Betting on the Weather

2012 was a big year for weather disasters around the world, with everything from the recent Hurricane Sandy in the US to the deadly cold snap in Europe at the beginning of the year. What will next year bring? Online bookmakers let you decide.

In the US, 2011 set a record for the number of individual weather disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage. But 2012 is set to eclipse it for total damage, with damages exceeding $60 billion - thanks mainly to Hurricane Sandy, which tore through the mid-Atlantic in late October, killing 131 people.

Europeans also felt the wrath of mother nature, with a cold snap hitting the continent in January-February. More than 200 died and a number of countries suffered an energy crisis as temperatures plummeted to a freezing -30C.

We can't do anything to change the weather, but we can bet on it, thanks to a number of leading online sportsbooks like William Hill and Paddy Power. It's difficult to find odds on major event like Sandy happening, but people with an interest in UK weather scenarios have plenty of betting options.

Will Hill has odds on a number of possible scenarios taking place before April 30 2013, including: the lowest temperature in England to be beaten (6/1), parliament to close because of snow and ice (66/1), Big Ben failing to chime for weather reasons (100/1), and the Thames freezing over (250/1).