Jan Wesner Childs
Another billion-dollar disaster has been added to the record-breaking list for 2023.
A monthly update issued Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cited heat and drought in parts of the South and Midwest as the latest U.S. weather or climate disaster to have damage estimated at more than $1 billion.
That brings the total number of billion-dollar disasters to 24 so far this year, topping the previous record total of 22 set in 2020. The total damage costs from all of 2023's disasters combined is estimated to be at least $67.1 billion. That doesn't include Hurricane Idalia because costs from that storm are still being tallied.
(MORE: Earth On Track For Warmest Year In 2023 Following A Record Hot September)
The NOAA report also included several notables related to climate and temperature. Texas and New Mexico both had their hottest Septembers in records dating back to 1895, and several other states saw a top-10 hottest September on record.
Overall, the continental U.S. as a whole saw its seventh-warmest September on record, with an average temperature of 67.8 degrees. That's about 3 degrees above the 20th-century average, NOAA says.
The heat and drought disaster in nine southern and Midwestern states this year is estimated to have totaled at least $4.5 billion in damage, hitting agriculture and livestock the hardest. NOAA attributes 138 deaths to this event from April 1 to through September in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Texas.
(MORE: Handful Of Lahaina-Area Hotels Reopen, Two Months After Deadly Wildfire)
In addition to the drought/heat event, the list for this year includes a total of 18 severe storm events, two floods, one winter storm, one hurricane and one wildfire. You can see the full list in our previous roundup.
NOAA also notes that two other events are under review and could be added to the list: Tropical Storm Hilary, which hit California in August and brought record rainfall across parts of the Southwest, and Texas hailstorms that happened in September.
In all, the U.S. has sustained 372 weather and climate disasters with damage over $1 billion since NOAA began tracking them in 1980. The total cost of all those combined is over $2.63 trillion.
Scientists say climate change is boosting the death toll and damage from extreme weather events. For example, hurricanes are packing more rain because warmer temperatures push more water into the atmosphere, and heat waves are becoming more frequent and more intense.
Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
No comments:
Post a Comment