Before Hurricane Harvey hit Texas last week, there had been nine weather and climate disasters costing $1bn or more in the US since the start of 2017. Such events cost an estimated $16.4bn in total and caused 57 deaths.
As defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), these events were: a Minnesota hailstorm and regional severe weather; a Colorado hailstorm; flooding in Missouri and Arkansas; severe storms from north Texas to Alabama; a south-eastern freeze affecting abnormally early fruit crops; tornado outbreaks in midwestern, central, south-eastern and south-western states; California flooding; and severe storms in the south and west.
Here are similar events and costs, as defined by Noaa, over the preceding decade.
2016: 15 disasters, $48.6bn cost, 138 deaths
West-south-east wildfires; California and regional drought; Florida to North Carolina hit by Hurricane Matthew; Louisiana flooding; severe storms across Rockies and north-east; storm system floods West Virginia, creates twisters; four tornado outbreaks across the Rockies, plains and south-east; Houston flooding; three Texas hailstorms; flood on the Texas-Louisiana border.
2015: 10 disasters, $23.2bn, 155 deaths
Western region drought; Texas tornadoes and midwest flooding; western and Alaskan record wildfires; South Carolina-east coast flooding; three bouts of severe storms; southern plains tornadoes; Texas, Oklahoma flooding; central-eastern record winter cold wave.
2014: 8 disasters, $18.5bn, 53 deaths
Western drought; four bouts of Rockies/plains severe weather; Michigan flooding; midwest-north and east tornado outbreak; midwest and north-east winter storm.
2013: 9 disasters, $24.1bn, 113 deaths
Western/plains drought, heatwave; three outbreaks of tornadoes – Ohio Valley, plains and east; Colorado flooding; Illinois flooding; three bouts of severe weather: midwest, plains and south-east.
2012: 11 disasters, $125.4bn, 377 deaths
US drought; western wildfires; Hurricane Sandy; Hurricane Isaac; four bouts of severe weather across the Rockies, plains, midwest, east, north-east and south; tornadoes in the midwest, Texas and south-east.
2011: 16 disasters, $75.3bn, 767 deaths
Texas, New Mexico and Arizona wildfires; tropical storm Lee; southern drought; Hurricane Irene; three bouts of severe weather – midwest, south-east, Rockies; Missouri and Mississippi rivers flooding; eight tornado outbreaks; upper midwest blizzard.
2010: 5 disasters, $13.9bn, 46 deaths
Arizona severe weather; midwest, north-east, south, south-east storms and flooding; Texas and plains tornadoes.
2009: 7 disasters, $13.6bn, 26 deaths
South-west/plains drought; western wildfire; Colorado hailstorm; midwest and south-east severe weather; tornadoes.
2008: 11 disasters, $73.7bn, 303 deaths
US drought; US wildfires; hurricanes Ike, Gustav and Dolly; midwest flooding; midwest and mid-Atlantic severe weather; midwest, south and south-east tornadoes and severe weather.
2007: 5 disasters, $14.8bn, 37 deaths
Western and eastern drought and heatwave; western wildfires; east/south severe weather and flooding; spring freeze; California January freeze.
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Source: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information report
