Emerging threatsU.S. suffered at least $8 billion climate-related disasters so far this year
We are only halfway through 2016 and the United States has already seen eight weather and climate-related disasters* that have each met or exceeded $1 billion in damages. These eight disasters resulted in the loss of thirty lives, and caused at least $13.1 billion. Since 1980 the United States has sustained 196 weather and climate disasters in which overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The total cost of these 196 events exceeds $1.1 trillion.
Elevated tornado activity linked to climate change // Source: commons.wikimdia.org
We are only halfway through 2016 and the United States has already seen eight weather and climate-related disasters* that have each met or exceeded $1 billion in damages. These eight disasters resulted in the loss of thirty lives, and caused at least $13.1 billion, according to an analysis by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
A high number of these events impacted Texas throughout the Spring - most notably - several intense hail storms overly densely populated cities and the 17 April Houston flood event.
NOAA says that the eight billion-dollar disasters in the U.S.(damages for the late-June flooding event in West Virginia, which are still being assessed, are not included) are:
- 22-24 February: Southeast/Eastern tornadoes
- 8-12 March: Texas & Louisiana flooding
- 17-18 March: Southern severe weather
- 23-24 March: North Texas hail storm
- 10-12 April: North/Central Texas hail storm
- 17-18 April: Houston flooding
- 26 April-2 May: South/Southeast tornadoes
- 21-26 May: Rockies/Central tornadoes & severe storms
The first six months of 2016 are well above-average for the number of billion-dollar events compared with the same period in years past.
In 2015 the U.S. experienced a total of 10 individual disasters reaching the $1 billion threshold. These events included a drought event, two flooding events, five severe storm events, a wildfire event, and a winter storm event, resulting in 155 lives lost and costing more than $22 billion in economic damages. To see the newly released costs for each of the ten events, see the NCEI billion dollar disaster table of events for 2015.
Since 1980 the U.S. has sustained 196 weather and climate disasters in which overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The total cost of these 196 events exceeds $1.1 trillion.
