AUSTIN (KXAN) – It’s no secret that severe weather is becoming more frequent and more expensive across the United States. This year was no exception. Between January and June, the country experienced 14 separate weather disasters worth $1 billion.
The total cost of these disasters amounts to $101.4 billion.
January’s wildfires in Los Angeles alone cost $60 billion in damage, making them the costliest in U.S. history.
The number of these destructive events has risen from an average of about three per year in the 1980s to an average of 19 per year over the past decade. This includes records broken in 2023 and 2024.
In 2023, there were 28 such disasters, and 27 in 2024.
We know these numbers from the database’s former headquarters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But the government stopped updating this database in May of this year due to budget cuts and changing priorities, according to NOAA. This means that there will be no updates to this database after 2024.
Due to the definite need for this information, the database has been taken over by our media partners at Climate Central. This non-profit organization uses the same methodology that makes it possible for those who need this information to retrieve it.
Why is knowing this information so important? It allows people to understand the economic impact of severe weather. Climate scientists have been given another tool to communicate the real consequences of climate change. Perhaps more importantly, it helps emergency responders and policy makers gather information to better plan for future events to save lives and property.
Multibillion-dollar disasters have impacted Texas in the first six months of this year. On March 14, a hailstorm in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, combined with severe flooding later in the month in South Texas, caused an estimated $1.2 billion in damage. Two people lost their lives.
The Fourth of July weekend is one that will never be forgotten for the historic flash flooding in the Hill Country, with the bulk of that disaster occurring along the Guadalupe River. Initial damage estimates range from $18 billion to $22 billion.
Despite the economic impact of this flood estimate, it has forced local, state and federal officials to consider how to avoid a disaster like this from happening again. Information from the revived database will certainly help.