US hit by 20 separate billion-dollar climate disasters in 2021, NOAA report says
Also: Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (NOAA)
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Source: The Guardian
US hit by 20 separate billion-dollar climate disasters in 2021, NOAA report says
Year was third-costliest extreme weather year on record with affected communities spread from coast to coast
Nina Lakhani Climate justice reporter
Tue 11 Jan 2022 04.33 GMT
The US was battered by 20 separate billion-dollar climate and weather disasters in 2021, one of the most catastrophic climate years on record which led to at least 688 deaths, according to the annual report of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Damage from the year’s 20 most costly disasters, which included thousands of wildfires burning across western states, frigid temperatures and hail storms in Texas, tornadoes in the south-east, and tropical storms saturating the east coast, totaled around $145bn.
This makes 2021 the third costliest extreme weather year on record, with four tropical storms – Elsa, Fred, Ida and Nicholas – accounting for just over half the total price tag.
The deadly mega-disasters were scattered throughout 2021 and hit communities from coast to coast, starting with flash floods and bomb cyclones in California and ending with Colorado’s most destructive ever wildfire, which tore through almost 1,100 homes and 6,000 acres (2,400 hectares), causing more than $10bn of damage.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/11/us-hit-by-20-separate-billion-dollar-climate-disasters-in-2021-noaa-report-says
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Source: National Centers for Environmental Information - NOAA
Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters
Overview
The U.S. has sustained 310 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment to 2021). The total cost of these 310 events exceeds $2.155 trillion.
2021 in Context…
In 2021, there were 20 weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect the United States. These events included 1 drought event, 2 flooding events, 11 severe storm events, 4 tropical cyclone events, 1 wildfire event, and 1 winter storm event. Overall, these events resulted in the deaths of 688 people and had significant economic effects on the areas impacted. The 1980–2021 annual average is 7.4 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2017–2021) is 17.2 events (CPI-adjusted).
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Read more: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/overview