Storm records

Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters, 1980 to 2024

403 disasters, $2918 billion in 2024 dollars, 16,941 deaths

Every US weather and climate disaster whose losses reached a billion dollars, from NOAA’s list of 1980 to 2024, each with the episodes the Weather Service filed during it.

The record

Disasters
403
Losses
$2918 billion
Deaths
16,941

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information kept this list of every US weather and climate disaster whose losses reached a billion dollars, from 1980 through 2024, counting insured and uninsured losses to buildings, infrastructure, vehicles, agriculture and business, and adjusting every year to 2024 dollars. NOAA retired the product in May 2025, so the list ends with 2024.

Disasters each year

By kind

KindDisastersLosses (2024 dollars)Deaths
Tropical Cyclone67$1543 billion7,211
Severe Storm203$514 billion2,145
Drought32$368 billion4,658
Flooding45$203 billion765
Wildfire23$148 billion537
Winter Storm24$104 billion1,463
Freeze9$37 billion162

The costliest

The deadliest

2024

$183 billion in all.

2023

$90 billion in all.

2022

$188 billion in all.

2021

$164 billion in all.

2020

$121 billion in all.

2019

$56 billion in all.

2018

$116 billion in all.

2017

$396 billion in all.

2016

$61 billion in all.

2015

$31 billion in all.

2014

$26 billion in all.

2013

$32 billion in all.

2012

$159 billion in all.

2011

$98 billion in all.

2010

$20 billion in all.

2009

$20 billion in all.

2008

$94 billion in all.

2007

$19 billion in all.

2006

$25 billion in all.

2005

$269 billion in all.

2004

$92 billion in all.

2003

$38 billion in all.

2002

$27 billion in all.

2001

$22 billion in all.

2000

$16 billion in all.

1999

$25 billion in all.

1998

$38 billion in all.

1997

$17 billion in all.

1996

$23 billion in all.

1995

$36 billion in all.

1994

$17 billion in all.

1993

$66 billion in all.

1992

$80 billion in all.

1991

$20 billion in all.

1990

$15 billion in all.

1989

$40 billion in all.

1988

$55 billion in all.

1986

$7.9 billion in all.

1985

$23 billion in all.

1984

$3.2 billion in all.

1983

$27 billion in all.

1982

$15 billion in all.

1981

$3.5 billion in all.

1980

$46 billion in all.

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73. Costs are NCEI’s, adjusted to 2024 by the Consumer Price Index.