DISASTERS’ COST2022 U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters in Historical Context
2022 was an intense year of costly disasters and extremes throughout much of the country. 2022 tied 2017 and 2011 for the third highest number of billion-dollar disasters. 2022 was also third highest in total costs (behind 2017 and 2005), with a price tag of at least $165.0 billion. This total annual cost may rise by several billion when we’ve fully accounted for the costs of the December 21-26 Central and Eastern winter storm/cold wave.
The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) has released the final update to its 2022 Billion-dollar disaster report (www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions), confirming another intense year of costly disasters and extremes throughout much of the country. 2022 tied 2017 and 2011 for the third highest number of billion-dollar disasters. 2022 was also third highest in total costs (behind 2017 and 2005), with a price tag of at least $165.0 billion. This total annual cost may rise by several billion when we’ve fully accounted for the costs of the December 21-26 Central and Eastern winter storm/cold wave.
2022 Highlights
In 2022, the U.S. experienced 18 separate weather and climate disasters costing at least 1 billion dollars. That number puts 2022 into a three-way tie with 2017 and 2011 for the third-highest number of billion-dollar disasters in a calendar year, behind the 22 events in 2020 and the 20 events in 2021. It was another year with a high diversity of destructive disasters:
· 1 winter storm/cold wave event (across the central and eastern U.S.).
· 1 wildfire event (wildfires across the western U.S. including Alaska).
· 1 drought and heat wave event (across the western and central U.S.).
· 1 flooding event (in Missouri and Kentucky).
· 2 tornado outbreaks (across the southern and southeastern U.S.).
· 3 tropical cyclones (Fiona, Ian and Nicole).
· 9 severe weather/hail events (across many parts of the country, including a derecho in the central U.S).
2022 was also deadly, in that the 18 events of 2022 caused at least 474 direct or indirect fatalities—the 8th most disaster-related fatalities for the contiguous U.S. since 1980.
Damages from the 2022 disasters totaled $165.1 billion. (All cost estimates are adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index, 2022). The costliest 2022 events were Hurricane Ian ($112.9 billion) and the Western and Central Drought / Heat Wave ($22.1 billion). Adding the 2022 events to the record that began in 1980, the U.S. has sustained 341 weather and climate disasters with the overall damage costs reaching or exceeding $1 billion. The cumulative cost for these 341 events exceeds $2.475 trillion.
