There’s more than two months left in the year, but the US has already faced a record number of disasters costing $1 billion or more in 2023, with 24 such events. That tally is likely grow even bigger as officials assess the costs of Hurricane Hillary, hail storms that hit Texas last month and flooding in New York.
In the first nine months of the year, storms, drought and a wildfire killed 373 people and caused $67.1 billion in damage, according to a report issued by the National Centers for Environmental Information. In addition to the destruction, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida have had their hottest ever January-to-September period, and the contiguous US as a whole saw its the 10th warmest.
Heat, especially in Texas, has taxed power grids for months and spread drought across the South, Great Plains and Midwest. Flooding has also been a hallmark of the year that began with deluges in California and continued with heavy flooding across the Northeast through summer and fall.
Read More: New York to Libya Slammed by Deadly Floods as Planet Heats Up
Since 1980, the US has had 372 climate and weather disasters that have caused $1 billion or more in losses, for a total of $2.63 trillion. The annual number has increased significantly in recent years as climate change sparks more extreme weather. In the period from 2018 through 2022, there were an average of 18 such events each year, compared with the historical average since 1980 of 8.5 per year.
In 2023, September was the seventh-warmest on record for the month across the contiguous US.
Author: Brian K. Sullivan
