Satellite image of
tropical cyclonesLam (top-center) and
Marcia (right), which marked the first instance of two tropical cyclones hitting
Australia in a 24 hour period in February 2015
Some of the deadliest weather events were a pair of heat waves affecting
India and
Pakistan which together killed around 4,500 people. Also in Asia,
Cyclone Komen in July killed 187 people. A
series of monsoonal floods in India killed 470 people in the last three months of the year. In October, heavy rainfall in Guatemala triggered a major
landslide in a village near
Guatemala City, killing at least 280 people. The costliest single weather event of the year was
Typhoon Mujigae, which left ¥27 billion (US$4.3 billion) in damage and caused 27 deaths in southern
China. In October,
Hurricane Patricia became the
strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the
western hemisphere, when it attained 1 minute sustained winds of 215 mph (345 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 872 mbar (25.8 inHg) off the west coast of
Mexico.
In February,
blizzard and avalanches killed more than 300 people in Afghanistan.[1] Also in February, a
blizzard affected much of North America amid a cold wave, killing 30 people and leaving US$3.5 billion in damage.[2]
As the year began,
Tropical Storm Jangmi was dissipating in the
South China Sea.[42] There were 12 tropical cyclones in the year in the south-west Indian Ocean,[43][44] including
very intense tropical cyclonesBansi and
Eunice, which both attained
10 minute sustained winds of at least 220 km/h (140 mph) in January.[45][46] Also in the month,
Tropical Storm Chedza moved across
Madagascar, killing 80 people, mostly due to landslides.[47][48] In the Australian region, there were 17 tropical cyclones. In February, two cyclones –
Lam and
Marcia made
landfall in
Australia in a 24 hour period, the first ever recorded instance of such an occurrence. Lam moved ashore
Northern Australia, causing widespread flooding. Six hours later, Marcia made landfall on
Queensland as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone, causing
A$750 million (US$587 million) in damage.[49][50][51][52] There were 18 tropical cyclones in the South Pacific, including
Cyclone Pam in March, which moved through
Vanuatu with winds of 250 km/h (155 mph), causing 16 deaths and
VT63.2 billion (US$600 million) in damage.[53][54][55] There were also two subtropical cyclones in the South Atlantic Ocean,
Bapo and
Cari.[43]
In the north-west Pacific Ocean, there were 38 tropical cyclones during the year. Its strongest was
Typhoon Soudelor in August, with 10 minute sustained winds of 215 km/h (130 mph).[56][57] Soudelor struck the
Northern Mariana Islands,
Taiwan and southeastern
China, resulting in 59 deaths and over US$4 billion in damage.[58][59][60] Also in August,
Typhoon Goni killed 74 people and caused more than US$1 billion in damage.[61][62][63][64][65] In October,
Typhoon Mujigae hit
Guangdong in southern China with 10 minute winds of 155 km/h (100 mph), the strongest recorded landfall in the country in the month. The typhoon caused ¥27 billion (US$4.3 billion) in damage and 27 deaths in China.[66][67] In the north Indian Ocean, there were 12 tropical cyclones,[68] including
Cyclone Chapala, the strongest recorded cyclone to strike
Yemen, which hit during the country's
civil war.[69][70] A week later, the cyclone was followed by
Cyclone Megh, which killed 18 people on
Socotra island.[71] In June,
a depression in western India killed 81 people and caused widespread floods.[72] Also during the season,
Cyclone Komen meandered over the northern
Bay of Bengal, resulting in 187 deaths and US$2 billion in damage.[73][74][75][76][77][78][79]
In the north-east Pacific Ocean, there were 31 tropical cyclones, half of which intensified into hurricanes.[56] The strongest storm of the season was
Hurricane Patricia, which on October 23 attained 1 minute sustained winds of 215 mph (345 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 872 mbar (25.8 inHg), making it the
most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the western hemisphere, and the second-strongest worldwide after
Typhoon Tip in 1979. Patricia struck southwestern Mexico after weakening, causing at least two deaths and US$325 million in damage.[80] The Atlantic hurricane season was quiet by contrast, with just 12 tropical cyclones.[56] The strongest was
Hurricane Joaquin, which hit the
Bahamas in October with 1 minute sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h). Damage in the country was estimated at US$200 million. Joaquin also capsized the cargo ship SS El Faro, killing the crew of 33 people.[81][82] Also during the season,
Tropical Storm Erika produced flooding and landslides in
Dominica when it moved through the
Lesser Antilles in August, killing 30 people and causing US$482.8 million on the island.[83][84]
^"2015 Tornado Count". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
^"Guam Event Report: Rip Current". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service Office in Guam. 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
^Todd B. Kimberlain; Eric S. Blake; John P. Cangialosi (February 1, 2016).
Hurricane Patricia(PDF) (Report). Tropical Cyclone Report. Miami, Florida:
National Hurricane Center. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
^Richard J. Pasch and Andrew B. Penny (February 8, 2016).
Tropical Storm Erika(PDF) (Report). Tropical Cyclone Report. Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved March 8, 2016.