The wildfires that raged through Northern California this past November were an unwelcome reminder of the potential overwhelmingly destructive power of natural disasters. The fires – which were the most destructive in California’s history – destroyed nearly 14,000 homes. The death toll currently stands at 85.
This devastating event was one of hundreds of natural disasters to occur across the world this year – many of which left even greater carnage in their wake. Throughout 2018, various nations suffered floods, storms, fires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and heat waves that left death and destruction behind. In addition to the human toll, these weather disasters have caused billions of dollars in economic and infrastructural damage.
Of the more than 200 natural disasters in 2018 reported by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disaster (CRED) – a Brussels-based organization that maintains a global database of natural and technological disasters – 17 resulted in more than 100 fatalities.
Of these, eight were floods. Asia is the most flood-prone area, and, accordingly, had the most flooding and most flood-related deaths this year. Affected countries included India, Japan, North Korea, China, and Laos. The Indian state of Kerala experienced particularly devastating floods this August. The floods – reported by “The Indian Express” as being the worst to hit the state in a century – came at the height of monsoon season and left 361 dead and over 5 million displaced or otherwise affected, according to CRED.
This year’s worst earthquakes have been even more destructive. The Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia has had a particularly difficult year, suffering through multiple earthquakes and their resulting aftershocks. The worst of these was a magnitude 7.5 quake that hit the province of Central Sulawesi. The earthquake, along with the subsequent tsunami, caused the deaths of 2,783 people.
Click here to see the worst weather events of 2018.
Click here to see our methodology.
Source: Achakpa / Wikimedia Commons
17. Nigeria floods
> Death toll: 101
> Location: Ogun and Katsina states
> Dates: July 13, 2018 – July 16, 2018
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Source: Jes Aznar / Getty Images
16. Typhoon Mangkut in the Philippines
> Death toll: 102
> Location: Itogon
> Dates: September 16, 2018
Source: Chase Chesser / Wikimedia Commons
15. China floods
> Death toll: 108
> Location: Sichuan and Gansu provinces
> Dates: July 5, 2018 – July 7, 2018
Source: Julien Harneis / Flickr
14. Rwanda floods
> Death toll: 116
> Location: Rubavu District
> Dates: March 3, 2018 – March 5, 2018
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Source: Yuichi Yamazaki / Getty Images
13. Japan heat wave
> Death toll: 119
> Location: Kumagaya (Saitama Prefecture)
> Dates: July 1, 2018 – July 15, 2018
Source: Milos Bicanski / Getty Images
12. Greece wildfires
> Death toll: 126
> Location: Attica
> Dates: July 23, 2018 – July 26, 2018
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Source: Jes Aznar / Getty Images
11. Laos dam collapse flood
> Death toll: 136
> Location: Attapeu province
> Dates: July 23, 2018
Source: Tristan Clarke / Flickr
10. India dust storms
> Death toll: 143
> Location: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
> Dates: May 1, 2018 – May 10, 2018
Source: Staff Sgt. Marcus Morris / U.S. Air Force
9. Papua New Guinea earthquake
> Death toll: 145
> Location: Southern Highlands and Hela provinces
> Dates: February 26, 2018
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Source: Tyler / Wikimedia Commons
8. North Korea floods
> Death toll: 151
> Location: North and South Hwanghae
> Dates: August 24, 2018 – September 6, 2018
Source: S.samana.A.R / Wikimedia Commons
7. Pakistan heat wave
> Death toll: 180
> Location: Karachi
> Dates: May 18, 2018 – May 22, 2018
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Source: susanwaughon / Getty Images
6. Nigeria floods
> Death toll: 200
> Location: Kogi, Delta, Anambra, and Niger states
> Dates: September 20, 2018 – October 2, 2018
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Source: kumikomini / Getty Images
5. Japan floods
> Death toll: 220
> Location: Kochi, Gifu, Nagano prefectures
> Dates: June 29, 2018 – July 8, 2018
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
4. India floods
> Death toll: 361
> Location: Thrissur, Chengannur (Kerala state)
> Dates: August 7, 2018 – August 20, 2018
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Source: Lucy Brown - loca4motion / Getty Images
3. Fuego Volcano eruption in Guatemala
> Death toll: 425
> Location: Mountains near Antigua
> Dates: June 3, 2018
Source: Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
2. Indonesia earthquake
> Death toll: 468
> Location: Lombok
> Dates: August 5, 2018
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Source: Apriawan Repadjori / Getty Images
1. Indonesia earthquake and tsunami
> Death toll: 2,783
> Location: Central Sulawesi
> Dates: September 28, 2018
Methodology:
To determine the worst weather events of 2018, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. This data covered all events in which 10 or more people died, 100 or more people were affected, a state of emergency was declared, or there was a call for international assistance. We identified the 17 natural disasters in which 100 or more people died.
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