The amount of damage caused by billion-dollar disasters reached an unprecedented number in 2024, and the total cost of destruction is still rising, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
As of Nov. 1, there have been 24 confirmed weather or climate disaster events in the U.S., with losses of more than $1 billion, according to NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information. annual report It details billion dollar disasters a year.
The billion-dollar disasters include 17 major storms, four tropical cyclones, one wildfire and two winter storm events. Together, the billion-dollar disasters in 2024 caused at least 418 deaths and caused significant economic losses in affected regions, according to NOAA.
In this May 22, 2024, file photo, residents and first responders are damaged after a tornado tore through Greenfield, Iowa. There were many deaths and injuries as a result of a series of tornadoes and powerful storms that struck several states in the Midwest.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
The billion-dollar disaster damage cost is so high by 2024 that NOAA is still tallying the final numbers for several events, NOAA applied climatologist Adam Smith told ABC News. The full report will be published on January 9, according to NOAA.
The agency has tracked multibillion-dollar U.S. disasters since 1980, analyzing the most impactful and most common weather and climate hazards each year, Smith said. These types of events can include droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, heat waves, winter storms and severe storms with threats like hail and high wind damage, Smith said.
The silver lining in studying the costliest disasters is that scientists and emergency managers can learn from them, Smith said.
“That’s why we’re trying to show how the frequency and cost of these impacts affect American lives and livelihoods in different regions of different states, using the best data partners in the public and private sectors,” Smith said. “It provides a climatology to show where the hot spots are across the country for different weather and climate extremes from year to year.”
The cost of disaster
Four hundred billion dollars in disasters have occurred since then, surpassing the $2.78 trillion in losses, according to the agency.
In this Oct. 10, 2024, file photo, an aerial view shows the destruction of the Spanish Lakes Country Club in Fort Pierce, Florida, after Hurricane Milton.
John Falchetto/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
And the number of climate and weather events to exceed $1 billion in losses has been growing exponentially in recent decades, Smith said.
According to NOAA, the annual average number of million dollar disasters between 1980 and 2023 is 8.5 events, the annual average for the last five years is 20.4 events per year.
The frequency has been increasing rapidly since about 2009-2010, according to a model designed by Charchit Shukla, a doctoral student in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at Iowa State University.
While the impacts of many large weather-related events are exacerbating climate change, the combination of a growing population and more coastal infrastructure is also to blame for the way weather and climate disasters are affecting communities, said Associate Professor Cameron MacKenzie. in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering from Iowa State University, he told ABC News.
Here are some of the top billion dollar disasters in 2024:
Hurricane Helena
hurricanes They were the most human and economic weather-related disasters in 2024, Smith said. Over the past 45 years, tropical cyclones have caused more than $1 trillion in damage, Smith said.
In this Sept. 27, 2024, aerial view, workers work on the line after Hurricane Helene passed offshore in Crystal River, Florida. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend with 140 mph winds and storm surge.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images, FILE
“These are very powerful destructive events with multiple risks: storm surge, high winds and, of course, flooding along our coasts — and inland from the coast as well, we have a large population, many assets at risk,” he said.
Hurricanes that entered Florida’s Gulf Coast before causing significant damage beyond initial landfall began with Hurricane Helene.
Helen he made it to the ground It made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 storm on September 24, bringing 15-foot storm surge to the coast before causing damage in Georgia, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia.
The storm caused it catastrophic floods once he arrived in the mountain region of Asheville, North Carolina.
In this Sept. 29, 2024, file photo, residents of Swannanoa, NC, wade through damaging floodwaters on the Swannanoa River. The remnants of Hurricane Helene caused flooding, downed trees and power outages in western North Carolina.
Travis Long/The News & Observer via TNS Getty Images, FILE
When Helen ran her course the impacts were “pretty extreme” and big, Smith said.
The storm killed 225 people, according to NOAA. The extent of the damage is yet to be determined.
Hurricane Milton
Communities throughout the Southeast were reeling from Hurricane Milton after Helen It landed near Siesta Key, Floridaon October 9
The category 3 storm brought storm surges of 10 meters along the coast and spawned dozens of tornadoes It damaged homes, business vehicles and other infrastructure in Florida’s southern peninsula.
In this Oct. 10, 2024, file photo, a drone image shows St. Petersburg, Fla., shows the dome at Tropicana Field, which has been opened due to Hurricane Milton.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Combined damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton will exceed $100 billion, Smith said, adding that the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
“Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton hit Florida’s west coast within two weeks of each other,” Smith said. “And that’s a compounding disaster with cascading effects.”
24 people died as a result of Milton, according to NOAA.
Hurricanes Debby and Beryl
Two Category 1 storms proved capable of causing more than $1 billion in damage.
Hurricane Debby It made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida on August 5, three days before the second landfall from Bulls Bay, South Carolina.
In this Aug. 7, 2024, file photo, an Arby’s restaurant appears destroyed by a tornado associated with Tropical Storm Debby in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images, FILE
After initial landfall, Debby moved up the East Coast, bringing heavy rain, flooding, river flooding and strong winds to several states. The remnants of the storm caused flooding in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and southeastern New York as it joined another regional system. The stretch of severe weather also produced an EF-1 tornado in Buffalo, New York.
Hurricane Beryl the second named storm of the season, it made landfall in Texas on July 8, where the storm caused extensive wind damage and significant disruptions for millions of people for several days.
Beryl also spawned more than 50 tornadoes in eastern Texas, western Louisiana, and southern Arkansas.
In this July 8, 2024 file photo, an aerial view shows a destroyed home in Surfside Beach, Texas, after Hurricane Beryl made landfall.
Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Debby caused an estimated $2.5 billion in damage, while Beryl caused $7.2 billion in damage, according to NOAA.
Tornado outbreaks
Between June 24 and 26, states such as Nebraska, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts were hit by severe thunderstorms that brought tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail. Notable events include an EF-3 tornado in and around Whitman, Nebraska, as well as a tornado that affected Providence County, Rhode Island.
That event caused about $1.7 billion in damage, according to NOAA.
The Central and Eastern US developed over 79 tornadoes July 13 and 16.
In this June 6, 2024, file photo, a heavily damaged home is seen on Dogwood Drive in Gaithersburg, Maryland, after a fallen tree hit the home. The tornado that hit last night injured five people in this house when the rounds hit.
Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE
Thirty two tornadoes On July 15, it broke the Chicago regional record for the most tornadoes in a single day.
Other states that were most affected were Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York. Heavy damage was recorded to homes, businesses and other businesses.
More than 1,000 reports of wind and hail damage were also recorded during the multi-day event, which cost an estimated $2.4 billion.
Fires in New Mexico
Multiple forest fires It erupted in New Mexico from June 17 to July 7, damaging homes, vehicles, businesses, agriculture and other infrastructure.
In this June 20, 2024, file photo, charred cars and structures are shown as the South Fork Fire continues to burn in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Anadolu via Getty Images, FILE
The South Fork Fire near the town of Ruidoso was the worst affected. Spread quickly by strong winds, the South Fork Fire destroyed more than 1,000 structures.
The New Mexico wildfires caused $1.7 billion in damage, according to NOAA.
