A wave of natural disasters this year has already cost the US more than $25 billion in damage, caused by wildfires, tornadoes, pineapple-sized hail and flooding.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has revealed that 11 climate and weather disasters have occurred in 2024, each costing more than $1 billion. 84 deaths
“2024 ranks second, tied with 2017 and 2020, for the highest number of billion-dollar events (inflation-adjusted) during the first five months of a year,” NOAA climatologist and economist Adam Smith told DailyMail.com.
However, because the report only covers events through mid-May, Smith said the remaining month’s data alone could push it into second place.
NOAA’s warning comes after the agency warned last month that the US will experience an “extraordinary” hurricane season in the coming months.
The US has been hit by eleven disasters, each causing losses of at least $1 billion, amounting to a total of more than $25 billion.
Natural disaster statistics have shown that severe storms and tornadoes are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. Pictured: Coastal flooding in Hampton, New Hampshire in January
This year “ranks in the top eight in cost for 45 years, but these rankings will increase next month once we complete our full analysis of the May events,” Smith said, adding that NOAA “is still assessing several costly hail events that took place during the second half of May.’
Natural disaster statistics have shown that severe storms and tornadoes are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
NOAA too reported that tornadoes contributed to much of the damage in May, affecting 23 states stretching from South Dakota to Florida, which had experienced at least one tornado during that time.
This included the EF-4 tornado that devastated parts of Oklahoma, killing one person, and a second EF-4 that killed five people in Greenfield, Iowa – making it the deadliest tornado to hit the US this year .
Smith said 2024 also tied for second for most tornadoes IN [reported across] the nation from January to May for the past 15 years.
The first powerful tornado of the season ripped through the southeastern U.S., bringing winds of 130 miles per hour, injuring two people and killing eight.
Meanwhile, dangerous storms have swept the country this year, bringing record-breaking baseball-sized hail to Houston, Texas, in February — the largest in 35 years — and a total of 450 tornadoes hitting the Midwest in March and April.
People in New Hampshire have also experienced widespread flooding, leading to serious damage to public property and the loss of seven lives.
Additional problems from wildfires, such as the one in April in Roswell, Michigan, have spread across the country.
NOAA reported that this month of May was the second most active month for severe weather in two decades, as 23 states stretching from South Dakota to Florida experienced at least one tornado in that time. Pictured: Damage caused by a tornado that ripped through Portage, Michigan in May
East Texas experienced extreme hail measuring two inches in diameter, shattering car windshields (photo)
Last month, NOAA officials predicted that the U.S. could experience seven hurricanes of Category 3 or higher, with winds of up to 110 miles per hour — the highest forecast ever given by the agency.
The forecasts are based on the development of La Niña, a weather system that occurs when equatorial trade winds strengthen and cause ocean currents to change, and is much warmer than normal in the main hurricane development area.
This year has not surpassed 2023’s statistics, which saw $13 billion in severe weather events from January through June, and a total of 23 natural disasters that cost a total of $92.9 billion in damages for the year.
Since records began 130 years ago, the US has suffered a whopping 387 separate weather and climate disasters, with total damages exceeding $1 billion each and costing over $2.7 trillion. NOAA.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that climate change is leading to an increase in the number of storms causing heavier rainfall and extreme flooding “that could overwhelm or damage water infrastructure.”
Texas was also hit by hail about the size of a pineapple (pictured)
Since records began, the US has suffered a whopping 387 separate weather and climate disasters with total damages exceeding $1 billion each and costing over $2.7 trillion. Pictured: A wildfire that ripped through Roswell, Michigan in April
“Hurricane intensity is also expected to increase as the climate continues to warm,” the agency said, adding, “although the magnitude of this change is uncertain.”
Since the 1980s, the number of natural disasters has increased dramatically, thanks to NOAA report an average of three weather-related events per year, but that number increased to six times as many in 2011.
The 18 events in 2011 cost $69.7 billion in damage and 765 deaths, compared to two events with a total of $1 billion in damage – which is $3.3 billion today – and only 20 deaths in 1981.
“Exposure plus vulnerability plus climate change means more and more of these disasters are turning into multi-billion dollar disasters,” Smith told me The guard last year.
“But there are things we can do to reverse the trend,” added climate scientist Chris Field of Stanford University.
“If we want to reduce damage from severe weather, we must accelerate progress on halting climate change and building resilience.”