Wyoming DOES NOT Need To Worry About Increased Natural Disasters

A recent article titled "Wyoming Ranks High For Worsening Natural Disasters" does not tell the entire story, and leaves the wrong impression about weather events, both globally and right here in The Cowboy State.

The bad news: natural disasters are up. By a significant amount.

The good news: deaths caused by natural disasters are down. By a significant amount.

The World Meteorological Organization says the number of natural disasters has increased five-fold over the last fifty years, but the deaths caused by them have decreased three-fold.

In a 50-year period, “weather, climate and water hazards accounted for 50% of all disasters, 45% of all reported deaths and 74% of all reported economic losses.”

Let's take a look at the time period in question here.

The article says, "In a 50-year period."

I'm 58 years old. When I was a kid humanity did not have much when it came to weather information.

When I was just 8 years old satellite technology was a brand new thing.

The world did not have much in the way of weather satellites. The couple we had up there just took pictures of clouds.

Most disastrous weather events went unseen.

Weather radar covered only a small portion of the country.

Wyoming did not have any radar back then.

Doppler radar did not exist back then.

We did not have people all over the nation with cell phones, sending in photos and videos of weather events.

Over the past 50 years, America has slowly added new technology.

Now, we can see more than ever.

Many satellites in the sky can see the weather in ways we never dreamed of.

Radar shows what is happening in 3D.

Yet, Wyoming has only moderate improvements in weather watching.

Much of the state is not even covered by local radar.

We rely on what few weather watchers the state has.

Still, we are able to see more since more people live in the state, and they report what they see.

That includes when they see the aftermath of an event.

So the number of bad weather events in Wyoming, and the world is NOT up.

We are just able to see it now.