Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report: Impact ... - Aon

December
• first major winter storm of the season hits the united states
• flooding affects southern brazil
• isolated severe weather causes widespread damage in the u.s. southeast
Aon b e n field: i m pAC t foreC AstinG
Additional heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides across southern Brazil and northern Uruguay, killing at
least 29 people and injuring dozens more between the 1st and 10th. At least 21 people were killed in southern
Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, after landslides collapsed hundreds of homes. Dozens of highways were closed as both
the Tiete and Pinheiros rivers burst their banks. In nearby Rio Grande do Sul state, which borders Uruguay, at
least eight people were killed after storms damaged over 14,000 homes. At least 161 towns declared states of
emergency. Total economic losses were estimated at US$9 million.
An area of low pressure and associated cold front brought severe weather to the eastern United States on the
2nd, injuring at least ten people. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes were reported in Florida, Georgia and the
Carolinas. At least 100 homes were damaged or destroyed in these areas. Thousands of power outages, minor
flooding and wind gusts of up to 60 mph (95 kph) occurred in the Carolinas before the system moved into New
England. In Pennsylvania, storms brought 85 mph (140 kph) wind gusts that brought damage to homes.
The first major winter storm of the season affected the United States and Canada between the 6th and 11th.
The system brought heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain, ice, severe thunderstorms and gusty winds. At least 17
people were killed. The storm system first brought rain and heavy snow across the Sierra Nevadas in California
on the 6th before moving into the Intermountain West and the Rockies on the 7th. By the 8th, the storm
system entered the Plains and brought heavy snow, ice and winds from the eastern Rockies through the Great
Lakes. In the Southeast, damage was reported to hundreds of homes across parts of Mississippi, Alabama,
Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas due to tornadoes and damaging winds. The system brought record amounts
of snow to the Midwest and Great Lakes, while severe weather occurred from New England to the Southeast.
On the 10th, heavy lake effect snows fell in parts of New England and the Great Lakes. In Canada, the
provinces of Ontario, quebec and New Brunswick all reported heavy snowfall. Behind the system, a large ridge
of high pressure settled into the Plains and ushered in very cold air. By the 11th, winds subsided across the
Midwest and Great Lakes, though snow showers lingered in parts of Michigan and New England.
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