailstorm with an estimated 246 deaths.
18. The deadliest flood ever to occur was the 1913 China floods with up to four million estimated deaths.
19. Severe weather isn’t exclusive to planet Earth. On Jupiter, the Great Red Spot is anticyclonic storm that has been raging for at least 350+ years.

Severe Weather Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on severe weather. Below are six pictures of different types of severe weather. These pictures should help you better understand the different types of severe weather that occur on Earth.

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