The amount of damage caused by multibillion-dollar disasters reached an unprecedented amount in 2024, and the total cost of destruction continues to rise, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
As of November 1, 24 weather or climate disasters have been confirmed in the United States, with losses exceeding $1 billion, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, which compiles an annual report detailing billion-dollar disasters dollars of the year.
The billion-dollar disasters include 17 severe storms, four tropical cyclones, a wildfire and two winter storms. Combined, the billion-dollar disasters of 2024 have claimed at least 418 lives and caused significant economic losses in affected regions, according to NOAA.
In this May 22, 2024, file photo, residents and first responders endure damage after a tornado ripped through Greenfield, Iowa. Numerous deaths and injuries have been reported following a series of tornadoes and powerful storms that hit several Midwestern states.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
The cost of damage from billion-dollar disasters is so large for 2024 that NOAA is still tabulating final figures for several events, Adam Smith, an applied climatologist at NOAA, told ABC News. The full report will be released on January 9, according to NOAA.
The agency has tracked billion-dollar disasters in the United States since 1980, analyzing the most impactful and common weather and climate risks each year, Smith said. These types of events can include droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, heat waves, winter storms and severe storms that contain threats such as hail and high winds, Smith said.
The positive side of analyzing the costliest disasters allows scientists and emergency managers to learn from them, Smith added.
“From all of this, we try to show how the frequency and cost of these impacts affect the lives and livelihoods of Americans in different regions of different states, using best-in-class data partners from the public and private sectors” , Smith said. “It provides a climatology showing where hot spots are across the country from year to year for different weather and climate extremes.”
Cost of disaster
Four hundred disasters worth billions of dollars have occurred since then, exceeding losses of $2.78 billion, 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, Fla., following Hurricane Milton.
John Falchetto/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
And the number of climate and weather events exceeding $1 billion in losses has increased exponentially in recent decades, Smith said.
While the average annual number of billion-dollar disasters between 1980 and 2023 is 8.5 events, the annual average for the past five years is 20.4 events per year, according to NOAA.
The frequency has increased 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 major weather events are amplified by climate change, the combination of a growing population and more infrastructure on the coast is also to blame for the impact of weather and climate disasters on communities, Cameron MacKenzie, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at Iowa State University, told ABC News.
Here are some of the most impactful billion-dollar disasters in 2024:
Hurricane Helene
Hurricanes were, by far, the most impactful weather disasters on humanity and the economy in 2024, Smith said. Over the past 45 years, tropical cyclones have caused more than $1 trillion in damage, Smith said.
In this September 27, 2024 aerial view, power generation crews work on lines after Hurricane Helene struck off the coast of Crystal River, Florida. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Big Bend, Florida with winds up to 140 mph and storm surge.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images, FILE
“These are very powerful destructive events, with multiple dangers: storm surges, high winds and, of course, flooding. Along our coasts – and even inland, we have a lot of population, a lot of “assets at risk”. ” he said.
Back-to-back hurricanes that slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast before causing widespread damage well beyond their initial landfall began with Hurricane Helene.
Helene made landfall on Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 storm on September 24, bringing up to 15 feet of storm surge to the coast before causing damage in Georgia, western Carolina North, in eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia.
The storm caused catastrophic flash flooding once it reached the mountainous region of Asheville, North Carolina.
In this Sept. 29, 2024, file photo of Swannanoa, North Carolina, residents navigate devastating flood damage from the Swannanoa River. The remnants of Hurricane Helene caused widespread flooding, downed trees and power outages across western North Carolina.
Travis Long/The News & Observer TNS via Getty Images, FILE
The impacts on Helene’s path were “pretty extreme” and widespread, Smith said.
The storm killed 225 people, according to NOAA. The exact extent of the damage has not yet been determined.
Hurricane Milton
Communities across the Southeast were still reeling from Helene when Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida on October 9.
The Category 3 storm brought storm surge of up to 10 feet along the coast and spawned dozens of tornadoes across Florida’s southern peninsula that damaged homes, commercial vehicles and other infrastructure.
In this October 10, 2024 file photo, drone image shows the dome of Tropicana Field being torn off due to Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
The damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton together will likely amount to more than $100 billion, Smith said, adding that the extent of the damage was still being assessed.
“Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton hitting the west coast of Florida two weeks apart were pretty freak,” Smith said. “And it’s a compound disaster with cascading impacts.”
Twenty-four people died because 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 made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida, on August 5, before making landfall a second time near Bulls Bay, South Carolina, for three days.
In this Aug. 7, 2024, file photo, an Arby’s restaurant appears devastated by a tornado associated with Tropical Storm Debby, in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images, FILE
After its initial landfall, Debby moved up the East Coast, bringing heavy rain, flash flooding, river flooding, and strong winds to several states. Remnants of the storm fueled flooding in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and southeastern New York as it merged with another system in the region. The period of unstable weather also produced an EF-1 tornado that touched down in Buffalo, New York.
Hurricane Beryl was the second named storm of the season, making landfall in Texas on July 8, where it caused extensive wind damage and caused significant power outages for millions for several days.
Beryl also produced 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 $2.5 billion in damage, while Beryl caused $7.2 billion in damage according to NOAA.
Tornado outbreaks
Between June 24 and 26, states including Nebraska, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts were hit by severe thunderstorms that produced tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail. Notable events include an EF-3 tornado that struck Whitman, Nebraska and surrounding areas, as well as a tornado that touched down in Providence County, Rhode Island.
This event cost approximately $1.7 billion in damage, according to NOAA.
The central and eastern United States experienced an outbreak of more than 79 tornadoes that developed between July 13 and 16.
In this June 6, 2024, file photo, a badly damaged home can be seen on Dogwood Drive in Gaithersburg, Maryland, after the home was struck by a fallen tree. The tornado that struck last night injured five people who were in this home when the tornado struck.
Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE
Thirty-two tornadoes on July 15 broke the Chicago area record for the most tornadoes in one day.
Other states that have seen the greatest impact include Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York. Considerable damage to homes, businesses and other businesses was recorded.
More than 1,000 reports of damage from high winds and hail were also recorded during the multi-day event, which was estimated to cost $2.4 billion.
New Mexico wildfires
Multiple wildfires that broke out in New Mexico from June 17 to July 7 damaged homes, vehicles, businesses, agriculture and other infrastructure.
In this June 20, 2024, file photo, burned cars and structures are shown as the South Fork Fire continues in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Anadolu via Getty Images, FILE
The South Fork Fire, near the town of Ruidoso, was the deadliest. Spreading quickly due to high winds, the South Fork Fire destroyed more than 1,000 structures.
Wildfires in New Mexico have caused an estimated $1.7 billion in damage, according to NOAA.
