Over the past few decades, many different types of natural disasters have wreaked havoc across the United States, but which disasters caused the most damage?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) has compiled a list of hundreds of devastating disasters from 1980 to 2024.
“Since 1980, the United States has experienced 403 weather and climate disasters with total damages and costs of more than $1 billion (including CPI adjustments through 2024). 2.915 trillion,” the NCEI points out.
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Hurricane Katrina tops the list with a staggering $200 billion price tag. (Tom Stoddart/Getty Images)
Hurricanes occupy nine of the top 10 spots on the list of “billion dollar weather and climate disasters.”
The cost estimates provided by NCEI are not accurate. The list reports various numbers for disasters, including CPI-adjusted estimated costs and lower and upper bounds of 75%, 90%, and 95% confidence intervals.
1. Hurricane Katrina, $201.3 billion
This satellite image from NOAA shows Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico on August 28, 2005. (NOAA via Getty Images)
Hurricane Katrina, which struck the United States in 2005, topped the list with an estimated CPI-adjusted cost of $201.3 billion. The lower bound of the cost within the 95% confidence interval is $151.3 billion and the upper bound is $242.8 billion.
“A Category 3 hurricane initially impacts the United States as a Category 1 near Miami, Florida, then as a strong Category 3 along the coastline from east Los Angeles to west Mississippi; “Severe storm surge damage (maximum storm surge likely exceeded 30 feet) resulted in damage to the MS-AL coastline in New Orleans, wind damage, and damage to portions of the levee system,” the summary states. “Inland impacts include strong winds and some flooding in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia.”
2. Hurricane Harvey, $160 billion
Hurricane Harvey, which hit the United States in 2017, was the second costliest disaster on the NCEI list, with a CPI-adjusted estimated cost of $160 billion. The lower bound of the 95% confidence interval is $108.8 billion and the upper bound is $211.2 billion.
“A Category 4 hurricane made landfall near Lockport, Texas, causing widespread damage. Harvey's damage caused extensive damage from extreme rainfall and historic flooding in Houston and surrounding areas. ”, the summary reads in part.
3. Hurricane Ian, $119.6 billion
The third costliest disaster on the NCEI list is Hurricane Ian in 2022, with a CPI-adjusted cost of $119.6 billion. The lower bound of the 95% confidence interval is $83 billion and the upper bound is $155 billion.
“Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour,” and “reemerged over the Atlantic Ocean as a tropical storm before re-intensifying to a Category 1. I slowly crossed Florida.” On September 30, a hurricane made landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina, with sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, causing additional coastal flooding and destroying several buildings near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “A large pier,” the description says.
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Destroyed homes and debris are seen on Matlacha Island in Lee County, Florida, on November 7, 2022, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. (Giorgio Vieira I/AFP via Getty Images)
remaining top 10
Ian was followed by Hurricane Maria (2017 – $115.2 billion), Sandy (2012 – $88.5 billion), Ida (2021 – $84.6 billion), Helen (2024 – $78.7 billion), Irma (2017 – $64 billion), Andrew (1992 – $60.5 billion).
The 1988 “U.S. Drought/Heat Wave” is listed as the 10th costliest disaster on the list, with an estimated CPI-adjusted cost of $54.6 billion.
“The 1988 drought occurred across much of the United States and caused very severe losses to agriculture and related industries. Direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess deaths) due to heat stress totaled 5,000 people. estimated,” the summary says.
What about wildfires?
Since last week, many Americans have been focused on the horrific fires that have burned parts of California, but wildfires are not even in the top 10 on NCEI's list.
In this category, the NCEI lists the 2018 fires as costliest, citing the Western Wildfires and California Firestorms, with an estimated CPI-adjusted $30 billion.
The 2018 Camp Fire topped the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's (CAL FIRE) list of “Top 20 Costliest California Wildfires” and “Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires.” The fire killed 85 people and destroyed 18,804 buildings, according to Cal Fire.
The January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires already rank third and fourth on the list of most destructive state wildfires, with the Palisades fire destroying 5,316 structures and the Eaton fire destroying 5,316 structures. More than 5,000 buildings were destroyed, but the numbers are not final.
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accuweather's Preliminary estimates of damage and economic losses from the fires that hit parts of California are $135 billion to $150 billion.
AccuWeather estimates that the Maui wildfires in 2023 will cost $13 billion to $16 billion, and Hurricane Helen in 2024 will cost $225 billion to $250 billion. The NCEI lists the 2023 Maui fires as the “Hawaii Firestorm,” with an estimated CPI-adjusted cost of $5.7 billion.
