Natural Disasters That Have Claimed Nearly 3,000 Lives

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted that the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season would be above normal this year due to warmer-than-average ocean temperatures and the likelihood of La Niña developing in the Pacific, which suppresses hurricane activity in the central and eastern Pacific basins and enhances it in the Atlantic basin. The season started strong with Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Atlantic hurricane to reach category 5, claiming the lives of 64 people. These are the natural disasters that have claimed nearly 3,000 lives.

Hurricane Beryl first made landfall on Grenada's Carriacou Island on the 1st of July as a category 4 hurricane. This is historic as hurricane season typically starts in September. Instead, Beryl flattened homes and businesses on that island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, and Venezuela in the first week of July.

Considering the United States' 10 most expensive storms from 1980 to today, five happened in the past decade. None of them topped Hurricane Katrina in 2005 with an estimated cost of $200 billion and 1,833 deaths. However, many have been close. In my comparisons, I am focusing on the monetary value of the damages and death tolls. The monetary damages of these 20 catastrophic storms come from NOAA.gov.

Tornados, hurricanes, Nor'easters, blizzards, and other weather-related events that have destroyed homes and businesses in the U.S. and its territories. These massive storms have flattened homes and buildings. They've led to tragic death tolls, and damaged forests, prairies, and more. (Learn more about cities that are more likely to experience natural disasters in The Most Disaster-Prone Cities in the U.S.)

Flooded streets in Houston Texas during Hurricane Harvey

• Estimated Damages: $158.8 billion
• Area/s Affected: Texas
• Number of Dead and/or Missing: 89

When it made landfall, Hurricane Ian was a category 4 hurricane. Barrier islands along Florida's coast were destroyed as rainfall dumped up to 20 inches across the state.

• Estimated Damages: $118.5 billion
• Areas Affected: Florida
• Number of Dead: 152

This category 4 hurricane sits at number three on the list of biggest storms in the U.S. Hurricane Maria destroyed much of Puerto Rico, and recovery continues to this day. Not only was Puerto Rico damaged by the hurricane, but two earthquakes in 2019 and 2020 added to the problems.

• Estimated Damages: $114.3 billion
• Areas Affected: Puerto Rico, St. Croix
• Number of Dead: 2,981

Ida caused billions in destruction. The category 4 hurricane made landfall in Louisiana and damaged or destroyed every home in Grand Isle.

• Estimated Damages: $84.6 billion
• Area/s Affected: Louisiana with flash flooding occurring in many states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York
• Number of Dead and/or Missing: 96

Irma was a category 5 hurricane when it made landfall in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It picked up speed again and was a category 4 hurricane when it devastated the Florida Keys, destroying a quarter of the island's homes and businesses. Irma also landed in second place as the longest run as a category 5 Atlantic hurricane. Hurricane Ivan (2004) holds that record.

• Estimated Damages: $63.5 billion
• Area/s Affected: U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, and South Carolina
• Number of Dead and/or Missing: 97

As another category 5 hurricane, Michael created a storm surge topping 15 feet and caused tremendous damage to Tyndall Air Force Base.

• Estimated Damages: $31 billion
• Area/s Affected: Florida
• Number of Dead and/or Missing: 49

More than 18,500 homes and businesses were destroyed when The Camp Fire started in 2018. This firestorm also includes the Mendicino Complex Fire that destroyed more than 450,000 acres and two others, leading to more than 8.7 million acres burning. Each fire was caused by unintentional acts of people, dry weather, winds, and drought conditions. Very dry grass only helped spread the fire faster.

• Estimated Damages: $30 billion
• Area/s Affected: California
• Number of Dead and/or Missing: 106

Frustratingly, it was the speed at which Florence moved that became the biggest issue. Winds weren't as big a problem. The hurricane was only a category 1, but the slow movement led to rainfall of upwards of 36 inches in some areas.

• Estimated Damages: $29.8 billion
• Area/s Affected: North Carolina and South Carolina
• Number of Dead and/or Missing: 53

Winds topping 150 miles per hour wreaked havoc in Louisiana when Hurricane Laura hit. Storm surges topped 15 feet and destroyed areas of the electrical grid and water treatment plants. It was the strongest hurricane to hit since 1856.

• Estimated Damages: $28.1 billion
• Area/s Affected: Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas
• Number of Dead and/or Missing: 42

Uri moved from the northwest to the other side of the nation over nine days. Many states were impacted with upwards of 10 million people without power. It's the most expensive winter storm in history, topping 1993's Storm of the Century.

• Estimated Damages: $27 billion
• Area/s Affected: Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi
• Number of Dead: 262

Year-long heatwaves and lack of rainfall across the western and central regions of the U.S. caused a severe drought in many states. Lake Mead and the Great Salt Lake reached or neared their lowest levels.

• Estimated Damages: $23.5 billion
• Area/s Affected: Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas
• Number of Dead: 136

Extended drought conditions from lack of rainfall and dry weather caused major wildfires in California and Montana. More than 9.8 million acres burned, and Montana alone saw more than 1 million acres destroyed.

• Estimated Damages: $23 billion
• Area/s Affected: California and Montana
• Number of Dead: 54

Lightning was a primary cause of wildfires that burned more than 4.1 million acres on the West Coast.

• Estimated Damages: $19.9 billion
• Area/s Affected: California, Oregon, and Washington
• Number of Dead and/or Missing: 46

Drought conditions spurred on by a long-running heatwave impacted farmers throughout the south and midwestern U.S. Grass and other crops didn't grow thanks to the lack of rainfall, which made it hard to feed cattle and other farm animals. As a result, some ranchers sold off livestock long before planned.

• Estimated Damages: $14.8 billion
• Area/s Affected: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Illinois, and Louisiana
• Number of Dead: 247

Record-breaking rains led to flooding that damaged levees, dams, roads, bridges, and fields. Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base was damaged by flooding, too. It would become the most expensive flooding in U.S. history.

• Estimated Damages: $13.4 billion
• Area/s Affected: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan
• Number of Dead and/or Missing: 3

The National Weather Service defines a derecho as a "widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms." In 2020, the Central Derecho caused widespread destruction from South Dakota to Ohio in 14 hours.

• Estimated Damages: $13.3 billion
• Area/s Affected: South Dakota, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Ohio
• Number of Dead: 4

A two-day storm dumped over 31 inches of rain in Watson, Louisiana. Over 70,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Plus, more than 30,000 people had to be rescued from rising flood waters.

• Estimated Damages: $13.2 billion
• Area/s Affected: Louisiana
• Number of Dead: 13

When Hurricane Matthew made landfall, it was a category 1 hurricane. Winds, storm surges, and flooding damaged more than 100,000 homes and businesses.

• Estimated Damages: $13 billion
• Area/s Affected: North Carolina
• Number of Dead: 49

Prolonged periods of heat and lack of rain triggered wildfires in many western states in the summer, fall, and winter of 2021. One of the largest of this string of wildfires was the Dixie Fire in California, which burned 960,000 acres.

• Estimated Damages: $12 billion
• Area/s Affected: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Arizona
• Number of Dead: 8

Much of the U.S. is experiencing a heat dome in 2024. It's not the first time this oppressive heat has been trapped for an extended period. A heat dome impacted people in Oregon, Washington, and Canada. Portland, Oregon, saw temperatures of up to 116ºF. Lake Oroville in California had to shut down a hydroelectric plant due to low water levels from the heat and lack of rainfall.

• Estimated Damages: $10.1 billion
• Area/s Affected: California, Oregon, and Washington
• Number of Dead: 229