Top 10 Events of 2018

Another wild year of weather has come and gone! Here are the 10 weather and science events that made WeatherNation’s top moments of the year.

#10) Illinois December Tornado Outbreak 

A multi-day December severe weather outbreak left a path of destruction, especially in Illinois, as nearly 50 tornadoes tore across the state, making it the largest outbreak during December in state history.

#9) Historic Hawaiian Rainfall

With 2 tropical cyclones, Olivia and Lane, plus record-setting drenching thunderstorms, Hawaii’s waterlogged 2018 will be one for the record books. With 49.69″ of rain in 24 hours, Hawaii may hold the new U.S. record for 24 hour rainfall*  (*Awaiting final review by the National Climate Extremes Committee*).

#8) Colorado Hail Disaster

In August, hail larger than softballs pelted Colorado Springs, Colorado, causing more than 2-Billion dollars in damage, injuring 19 people, and killing 2 animals at a local zoo.

#7) Kilauea Volcano Eruption

The eruption of the Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island caught the world’s attention. Beginning as small fissures in May, turned into a landscape changing, life altering eruption covering nearly 9000 acres in molten lava.

#6) Severe Weather Outbreak of April 13-16

From April 13-16, more than 70 tornadoes tore through 15 states from Louisiana to Virginia, causing more than a billion dollars in damage.

#5) Billion-Dollar Severe Outbreaks

In addition to the April severe weather event, three other severe weather outbreaks caused more than a billion dollars in damage each during 2018. The severe thunderstorms and tornadoes of March 18-21, May 1-4, and May 13-15 come together to make the #5 event on our top 10 list of 2018.

#4) Four Back-to-Back March Nor’easters

The northeast could not catch a break in March 2018, as not one, not two, not three, but FOUR nor’easters brought heavy snow, ice, rain, and high winds up the eastern seaboard. These four storms combine to create one memorable event for northeast residents.

#3) Historic California Wildfires

California saw some of the worst wildfires in state history during 2018. From the fury of the Carr Fire near Redding, to the destructive and massive fiery Mendocino Complex in July, to the tragic and deadly Camp Fire near Paradise, the state saw multiple raging fires, changing lives forever.

#2) Hurricane Florence

The first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic Tropical season threatened destruction up and down the eastern U.S. in September. Making landfall as a category 1 hurricane, it would go on to produce some of the worst flooding in North Carolina state history.

#1) Hurricane Michael

This destructive hurricane makes the top event on WeatherNation’s list of weather and science events of 2018. Packing winds near 155 mph at landfall, Michael became the first major hurricane to even hit the Florida panhandle. Flattening communities and forever changing the landscape of the Florida coastline, Michael will be remembered as a monster storm, and one of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit the U.S.