Worst year for weather in US History (climate, tornadoes, snowy)

[droc31]

My vote goes to 1977. The winter was historically cold and snowy, culminating with a blizzard in late January that buried Western and Central New York State, resulted in a federal disaster declaration and assistance from the National Guard to remove the snow. Excess runoff from the melting snow in the spring caused floods as well as one of the biggest environmental disasters in US history. A historic heat wave swept over the nation in early-mid July indirectly plunging New York City into total darkness on July 13th. Less than a week later on July 19th, Johnstown, Pennsylvania a city with an already infamous history of catastrophic floods was hit by its worst flash flood since 1889.



Other years for consideration would include the Dust Bowl summers of 1934 and 1936, and 2013 due to the horrific tornadoes that hit Moore and El Reno Oklahoma just 11 days apart.

[elnina]

Hard to pinpoint a year. Too many things to consider: extreme cold, snow in the Winter, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods or droughts, extreme heat in the Summer, plus other disasters....

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

I throw a vote for 2000

It was a summer bummer in the Northeast

Quite intense heat in the south, especially Texas

Some all time record highs were set in early September that year in the southern plains

Anomalous cold hit the Southwest in late October into about mid November

December was one of the coldest on record in the Northeast

[Satellite_Anthem]

2017: Most destructive and deadly wildfire in California's history, as well as the most destructive and one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record for the US. There was also a good deal of severe weather, including the most expensive hail storm in Colorado's history, plus flooding in California.

[tovarisch]

What about 1816? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer

[wawa1992]

The worst I can remember is 2012, because of its fail of a winter. It was interesting seeing it hit 109 F / 43 C in the summer though.

[Omegaraptor]

1977 also experienced a massive drought in Portland. The Bull Run reservoir had less than a week of water left when it finally started raining.

I don’t know how much info there is on 1816’s weather in the US.

[Pfalz]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

What about 1816? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer

+1. Its easy to complain about warming but cooling is so much worse. If human actions had already cooled the Earth a degree and a half from pre-industrial times with the prospect of another few degrees without immediate action, you can be certain that climate change would be the #1 concern of almost every human on the planet.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by tenochitlan

2017: Most destructive and deadly wildfire in California's history, as well as the most destructive and one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record for the US. There was also a good deal of severe weather, including the most expensive hail storm in Colorado's history, plus flooding in California.

Yeah, but the California fires was because they didn’t rake the forests like Finland does.

[GeoffD]

I think the United States is too big to pick one year. It’s better to single out regions.

1936 with the Oklahoma dust bowl that had starving people bailing out for California. Grapes of Wrath.

Hurricane Andrew in 1992 in South Florida. Not many category 5 hurricanes hit the continental US and that nailed a major population center.