Source:
Thanks to the brilliant Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) we have updated the Weinkle et al. dataset of global hurricane landfalls 1970 to 2022.
You can see the latest update below.
Some summary points:
With 16 total landfalls and 4 major, 2021 was just about average (averages are 15.6 and 5.0 respectively, medians are 15.5 and 5 respectively)
There is large variability in global landfalls, with as many as 30 in 1971 and as few as 7 in 1978
Despite the fact that the North Atlantic sees less than 20% of all landfalls it has historically seen >60% of all global tropical cyclone damage, but we should expect this to decrease as other regions see exposure increase
The past decade has seen 161 total global landfalls of which 62 were major
The decade with with most landfalls ended in 1998 with 178
The decade with the most majors ended in 2008 with 68
The decade with the fewest landfalls ended in 1984 with 120, fewest majors ended in 1987 with 33
You get a bonus graph this week, below.
Reliable records go back in time much further for the North Atlantic and Western North Pacific, to 1945.
These two basins experience about 70% of all global landfalls.
The longer-term picture shows a much more active period of landfalling hurricanes pre-1970, with a minimum of 4 total landfalls for these two basins occurring in 1978, not long after a maximum of 30 (!) just 12 years earlier.
There is large variability in global landfalls, with as many as 30 in 1971 and as few as 7 in 1978
Despite the fact that the North Atlantic sees less than 20% of all landfalls it has historically seen >60% of all global tropical cyclone damage, but we should expect this to decrease as other regions see exposure increase
The past decade has seen 161 total global landfalls of which 62 were major
The decade with with most landfalls ended in 1998 with 178
The decade with the most majors ended in 2008 with 68
The decade with the fewest landfalls ended in 1984 with 120, fewest majors ended in 1987 with 33
You get a bonus graph this week, below.
Reliable records go back in time much further for the North Atlantic and Western North Pacific, to 1945.
These two basins experience about 70% of all global landfalls.
The longer-term picture shows a much more active period of landfalling hurricanes pre-1970, with a minimum of 4 total landfalls for these two basins occurring in 1978, not long after a maximum of 30 (!) just 12 years earlier.
Please see our paper for details on methods. On Twitter (@RogerPielkeJr) I’ll follow up with several other graphs from our dataset, and I am happy to take requests.