The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2005. The year began with a weak El Niño, although this would fade into a neutral phase later in the year. The most common weather events to have a significant impact are blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.
Overview
Deadliest events
Types The following listed different types of special weather conditions worldwide.
Cold snaps and winter storms
Floods
Heat waves and droughts During early to mid-July, in the southwestern United States, a significant heat wave hit the region. Nevada, Arizona, California, and southern Utah saw numerous record-breaking temperatures. On July 19, Las Vegas broke the all-time record high temperature, hitting 117 °F (47 °C). Death Valley saw 7 consecutive days (July 14-20) with temperatures higher than 125 °F (51 °C). By July 25, the heat wave hit the East Coast. The heat wave caused 13 fatalities. In January, severe to extreme drought affected 4% of the United States. Much of the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, northern High Plains, Southeast, and parts of New England was dry. In February, severe to extreme drought affected 7% of the United States. The Pacific Northwest saw record dryness, as February marked the fourth consecutive month of drought conditions in the region. Parts of the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, northern and central Rockies, and the High Plains was also dry. In March, severe to extreme drought affected 8% of the United States. The Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies was wetter than normal, breaking the four-month-long drought. The month was drier than normal across a wide swath from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes.
Tornadoes
Tropical cyclones
When the year began, a tropical low was active near the northwest coast of Australia, which soon became the first named storm of the year – Tropical Cyclone Raymond, which soon moved ashore the Kimberley region. Throughout the year, there were a total of nine named storms in the Australian basin. The strongest and most notable of these was powerful Cyclone Ingrid, which made landfalls in Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia, the only cyclone on record to strike all three regions as a severe tropical cyclone. Two Australian storms entered the South-West Indian Ocean, where an additional six named storms developed. Also in the Southern Hemisphere, the South Pacific was active with eight named storms, including a succession of four cyclones that struck the Cook Islands – Meena, Nancy, Olaf, and Percy. The four cyclones' monetary damage totaled over US$25 million, equivalent to 14% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). The two deadliest tropical cyclones of the year were a part of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. In October, Hurricane Stan and a broader weather system produced severe flooding across eastern Mexico and Central America, killing 1,668 people, with Guatemala hit the hardest. In late August, Hurricane Katrina became the costliest U.S. hurricane, leaving $125 billion in damage and 1,392 deaths. The strongest tropical cyclone of the year was Hurricane Wilma, which in October became the most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, with a barometric pressure of 882 mbar (26.0 inHg). Wilma was one of four Category 5 hurricanes – the strongest ranking on the Saffir-Simpson scale – in the hyperactive season, along with Emily, Katrina, and Rita. The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active season on record, with 28 named storms in the Atlantic, including an unnamed subtropical storm, as well as Zeta, which developed in December and continued into early January 2006. Also, in the Northern Hemisphere, there were 23 named storms in the western Pacific Ocean, including 13 typhoons, of which Haitang was the strongest. In the eastern Pacific, there were 15 named storms, of which Kenneth was the strongest and longest-lived. In the North Indian Ocean, there were four named storms, although none of them intensified beyond a cyclonic storm, or roughly a weak tropical storm.
Wildfires
Extratropical cyclones and other weather systems
Timeline This is a timeline of deadly weather events during 2005.
January January 16–25 – Cyclone Ernest struck southern Madagascar after previously moving around the northern and western portions of the country, killing 78 people.
February
March March 1–August 31 – A drought across the American Midwest caused US2.4 billion worth of crop damage. March 2–15 – Heavy rains in Madagascar left 8,000 people homeless and caused 25 fatalities. March 4–16 – Cyclone Ingrid became the first ever severe tropical cyclone to make landfalls in the Australian subdivisions of Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia. In its formative stages, high waves from the cyclone killed five people when a boat capsized off Papua New Guinea. March 10 – Inclement weather caused boat accidents that killed 29 people. March 12–19 – Tropical Storm Roke, known locally as Auring, moved through the central Philippines, killing 18 people. March 24–26 – Floods in the Malagasy province of Anosy killed four people.
April
May May 12 – Floods caused a fatality in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the southern Philippines. May 17–21 – Tropical Depression Adrian struck the Pacific coast of Honduras after weakening from hurricane intensity, killing five people across Central America.
June June 8–13 – Tropical Storm Arlene struck the Florida panhandle, causing one drowning death. June 27–July 5 – A land depression moved across India, producing flooding across Madhya Pradesh that killed 26 people. June 28–30 – Tropical Storm Bret struck the Mexican state of Veracruz, killing two people.
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