Billion-dollar disasters in 2022

The U.S. has seen a steady increase in the frequency and cost of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters since 1980. In 2022, by September 30, the country had already experienced 15 such events totaling $29.3 billion in losses, exceeding the historical annual average of seven. The time between these disasters has shrunk from 82 days in the 1980s to an average of 18 days between 2017 and 2021, reducing the time available for recovery and preparation. While hurricanes are the most costly event type, the overall trend of increasing extremes is linked to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, with projections suggesting further intensity without rapid emissions cuts.

• As of September 30, 2022, the United States experienced 15 weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion each, totaling $29.3 billion. This is significantly higher than the long-term annual average of approximately seven billion-dollar disasters per year from 1980 to 2021.
• The frequency of billion-dollar disasters has increased sharply over time. The average interval between such events dropped from 82 days in the 1980s to 26 days in the 2010s, and further to 18 days on average between 2017 and 2021.
• Hurricanes and tropical cyclones are the most expensive disaster types, with an average cost of $21 billion per event, which is more than twice the average cost of droughts, the next most expensive type.
• Between 2017 and 2021, 89 billion-dollar events caused an estimated 4,557 deaths and over $788 billion in damages, representing approximately 35% of the total costs of all such disasters from 1980 to 2021 ($2.27 trillion).
• The economic statistics do not capture the full human toll, such as mental health impacts—where up to 54% of adults and 45% of children suffer depression post-disaster—or the disproportionate effects on people in poverty.

APA

Smith, A. (2022). Billion-dollar disasters in 2022. Climate Central. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/billion-dollar-disasters-in-2022

Chicago

Smith, Adam. Billion-dollar disasters in 2022. Climate Central, 2022. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/billion-dollar-disasters-in-2022.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Smith |first1=Adam |title=Billion-dollar disasters in 2022 |publisher=Climate Central |date=11 October 2022 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/billion-dollar-disasters-in-2022 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{smith2022billiondollar, author = {Smith, Adam}, title = {{Billion-dollar disasters in 2022}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/billion-dollar-disasters-in-2022}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }