Billion-Dollar Disaster Events

Interpretation of time series:

Billion dollar disasters in Alaska only began to occur after 2000, but the last 5 years of data indicates the number of storms is not substantially different from historical patterns of events, and there is no recent trend in the number of disasters.  

Interpretation of gauge:

The average number of billion dollar disasters in Alaska over the last 5 years of data is higher than 82 percent of all annual disaster frequencies.

Description of billion dollar disasters:

In the United States the number of weather and climate-related disasters exceeding 1 billion dollars has been increasing since 1980. These events have significant impacts to coastal economies and communities. The Billion Dollar Disaster indicator provides information on the frequency and the total estimated costs of major weather and climate events that occur in the United States. This indicator compiles the annual number of weather and climate-related disasters across seven event types. Events are included if they are estimated to cause more than one billion U.S. dollars in direct losses. The cost estimates of these events are adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are based on costs documented in several Federal and private-sector databases. We Present the total annual number of disaster events for all regions.

Extreme Gauge values

A value of zero on the gauge means that the average number of disasters over the last 5 years of data was below any annual level up until that point, while a value of 100 would indicate the average over that same period was above any annual number of disasters up until that point. 

Source and analysis of data:

Billion dollar disaster event frequency data are taken from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The number of disasters within each region were summed for every year of available data. Although the number is the count of unique disaster events within a region, the same disaster can impact multiple regions, meaning a sum across regions will overestimate the unique number of disasters.

Interpretation of time series:

Billion dollar disasters in Hawaiʻi are extremely infrequent, with only one disaster of that magnitude being recorded between 1980 and 2019. There is no trend in the number of disasters.  

Interpretation of gauge:

There have been no billion dollar disasters in Hawaiʻi over the last 5 years so the average number of disasters over the last 5 years of data is at the same as the annual level up until that point.

Description of billion dollar disasters:

In the United States the number of weather and climate-related disasters exceeding 1 billion dollars has been increasing since 1980. These events have significant impacts to coastal economies and communities. The Billion Dollar Disaster indicator provides information on the frequency and the total estimated costs of major weather and climate events that occur in the United States. This indicator compiles the annual number of weather and climate-related disasters across seven event types. Events are included if they are estimated to cause more than one billion U.S. dollars in direct losses. The cost estimates of these events are adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are based on costs documented in several Federal and private-sector databases. We Present the total annual number of disaster events for all regions.

Extreme Gauge values

A value of zero on the gauge means that the average number of disasters over the last 5 years of data was below any annual level up until that point, while a value of 100 would indicate the average over that same period was above any annual number of disasters up until that point. 

Source and analysis of data:

Billion dollar disaster event frequency data are taken from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The number of disasters within each region were summed for every year of available data. Although the number is the count of unique disaster events within a region, the same disaster can impact multiple regions, meaning a sum across regions will overestimate the unique number of disasters.

Interpretation of time series:

The number of billion dollar disasters within the California Current ecosystem is quite variable over time, fluctuating between zero and three disasters a year.   The number of disasters over the past 5 years is substantially higher than historical levels of events, although there is no recent trend in the number of events.  

Interpretation of gauge:

The average number of billion dollar disasters in the California Current ecosystem over the last 5 years is higher than 92 percent of all annual disaster frequencies.

Description of billion dollar disasters:

In the United States the number of weather and climate-related disasters exceeding 1 billion dollars has been increasing since 1980. These events have significant impacts to coastal economies and communities. The Billion Dollar Disaster indicator provides information on the frequency and the total estimated costs of major weather and climate events that occur in the United States. This indicator compiles the annual number of weather and climate-related disasters across seven event types. Events are included if they are estimated to cause more than one billion U.S. dollars in direct losses. The cost estimates of these events are adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are based on costs documented in several Federal and private-sector databases. We Present the total annual number of disaster events for all regions.

Extreme Gauge values

A value of zero on the gauge means that the average number of disasters over the last 5 years of data was below any annual level up until that point, while a value of 100 would indicate the average over that same period was above any annual number of disasters up until that point. 

Source and analysis of data:

Billion dollar disaster event frequency data are taken from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The number of disasters within each region were summed for every year of available data. Although the number is the count of unique disaster events within a region, the same disaster can impact multiple regions, meaning a sum across regions will overestimate the unique number of disasters.

Interpretation of time series:

The number of billion dollar disasters along the Gulf of Mexico is extremely variable over time, fluctuating between zero and thirteen disasters a year.   The number of disasters over the past 5 years is substantially higher than historical levels of events, although the recent trend is not different from historical trends in the number of events.  

Interpretation of gauge:

The average number of billion dollar disasters along the Gulf of Mexico over the last 5 years is higher than 93 percent of all annual disaster frequencies in that region.

Description of billion dollar disasters:

In the United States the number of weather and climate-related disasters exceeding 1 billion dollars has been increasing since 1980. These events have significant impacts to coastal economies and communities. The Billion Dollar Disaster indicator provides information on the frequency and the total estimated costs of major weather and climate events that occur in the United States. This indicator compiles the annual number of weather and climate-related disasters across seven event types. Events are included if they are estimated to cause more than one billion U.S. dollars in direct losses. The cost estimates of these events are adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are based on costs documented in several Federal and private-sector databases. We Present the total annual number of disaster events for all regions.

Extreme Gauge values

A value of zero on the gauge means that the average number of disasters over the last 5 years of data was below any annual level up until that point, while a value of 100 would indicate the average over that same period was above any annual number of disasters up until that point. 

Source and analysis of data:

Billion dollar disaster event frequency data are taken from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The number of disasters within each region were summed for every year of available data. Although the number is the count of unique disaster events within a region, the same disaster can impact multiple regions, meaning a sum across regions will overestimate the unique number of disasters.

Interpretation of time series:

Billion dollar disasters in the Caribbean in the last 5 years indicates the number of storms is trending upward from historical patterns of events.  

Interpretation of gauge:

The average number of billion dollar disasters in the Caribbean over the last 5 years of data is higher than 85 percent of all annual disaster frequencies.

Description of billion dollar disasters:

In the United States the number of weather and climate-related disasters exceeding 1 billion dollars has been increasing since 1980. These events have significant impacts to coastal economies and communities. The Billion Dollar Disaster indicator provides information on the frequency and the total estimated costs of major weather and climate events that occur in the United States. This indicator compiles the annual number of weather and climate-related disasters across seven event types. Events are included if they are estimated to cause more than one billion U.S. dollars in direct losses. The cost estimates of these events are adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are based on costs documented in several Federal and private-sector databases. We Present the total annual number of disaster events for all regions.

Extreme Gauge values

A value of zero on the gauge means that the average number of disasters over the last 5 years of data was below any annual level up until that point, while a value of 100 would indicate the average over that same period was above any annual number of disasters up until that point. 

Source and analysis of data:

Billion dollar disaster event frequency data are taken from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The number of disasters within each region were summed for every year of available data. Although the number is the count of unique disaster events within a region, the same disaster can impact multiple regions, meaning a sum across regions will overestimate the unique number of disasters.

Interpretation of time series:

The number of billion dollar disasters within the Southeast is extremely variable over time, fluctuating between zero and nine disasters a year.   The number of disasters over the past 5 years is substantially higher than historical levels of events, although there is no recent trend in the number of events.  

Interpretation of gauge:

The average number of billion dollar disasters in the Southeast over the last 5 years is higher than 90 percent of all annual disaster frequencies in that region.

Description of billion dollar disasters:

In the United States the number of weather and climate-related disasters exceeding 1 billion dollars has been increasing since 1980. These events have significant impacts to coastal economies and communities. The Billion Dollar Disaster indicator provides information on the frequency and the total estimated costs of major weather and climate events that occur in the United States. This indicator compiles the annual number of weather and climate-related disasters across seven event types. Events are included if they are estimated to cause more than one billion U.S. dollars in direct losses. The cost estimates of these events are adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are based on costs documented in several Federal and private-sector databases. We Present the total annual number of disaster events for all regions.

Extreme Gauge values

A value of zero on the gauge means that the average number of disasters over the last 5 years of data was below any annual level up until that point, while a value of 100 would indicate the average over that same period was above any annual number of disasters up until that point. 

Source and analysis of data:

Billion dollar disaster event frequency data are taken from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The number of disasters within each region were summed for every year of available data. Although the number is the count of unique disaster events within a region, the same disaster can impact multiple regions, meaning a sum across regions will overestimate the unique number of disasters.

Interpretation of time series:

The number of billion dollar disasters within the Northeast is extremely variable over time, fluctuating between zero and ten disasters a year.  The number of disasters over the past 5 years is substantially higher than historical levels of events, although there is no recent trend in the number of events.  

Interpretation of gauge:

The average number of billion dollar disasters in the Northeast over the last 5 years is higher than 90 percent of all annual disaster frequencies in that region.

Description of billion dollar disasters:

In the United States the number of weather and climate-related disasters exceeding 1 billion dollars has been increasing since 1980. These events have significant impacts to coastal economies and communities. The Billion Dollar Disaster indicator provides information on the frequency and the total estimated costs of major weather and climate events that occur in the United States. This indicator compiles the annual number of weather and climate-related disasters across seven event types. Events are included if they are estimated to cause more than one billion U.S. dollars in direct losses. The cost estimates of these events are adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are based on costs documented in several Federal and private-sector databases. We Present the total annual number of disaster events for all regions.

Extreme Gauge values

A value of zero on the gauge means that the average number of disasters over the last 5 years of data was below any annual level up until that point, while a value of 100 would indicate the average over that same period was above any annual number of disasters up until that point. 

Source and analysis of data:

Billion dollar disaster event frequency data are taken from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The number of disasters within each region were summed for every year of available data. Although the number is the count of unique disaster events within a region, the same disaster can impact multiple regions, meaning a sum across regions will overestimate the unique number of disasters.