Hurricanes top the list, but heat waves and floods also took steep human and financial tolls
After a relatively quiet start to the hurricane season, storm activity is picking up. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is maintaining its prediction for an above-normal season of storm activity. Forecasters expect several atmospheric and oceanic conditions to remain in place for the rest of 2022 that could slightly enhance hurricane activity through Nov. 30, when the Atlantic hurricane season officially ends.
The projection comes on the heels of 20 weather and climate disasters that hit the U.S. in 2021, each causing at least $1 billion in damage, according to NOAA. These events included one drought, two floods, 11 severe storms, four tropical cyclones, one wildfire and one winter storm. Since 1980, there have been 323 weather and climate disasters with damages at or above $1 billion, totaling an inflation-adjusted $2.195 trillion.
Despite the above-average number of disasters in 2021, only one found a place among the costliest ever to strike the United States: Hurricane Ida, one of just three hurricanes in recorded history to make landfall in Louisiana with sustained winds of 150 mph.
Here’s a look at the 10 natural disasters that caused the most monetary damage, based on data from NOAA. All dollar figures have been adjusted for inflation.
