A government report showed that storms, floods, and fires caused the deaths of 688 people across the United States last year, resulting in losses exceeding $145 billion, marking the third-highest loss in U.S. history since data tracking began in 1980. Twenty disasters surpassed a billion dollars in losses each, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. These included a tornado outbreak last month across the Midwest, western wildfires and heatwaves, and four strikes from hurricanes and tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Last year was also the fourth hottest year on record for the U.S., which experienced 21 storms forming in the North Atlantic, making it the third most active season, according to Bloomberg, as reported by Al Arabiya. The agency noted in the report: "The costs of disasters over the past five years have exceeded a record $742 billion, reflecting the increased exposure of the United States to severe weather phenomena and climatic changes."
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, since 1980, when data tracking began, the U.S. has endured 310 environmental disasters due to weather and climate changes, resulting in total costs nearing $2.16 trillion. The average temperature across the U.S. last year was 13 degrees Celsius, or 2.5 degrees above the 20th-century average, marking more than 127 years, according to estimates from the U.S. agency.
