Climate Changed
Climate Disasters Cost U.S. $46 Billion Last Year
- Across 48 states, 2016 was second-warmest year on record
- Nation has ‘left our climate of the past,’ agency chief says
A woman surveys the flood damage to her home on Aug. 17, 2016 in Sorrento, Louisiana.
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Climate-based disasters caused $46 billion in damage and killed at least 138 in the 48 contiguous U.S. states last year, with inland flooding emerging as the costliest weather event for the first time since 1997.
The number of billion-dollar occurrences was the second-highest since 1980, with one less than the 16 in 2011, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. It was also the second warmest year behind 2012 over 122 years, and the 20th consecutive warmer-than-normal year.