Overall Disaster Frequency
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the U.S. in 2023 — a new annual record | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
| 18.0/yr | average annual number of billion-dollar disasters from 2019–2023 — up from 7.7/yr in the 1980s | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
| 59 | major presidential disaster declarations issued by FEMA in an average year (2000–2022) | — FEMA, 2023 |
| 1,000+ | tornadoes touch down in the U.S. in a typical year — the most of any country on Earth | — NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 2023 |
| $1 trillion+ | total cost of U.S. billion-dollar disasters from 1980 through 2023 (in 2023 dollars) | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
| 6 | named Atlantic hurricanes make landfall in the U.S. on average per year | — NOAA National Hurricane Center, 2023 |
| 3–5x | increase in the frequency of billion-dollar disasters since the 1980s, driven by climate change, development in hazard-prone areas, and improved reporting | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
Economic Losses
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $92.9B | total economic losses from U.S. weather and climate disasters in 2023 | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
| $81.2B | average annual U.S. weather/climate disaster losses from 2019–2023 (in 2023 dollars) | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
| $28.6B | average annual disaster losses in the 1980s (in 2023 dollars) — dramatically lower than today’s rates | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
| $77.8B | total losses from 2022 U.S. weather disasters — including Hurricane Ian alone at $112.9B | — NOAA NCEI, 2023 |
| $112.9B | damage caused by Hurricane Ian (2022) — the second-costliest U.S. hurricane on record | — NOAA NCEI, 2023 |
| $186.3B | total cost of Hurricane Katrina (2005) in 2023 dollars — the costliest U.S. natural disaster on record | — NOAA NCEI, 2023 |
Fatalities by Disaster Type
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 474 | deaths from U.S. weather and climate disasters in 2023 | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
| 1,887 | average annual U.S. weather-related deaths from 2019–2023 | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
| ~138 | deaths per year from flooding — the deadliest weather hazard in the U.S. | — NOAA, 2023 |
| ~100 | deaths per year from tornadoes in the U.S. (10-year average) | — NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 2023 |
| ~700 | heat-related deaths recorded annually in the U.S. — widely considered an undercount due to attribution challenges | — CDC, 2022 |
Hurricanes & Tropical Storms
| 14 | named Atlantic storms in a typical hurricane season; 7 become hurricanes, 3 become major (Cat 3+) | — NOAA National Hurricane Center, 2023 |
| 18 | named storms formed in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, continuing above-normal activity | — NOAA, 2024 |
| 36 million | Americans live in counties at high risk from Atlantic hurricane storm surge | — NOAA/FEMA, 2023 |
Tornadoes & Severe Storms
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1,376 | tornadoes recorded in the U.S. in 2023 | — NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 2024 |
| 1,150 | average annual U.S. tornadoes recorded over the past 30 years | — NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 2023 |
| “Tornado Alley” | spans TX, OK, KS, NE, SD and accounts for roughly 30% of all U.S. tornadoes annually | — NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 2023 |
| $29.6B | total losses from severe convective storms (tornadoes, hail, high winds) in 2023 — the costliest severe storm year on record | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
Floods & Flash Floods
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | floods are the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States | — FEMA, 2023 |
| 2.5M | U.S. properties face a 1% or greater annual flood risk (FEMA’s “100-year floodplain”) | — FEMA, 2023 |
| $9.2B | average annual NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) claims paid — reflecting underinsured flood risk nationwide | — FEMA NFIP, 2023 |
| 54% | of flood insurance claims come from properties OUTSIDE designated high-risk flood zones | — FEMA, 2022 |
Winter Storms & Cold Events
| ~$3B | average annual losses from U.S. winter storms and cold waves (10-year average) | — NOAA NCEI, 2024 |
| $22B | cost of the February 2021 Texas winter storm (Winter Storm Uri) — the costliest winter storm in U.S. history | — NOAA NCEI, 2021 |
| ~700 | deaths attributed to Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 | — Buzzfeed News / BMJ Study, 2021 |
| 50 states | all 50 U.S. states have experienced a federally declared disaster — no state is immune | — FEMA, 2023 |