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1930 Dust Bowl
The dust bowl was drought that affected the American Great Plains region during the depression. During this period the area would experience mass sand storms which would choke both people and cattle. In total the dust bowl resulted in a billion dollars of assistance from the government. The death toll is unknown but it's believed to be in the hundreds, even thousands of people died. Many of these people died not from the drought but they would take their own lives. -
Torrey Canyon Oil Spill
Torrey Canyon was one of the first biggest supertankers, it was also one of the first major oil spills in America. The ship was only built to hold 60,000 tons but was enlarged to hold 120,000 tons. The spill created a 270 square mile oil slick affecting 180 miles of coastland. -
1976 oil spill
In 1976 the Argo Merchant tanker ran aground spilling millions of gallons of oil polluting the water around Nantucket Island. -
1980 US Heat Shockwave
This heatwave proved to be catastrophic to the US. A high pressure ridge caused above 90 degree temperatures across the United States. This weather kept for the majority of the summer. There was 48 billion dollars worth of agricultural damage done and nearly 10,000 people died of heat and heat stress ailments. -
Summer of 1988
This was a year long drought which ravaged the American Agricultural Economy. There was a total of 61 billion dollars of damage inflicted by the heat wave. The amount of rainfall was lower than that of the dust bowl years. This also caused many wildfires which affected Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone. Between 5,000 and 10,000 people succumbed to the heat and died. This heat wave proved to be much worse than that of the one that took place just eight years before. -
The Great Flood of 1993
This flood affected North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Streets were flooded in major areas and many farmlands were washed away. This flood affected 75 towns ruining 20 billion acres of land. 54,000 people had to be evacuated and around 48 died. This was the most devastating flood in modern America. -
Cedar Fire of 2003
In San Diego over 280,000 acres were burned, 2,820 buildings were burned, and 14 people died one of which was a fire fighter. -
Hurricane Katrina
Katrina began as a level 1 hurricane and blew all across florida making it all the way to the Louisiana Coast. Katrina had 125mph winds that devastated everything in it's path. It killed 1,836 people and inflicted 125 billion dollars worth of damages. -
2012 Heat Wave
This resulted in the widespread harvest failure of corn, sorghum, and soybeans. Crop failure hadn't been this bad since the 1930's Dust Bowl. The total damage done was a costly one, in total there were 30.3 billion dollars worth of damage done to agriculture. There were 123 casualties. -
2016 Lake Mead Drought
Lake Mead is beginning to reveal the submerged town of St. Thomas due to the rising drought. The drought has gotten so bad that the lake is beginning to also reveal new beaches and coves. Lake Mead is one of the largest sources of water when completely full in America. With this on going drought many westerners will continue to suffer the consequence of the rising climate.
