2011 a record year for severe weather in the U.S.

I love the friends I have gathered together on this thin raft;
we have erected pyramids in honor of our escaping.

This is the land where the Pharaoh died. - "Texas Radio and the Big Beat"

Washington - Extreme weather lashed and pounded the United States in 2011, resulting in more than 700 deaths and $35 billion in damage.

That's not counting damage from Hurricane Irene.

Tornadoes caused most of the death and destruction, according to the National Weather Service. Add to that the destruction of tsunammis, triple-digit heat, drought, extreme flooding from rain, high winds, and blizzards - and you start to get a picture of an emerging pattern in which the entire world has been enveloped in severe changes in weather.