Climate Changed
Weather Disasters Cost the U.S. a Record $306 Billion in 2017
- Hurricanes, floods, fires struck from coast to coast
- There were 16 extreme events that cost over $1 billion
The aftermath of the Skirball Fire in Los Angeles, California, on Dec. 6, 2017.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Extreme weather took an extreme toll on the U.S. last year.
Losses from weather and climate disasters including hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and wildfires in northern California reached a record $306 billion in 2017, the federal government’s National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, North Carolina, said in a report Monday. That topped the $215 billion in losses from events including hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Rita in 2005.