The number of billion-dollar disasters from severe US storms is on the rise

Every year since 2011 has seen at least six severe storms, costing the US billions of dollars

By Clarisa Diaz2 min readUpdated May 29, 2023

Damaging severe storms are on the rise, with every year since 2011 experiencing at least six “billion-dollar” storms in the US. From 2001-2022, the US saw six times more billion-dollar storms than in the previous two decades, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA defines a billion-dollar extreme weather or climate event as one that is so destructive it results in at least $1 billion worth of damages. The storms are typically characterized by high winds, hailstorms, derechos, and tornados. The storms since 1980 account for 48% of all billion-dollar weather disasters in the US.

Prior to 2011, the US saw an average of about two billion-dollar storms per year. That number was almost 10 per year from 2011 through 2022.

The average annual cost of billon-dollar severe storms rose from $2.5 billion between 1980 and 2000, to $15.4 billion between 2001 and 2022. Since 2001, billion-dollar severe storms have caused an estimated $339 billion in damages and 1,358 fatalities in the U.S. (All data is adjusted for inflation.)

Though summer is still around the corner, 2023 has already seen five billion-dollar storms in the US, resulting in $13.9 billion of damages so far. They include tornadoes and high winds in central states and baseball-sized hail storms in Florida and Texas. The number of tornadoes recorded before April, when tornado season typically starts, is rising: January 2023 had at least 187 tornadoes in the US, higher than the average number of 39.4 recorded in the month of January between 1991 and 2020.

The costs have been enormous, with each year since 2011 costing the US at least $10.4 billion in damages for severe storms alone. The average spent on severe storm damages between 2011 and 2022 was $23.8 billion. The worst years were 2020 and 2011, which cost $39.1 billion and $43.2 billion respectively.

Tornado Alley is shifting eastward

Continued global warming means that the number of hot and humid days in a year conducive to severe weather is projected to increase. Supercells, or severe rotating thunderstorms that can produce tornados, are also increasing in parts of the US not accustomed to them, leading to more destruction. More tornado outbreaks are occurring in the Southeast and Mid-South regions of the US, where 30 to 50 percent of residences are mobile homes, according to a study by Climate Central. “Tornado Alley” is no longer confined to the Great Plains but includes Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.

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