Climate Adaptation
Record Number of $1 Billion Disasters Hit the U.S. in 2020
- Climate change ‘fingerprints’ seen in disasters, NOAA says
- Hurricane Laura was costliest calamity of year at $19 billion
This article is for subscribers only.
California fires, Atlantic hurricanes and a Midwest windstorm were among a record number of $1 billion disasters that hit the U.S. last year, highlighting the intensifying threat of climate change, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The agency tracked 22 billion-dollar calamities in 2020, surpassing the old record of 16 set in 2017 and 2011. Losses reached $95 billion, making last year the fourth costliest since 1980, NOAA said in a report Friday.