GeoTRIVIA: Winter 2010

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that El Niño in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean will be a dominant climate factor influencing upcoming winter weather. Mike Halpert, deputy director of the Climate Prediction Center, says, "We expect El Niño to strengthen and persist through the winter months . . . Warmer ocean water in the equatorial Pacific shifts the patterns of tropical rainfall that in turn change the strength and position of the jet stream and storms over the Pacific Ocean and the U.S."

The maps below highlight NOAA's winter outlook for precipitation and temperature.

U.S. Winter Outlook - Precipitation

Courtesy of NOAA

U.S. Winter Outlook - Temperature

Courtesy of NOAA

LOCATION® Analyst uses hurricane, tornado, and severe-weather information (current and historical) from NOAA as one of many geographic data sources to identify insureds near high-risk areas, classify your portfolio based on exposures, and conduct risk- concentration analyses and assessments.

Of about 47,000 fire protection areas in the LOCATION PPCTM database, 67 have achieved a Class 1 rating — representing exemplary fire protection. Here's the list.  

The chart below lists the ten costliest catastrophes in the United States (from highest to lowest) in terms of insured losses, adjusted for inflation. ISO defines a catastrophe as an event that causes $25 million or more in insured property losses and affects a significant number of property/casualty policyholders and insurers. The estimates represent anticipated industrywide insured losses, reflecting the total personal and commercial property insurance payments covering fixed property, vehicles, boats, related property items, business interruption, and additional living expenses. The estimates exclude loss adjustment expenses.

Catastrophe losses surged in 2008, reaching $25.2 billion, the highest since the record $62.3 billion reached in 2005, the year of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. There were 37 catastrophic events in 2008, the highest number in a single year since 1998.

THE TEN COSTLIEST CATASTROPHES IN THE U.S. ($ millions)

*Adjusted to 2008 dollars by ISO

Source: ISO's Property Claim Services® (PCS®) unit.

According to the Population Division of the U.S. Census Bureau (as of the 2000 Census), Jersey City has the smallest land area on the list. It's hard to believe that with a population of 240,055,  the city's total land area is only 14.9 square miles.  Of the city's total area of 21.1 square miles, 6.2 square miles are water.

This satelite image of Jersey City gives you a good view of land mass to water.

No. If city limits change through annexation or other means, the local government must, within 60 days of the change, submit an accurate map, a description of the change, and a certified copy of the ordinance to the clerk of all affected counties, the Secretary of State, and the Department for Local Government (formerly the Governor's Office for Local Development). A professional land surveyor must prepare the map and description. The municipality can't levy the tax until it meets those provisions.

Source: http://insurance.ky.gov