America’s costliest natural disasters in decades
Different species in the last few decades natural disasters They wreaked havoc around the US, but which cataclysms cost the most?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Protection (NCEI) lists hundreds of costly disasters from 1980 to 2024.
“Since 1980, the US has experienced 403 weather and climate disasters where total damages/costs have reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment through 2024). The total cost of these 403 events exceeds $2.915 trillion “, – notes the NCEI.
Hurricane Katrina tops the list with a $200 billion price tag. (Tom Stoddart/Getty Images)
Hurricanes take over Nine of the top 10 on the “Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters” list.
The cost estimates provided by the NCEI are imprecise – the list contains different figures for disasters, including CPI-adjusted estimated costs, as well as lower and upper bounds at 75%, 90% and 95% confidence intervals.
1. Hurricane Katrina, $201.3 billion
Hurricane Katrina is seen in the Gulf of Mexico on August 28, 2005 in this NOAA satellite image. (NOAA via Getty Images)
Hurricane Katrina, which hit the United States in 2005, topped the list with an estimated CPI-adjusted cost of $201.3 billion. In the 95% confidence interval, the lower bound of the value is $151.3 billion and the upper bound is $242.8 billion.
“A Category 3 hurricane first affects the US as a Category 1 near Miami, FL, then as a strong Category 3 along the eastern LA-western MS coastlines, resulting in a severe storm surge across LA (max surge likely 30 feet) of MS-AL shorelines, wind damage, and failure of portions of the flood system in New Orleans,” the summary notes. “Inland impacts include strong winds and some flooding in AL, MS, FL, TN, KY, IN, OH and GA.”
2. Hurricane Harvey, $160 billion
Hurricane Harvey, which hit the United States in 2017, is the second costliest disaster on the NCEI list, with an estimated CPI-adjusted $160 billion. The lower bound of the 95% confidence interval is $108.8 billion and the upper bound is $211.2 billion.
“A Category 4 hurricane made landfall near Rockport, Texas, causing widespread devastation. Harvey’s devastation was most evident due to a large area of extreme rainfall that caused historic flooding in Houston and surrounding areas.”
3. Hurricane Ian, $119.6 billion
The third costliest disaster on the NCEI list is Hurricane Ian in 2022 at $119.6 billion adjusted for CPI. The lower limit of the 95% confidence interval is $83 billion and the upper limit is $155 billion.
“Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph” and “slowly crossed Florida before reemerging as a tropical storm over the Atlantic” and becoming a Category 1 again. The hurricane made landfall near Georgetown on September 30 with sustained winds of 85 mph, causing more coastal flooding and destroying several large piers near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,” the statement said.
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Damaged homes and debris are seen on Matlacha Island in Lee County, Florida, after Hurricane Ian on November 7, 2022. (Giorgio VieraI/AFP via Getty Images)
The rest of the top 10
After Ian, Hurricanes Maria (2017 – $115.2 billion), Sandy (2012 – $88.5 billion), Ida (2021 – $84.6 billion), Helene (2024 – $78.7 billion), Irma ( 2017 – $64 billion) and Andrew (). 1992 – 60.5 billion dollars).
The 1988 “US drought/heat wave” was listed as the 10th costliest disaster on the list, with an estimated CPI-adjusted cost of $54.6 billion.
“The 1988 drought with very severe losses to agriculture and related industries across much of the United States. Combined direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess deaths) due to heat stress were about 5,000,” the summary notes.
What about wildfires?
While many Americans are paying attention to it Terrible fires burning parts of California since last week, wildfires have not been in NCEI’s top 10 list.
In this category, NCEI reports that 2018’s fires were the costliest, listing “Western wildfires, California firestorms” at nearly $30 billion, adjusted for CPI.
In 2018, the Camp Fire ranked first on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (CAL FIRE) “20 Deadliest California Wildfires” and “Most Destructive California Wildfires.” CAL FIRE reports that the fire killed 85 people and destroyed 18,804 structures.
As of January 2025, the Palisades and Eaton fires have already fallen to third and fourth on the list of the most destructive state wildfires, with 5,316 structures destroyed in the Palisades Fire and more than 5,000 in the Eaton Fire, although the numbers are not final.
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AccuWeather Initial estimates for damage and economic losses from the wildfires in parts of California are $135-150 billion.
AccuWeather estimates $13-16 billion for the 2023 Maui wildfires and $225-250 billion for Hurricane Helene in 2024. The NCEI lists the 2023 Maui fire as a “Hawaii firestorm” and shows a CPI-adjusted estimated cost of $5.7 billion.
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