US saw historic number of billion-dollar disasters in 2023: NOAA

28 weather disasters cost the U.S. at least $1 billion each in 2023
$92.9 billion was total cost, which could rise when other storms counted
Last year was also nation's fifth-warmest, according to NOAA data

Updated: Jan 12, 2024 / 04:31 PM CST

Charred trees and burned cars are pictured on Malo Street, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii, following Maui’s deadly wildfire. On Friday, Sept. 6, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming thousands of children are missing following the deadly wildfires in Maui. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin, File)

(NewsNation) — A total of 28 billion-dollar disasters struck the United States in 2023, a number the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls “unprecedented” and even “historic” in a new report.

In 2023, there were 17 severe weather/hail events, four flooding events, two tropical cyclones, two tornado outbreaks, one winter storm/cold wave event and one wildfire costing a billion or more, according to the NOAA.

The NOAA writes that the total cost of the 28 disasters was $92.9 billion, though that number could increase by several billion when the costs of the Dec. 16-18 East Coast storm and flooding event are fully accounted for.

Along with the monetary damages, many places are still recovering from the loss of life and property they suffered during the disasters. Nearly 100 people died, and thousands of homes were destroyed, in the devastating wildfires that started Aug. 8 in Hawaii, for example, and recovery efforts are still ongoing.

A drought and heat wave covering the South and Midwest was the costliest weather event this year, with the NOAA estimating the damage to be about $14.5 billion.

Since 1980, the United States has seen 376 separate weather and climate disasters where damage costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The NOAA said the total cost for all these incidents is more than $2.660 trillion.

The year 2023 was “above average” for tornadoes. Currently, there are 1,197 tornadoes reported and an additional 97 from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 still undergoing verification.

The contiguous United States’ average annual temperature was 54.4 degrees Fahrenheit, making 2023 the country’s fifth-warmest year in 129 years.

It was also the warmest December on record — 39.97 degrees Fahrenheit, which the NOAA says is 7.29 degrees above normal.

For five states — Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Texas — last year was their warmest year, the NOAA found.

“For millions of Americans impacted by a seemingly endless onslaught of weather and climate disasters, 2023 has hit a new record for many extremes,” NOAA Chief Scientist Sarah Kapnick said in a statement. “Record warm U.S. temperatures in December, a record-setting number of U.S. billion-dollar disasters in 2023 and potentially the warmest year on record for the planet are just the latest examples of the extremes we now face that will continue to worsen due to climate change.”