If you’re wondering how expensive last year has been in terms of weather disasters, NOAA is on the case with a useful table:
Below is a historical table of U.S. Billion-dollar disaster events, summaries, report links and statistics for the 1980–2017 period of record. In 2017, there were 16 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States. These events included 1 drought event, 2 flooding events, 1 freeze event, 8 severe storm events, 3 tropical cyclone events, and 1 wildfire event. Overall, these events resulted in the deaths of 362 people and had significant economic effects on the areas impacted.
Thankfully, the death toll was relatively small, which can be attributed to scientific advances in weather forecasting, as well as responses to same. Melissa Breyer provides some context on Treehugger.com:
Last year, the US suffered an astounding $306 billion in damage, shattering all records to date.
2017 was definitely one for the books. If you felt like natural disasters in the United States were descending with unusual fury, you were correct. In fact, according to a new report by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, 2017 was the most expensive year on record for natural disasters in the country. From the parade of hurricanes and hailstorms to freezes and fires, the succession of calamities came with a price tag of $306 billion in damage.
While they adjust for inflation, the fact is that there’s more people, which makes the United States a bit more of a target rich environment for natural disasters.
