As the planet warms, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, resulting in devastating losses in the U.S. and across the globe. From 1980 through 2024, the U.S. suffered 403 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters that claimed nearly 17,000 lives and resulted in more than $2.9 trillion in direct costs. The frequency and cost of billion-dollar disasters have increased dramatically since 1980. The average length of time between disasters fell from 82 days during the 1980s to 19 days during the last 10 years. This strains the resources available to respond and recover. The U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database — NOAA’s systematic record of the most costly disasters in the U.S. since 1980 — ceased operations in May 2025. The 45 years of archived data tell a clear story about the rise in climate-related disasters. Ending this database limits access to information on the resulting human and economic toll.

This Climate Matters analysis is based on open-access data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). See Methodology for details.