Weather of 2020


The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2020.

Global conditions

As 2020 began, sea surface temperatures were above normal in the eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator, which had the potential to develop into El Niño conditions. On January 9, a group of climate scientists writing for ENSO Blog published their forecast for atmospheric conditions. They believed that there was a 60% chance that the environment would remain in neutral conditions related to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation ; this was based on the expectation that the above normal water temperatures would return to normal. By March, there was little evidence of increased rainfall near the equator. Trade winds were enhanced in the central and tropical Pacific Ocean, and water temperatures remained above normal. On April 9, ENSO Blog reaffirmed their belief that environmental conditions would remain neutral. However, the sea surface temperatures near the equatorial pacific began to cool well below average, indicating a developing La Niña. As a result, the ENSO Blog issued La Niña watch, stating a 50–55% chance of a strong La Niña. In September, NOAA confirmed that the environment shifted to a La Niña pattern, based on lower than normal water temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator. The ENSO Blog estimated a 75% chance that La Niña conditions would persist through the end of the year, in part due to a strengthening Walker circulation.

Monthly summary

January 2020 had an average global surface land and water temperature of, which was 2.05°F above the 20th century average. This made January 2020 the warmest January on record, surpassing 2016 by 0.04°F. The month's departure from the average was the fourth highest of any month ever recorded. January 2020 was also the warmest January on record in the Northern Hemisphere.
February 2020 had an average global surface land and water temperature of, which was 2.11°F above the 20th century average. It was the second warmest February on record, behind only 2016.
March 2020 had an average global surface land and water temperature of, which was 2.09°F above the 20th century average. The month was the warmest March on record for South America.
April 2020 had an average global surface land and water temperature of, which was 1.91°F above the 20th century average. The month was the warmest April on record for the Caribbean, with reliable records for the area beginning in 1910. The global ocean temperature during the month was, which was the highest April temperature since global records began in 1880.
May 2020 had an average global surface land and water temperature of, tying 2016 for the warmest May on record. The temperature was 1.71°F above the 20th century average. It was the hottest ever recorded May in the Northern Hemisphere, and for all of Asia.
June 2020 had an average global surface land and water temperature of, which was 1.66°F above the 20th century average.
July 2020 had an average global surface land and water temperature of, tying 2016 for the second warmest July on record, and just shy of June 2019's record warmth. The temperature was 1.66°F above the 20th century average. The Arctic sea ice extent was 23.1% below the average from 1981 to 2020, which was the smallest sea ice extent on record.
September 2020 had an average global surface land and water temperature of which was the highest global surface land and water temperature in 141 year record by 1.75°F surpassing the record of 2015 and 2016 by 0.04°F.

Summary by weather type

Winter storms and cold waves

North America

The winter season in North America, was harsh and the most significant weather events to affect North America in several years. It was the costliest on record with a damage total of at least $197 billion. This season included four storms with reaching Category 3 on Regional Snowfall Index scale, however these storms occurred in 2021. These damages were mostly contributed by February 15–20, 2021 [North American winter storm|a crippling cold wave occurred in mid-February]. Along with that, several other major events occur such as an early-season severe ice storm in the South, a powerful nor'easter in mid-December, another major nor'easter on Groundhog Day, two widespread major blizzards in mid-February that affected the South and the Midwest, a major blizzard in March that affected the Rockies, and a late-season nor'easter that affected most of New England. It was also the deadliest winter season in over a decade, causing at least 235 fatalities. A La Niña weather pattern influenced most of the winter in North America during the season.

Floods

In 2020, eighteen flood events occurred, of which twelve occurred in Asia, two occurred in Europe, two occurred in Africa, one occurred in North America and one occurred in South America.
In January, a subtropical storm named Kurumĺ caused heavy rainfall in southeast region of Brazil. The highest rainfall occurred in the state Minas Gerais's capital Belo Horizonte. The flash flooding also caused mudslides in the region. In Europe, UK suffered a severe winter flooding. It initially started in November last year, but the flood continued in isolated regions during December and January. It got worsen after Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis affected in February and caused flash flooding, becoming the wettest month since records began in 1766. England and Wales had on average of rainfall in this month beating the record from 1833. Meanwhile Spain and France had recorded flash flooding thanks due to Storm Gloria.
In February, the southeast region of Kentucky experienced heavy rainfall and affected the counties of Bell, Clay, Harlan, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, Perry and Whitley counties. The governor of Kentucky declared state of emergency in these counties.
In March, a series of flood events affected the countries of Rwanda, Kenya, Somalia, Burundi, Ethiopia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti and Tanzania affecting at least 1.3 million people. It began with heavy downpour which led to massive landslides and flooding.

Droughts, heat waves, and wildfires

From May 16–19, a heatwave affected southeastern Europe, with temperatures reaching.
In June, large wildfires spread across the Alaskan tundra. The Bush Fire burned across Arizona for several days, becoming the fifth largest ever recorded in the state.

Tornadoes

There were 1,058 tornadoes in the United States, as well as dozens of other tornadoes around the world. Worldwide, tornadoes have killed 90 people, including 78 in the United States. Tornadoes have caused US$4.4 billion in damage. For the first time in history, there were no tornadoes in the National Weather Service Wichita, Kansas coverage zone.
The first significant tornado outbreak occurred on January 10 and 11. Tornadoes in the Southeastern United States killed 7 people, and caused $1.1 billion in damage. An EF2 tornado in Louisiana caused 3 deaths and $1.325 million in damage.
On March 2-3, 2020|March 2-3], a tornado outbreak caused 25 deaths, and $1.607 billion in damage, mainly across Tennessee. An Nashville tornado|EF3 tornado] struck Nashville, causing 5 deaths, 220 injuries and $1.504 billion in damage. Then, 2020 [Cookeville tornado|an EF4 tornado] destroyed Cookeville and Putnam County.
On April 12–13, an outbreak of 141 confirmed tornadoes affected the southeastern United States. The outbreak left $3 billion in damage and killed 32 people, making it the deadliest tornado outbreak since 2014.
As Hurricane Isaias moved quickly north along the East Coast of the United States, it spawned an outbreak of 39 tornadoes that left two fatalities, both of which related to an EF3 tornado near Windsor, North Carolina. It was the strongest tornado spawned by a tropical cyclone in the United States since 2005.

Tropical cyclones

The Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record, with a record 30 named storms, surpassing 2005. There was a record 11 tropical cyclones that struck the United States, with the strongest – Hurricane Laura – leaving $19 billion in damage when it struck Louisiana. In November, powerful hurricanes Eta and Iota struck Central America within a two week period, resulting in significant damage and loss of life. The 2020 [Pacific hurricane season|Pacific hurricane season] had a record early start in late April, although it did not feature a hurricane until July 23, one of the latest dates on record.
The Pacific typhoon season was fairly inactive for the first half of the year, with its first storm, Vongfong, forming in late May and moving across the Philippines; the typhoon caused around ₱1.57 billion in damage, and killed 5 people. For the first July on record, the month did not include a single typhoon. In October, Super Typhoon Goni made landfall in The Philippines with 319 k/mh winds, making it the strongest storm to ever make landfall on record.

Events in meteorology

This is a timeline of weather events during 2020.

January

fails to touch 70 °F on every single day of the month for the first time since 1940.

July became the wettest July on record in Newark, New Jersey.