2011's Weather Most Extreme Yet, But the GOP Still in Climate Change Denial

The New York Times's Justin Gillis reported over the weekend on the extreme weather conditions seen in the United States in 2011. Whereas a typical year features three or four weather disasters with costs exceeding $1 billion each, this year has seen 12 -- and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "has not finished counting."

Many thought 2010 was unusually brutal, and might prove to be an aberration, but 2011 turned out to be worse.

Weather Underground co-founder Jeffrey Masters said, "I've been a meteorologist 30 years and never seen a year that comes close to matching 2011 for the number of astounding, extreme weather events. Looking back in the historical record, which goes back to the late 1800s, I can't find anything that compares, either."    Read more