America’s most expensive natural disasters in recent decades

America’s most expensive natural disasters in recent decades

Over the last several decades, various types of natural disasters have wreaked havoc around the U.S., but which cataclysms have cost the most?

The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lists hundreds of costly disasters that occurred from 1980 through 2024.

“The U.S. has sustained 403 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment to 2024). The total cost of these 403 events exceeds $2.915 trillion,” the NCEI notes.

Hurricanes occupy nine of the top 10 spots on the “Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters” list. 

Cost estimates provided by NCEI are not precise – there are various figures reported for the disasters on the list, including the CPI-adjusted estimated cost, as well as lower and upper bounds at 75%, 90%, and 95% confidence intervals. 

1. Hurricane Katrina, $201.3 billion

Topping the list with an estimated CPI-adjusted cost of $201.3 billion is Hurricane Katrina, which slammed the U.S. in 2005. The lower bound for the cost at the 95% confidence interval is $151.3 billion while the upper bound is $242.8 billion.

“Category 3 hurricane initially impacts the U.S. as a Category 1 near Miami, FL, then as a strong Category 3 along the eastern LA-western MS coastlines, resulting in severe storm surge damage (maximum surge probably exceeded 30 feet) along the LA-MS-AL coasts, wind damage, and the failure of parts of the levee system in New Orleans,” a summary notes. “Inland effects included high winds and some flooding in the states of AL, MS, FL, TN, KY, IN, OH, and GA.”

2. Hurricane Harvey, $160 billion

Hurricane Harvey, which hit the U.S. in 2017, is the second most costly disaster on the NCEI list, at an estimated CPI-adjusted $160 billion. The lower bound at the 95% confidence interval is $108.8 billion while the upper bound is $211.2 billion.

“Category 4 hurricane made landfall near Rockport, Texas, causing widespread damage. Harvey’s devastation was most pronounced due to the large region of extreme rainfall producing historic flooding across Houston and surrounding areas,” part of the summary states.

3. Hurricane Ian, $119.6 billion

The third-costliest disaster on the NCEI list is 2022 Hurricane Ian at $119.6 billion, adjusted for CPI. The lower bound at the 95% confidence interval is $83 billion while the upper bound is $155 billion.

“Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida, as a Category 4 Hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph,” and “slowly crossed Florida” before it “re-emerged over the Atlantic as a tropical storm, re-intensified into a Category 1 hurricane on September 30, and made landfall near Georgetown, SC, with sustained winds of 85 mph causing more coastal flood damage and destroying several large piers near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,” the description notes.

The Rest of the Top 10

Ian is followed on the list by Hurricanes Maria (2017 – $115.2 billion), Sandy (2012 – $88.5 billion), Ida (2021 – $84.6 billion), Helene (2024 –  $78.7 billion), Irma (2017 – $64 billion) and Andrew (1992 – $60.5 billion).

A “U.S. Drought/Heat Wave” in 1988 is listed as the 10th-costliest disaster on the list, with an estimated CPI-adjusted cost of $54.6 billion.

“1988 drought across a large portion of the U.S. with very severe losses to agriculture and related industries. Combined direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess mortality) due to heat stress estimated at 5,000,” the summary notes.

What about wildfires?

While many Americans have been paying attention to the horrific fires devouring parts of California since last week, wildfires do not make it into the top 10 of the NCEI’s list.

In that category, NCEI indicates fires in 2018 were the costliest, listing “Western Wildfires, California Firestorm,” at an estimated $30 billion, CPI-adjusted. 

The Camp fire in 2018 tops the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (CAL FIRE) lists for “Top 20 Deadliest California Wildfires” and “Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires.” The fire resulted in 85 deaths and destroyed 18,804 structures, CAL FIRE indicates.

The January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires have already landed at spots three and four on the list of most destructive state wildfires, with 5,316 structures destroyed in the Palisades Fire and more than 5,000 destroyed in the Eaton Fire, though the figures are not final.

AccuWeather’s preliminary estimate for the damage and economic loss associated with the fires ravaging parts of California is $135 billion to $150 billion. 

AccuWeather estimates $13 billion to $16 billion for the 2023 Maui wildfires and $225 billion to $250 billion for 2024 Hurricane Helene. The NCEI lists the 2023 Maui fire as “Hawaii Firestorm” and indicates an estimated CPI-adjusted cost of $5.7 billion.