February: A series of tornadoes and severe storms churns across the nation's midsection and claims at least 54 lives. By May, a near-record number of tornadoes in the U.S. pushes the death toll to a 10-year high of 98 people. The year becomes record-breaking with more than 2,100 tornadoes. Here, Pat Nahlen sifts through debris for salvageable items at a neighbor's home 48 hours after a tornado in Feb. 7, 2008 in Atkins, Ark.

For more environmental news, watch the story of planet Earth's year Saturday, Jan. 3, on Discovery's Focus Earth.
(SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)