Effects of major weather episodes
By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli
Fires. Hurricanes. Lake effect snowstorms. Heat waves.
Ask any meteorologist about these types of weather episodes and they will likely tell you they not only wreak havoc on the environment but also the pocketbook.
In the calendar year 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information reported 27 confirmed weather-climate disasters that exceeded $1 billion in damages.
Overall, local, regional and federal costs from weather-related events totaled more than $182.7 billion and took 568 lives.
These tragedies included one drought event, one flooding event, 17 severe storm events, five tropical cyclone events, one wildfire event, and two winter storm events.
“Many of the disasters that cost billions of dollars are hurricanes,” said SUNY Oswego meteorology professor Scott Steiger, who has been teaching for 22 years. “The main impact a hurricane has is flooding. The wind is a major concern, but flooding is the main impact. As we saw in North Carolina in the fall of 2024, inland flooding can be just as disastrous as coastal flooding. Any structure that gets flooded — a home, business — pretty much destroys the location after feet of water and silt enter a building. That’s where most of the economic losses come from. You also have economic losses in productivity because businesses are shut down for several weeks or months, or businesses move out of the area.”
With nearly 100 inches of snow in Oswego and even more in surrounding areas, residents of Oswego County didn’t have to look beyond their own backyards to understand the effects of major weather episodes and the cost incurred as a result. The 2024-25 winter season in Oswego County harkened back 40-50 years ago to the early-to-mid 1970s and ‘80s. But even by those days’ standards, it wasn’t as bad it seemed.
“This winter felt like it was bad, and it was compared to the last five years,” Steiger said. “But Oswego was still about 40 inches below its average snowfall. Our wintertime temperatures were above normal. This winter was nothing compared to the winters we used to experience back in the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. It’s just that recent winters have been so mild. Though, inland areas like Parish, Central Square, Mexico and Fulton most definitely had above-average snowfalls this winter. Oswego usually averages around 140 inches during the ‘snow season’ which typically runs from October through May.”
On the brighter side, there is an economic upside, along with the downside of having heavier than normal snowfall in places.
“When we get snow, there is a lot of overtime for plow drivers and ski areas,” Steiger said. “In a way, getting a lot of snow is good for the economy. I’m sure a lot of the snowplow drivers were happy with this winter. But, in another way it is not because it shuts down businesses and schools, and causes lots of delays. As with any weather event, there are pros and cons.”
