2024 Will Go Down in the Record Books as One Hot and Stormy Year
WASHINGTON — Record-breaking ocean and air temperatures led to more extreme weather and wildfires in 2024, costing Americans more than $500 billion in total damage and economic losses, according to an end-of-year analysis by AccuWeather.
To put that number in a different perspective, the total cost of hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, flooding and extreme heat last year shaved nearly 2% off the nation’s gross domestic product, the commercial weather forecaster said.
“The impacts of extreme weather have taken a major financial and emotional toll on millions of Americans this year,” said Jonathan Porter, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist.
“Unfortunately, this is a trend that we expect to further escalate in the coming decades. More and more people, businesses and communities are feeling the direct impacts and harm from extreme weather and climate change,” Porter said.
The frequency of extreme weather events has been driven, in part, by rising air and ocean temperatures around the globe. This year is on track to be Earth’s hottest year on record, shattering a record that was just set in 2023.
According to Brett Anderson, a senior meteorologist and climatologist with the service, 2024 is also the first year that average global temperatures are expected to surpass the benchmark of 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
“Our world is getting warmer as we continue to burn fossil fuels around the globe,” Anderson said. “Temperatures will continue to rise if we continue emitting tons of greenhouse gases that are trapped in our atmosphere.
“Higher air temperatures and warmer oceans are providing additional energy and moisture for storms. Warmer air can also hold more moisture, leading to more extreme rainfall rates and destructive flash flooding, which we have seen this year,” he added.
On Thursday, Accuweather issued total damage and economic loss estimates for nine weather events that adversely impacted the United States this year.
The estimates incorporate not just insured losses, but uninsured losses, as well as business and tourism disruptions and long-term healthcare costs from major weather events.
They are:
Feb. 9 – Intense storms slamming into California cost between $9 billion and $11 billion dollars
April 17 – Exceptionally warm winter in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains cost businesses $8 billion in economic damage and losses.
May 17 – A windstorm in Houston, Texas,caused damages between $5 billion and $7 billion.
July 9 – Hurricane Beryl resulted in economic losses and damages estimated at $28-32 billion.
Aug. 9 – Hurricane Debby caused $28 billion in economic losses and damages.
Sept. 12 – Hurricane Francine led to $9 billion in economic losses and damages.
Sept. 18 – An unnamed storm with tropical storm impacts in North Carolina cost $7 billion.
Oct. 3 – Hurricane Helene led to economic and other damages totaling between $225 billion and $250 billion.
Oct. 10 – Hurricane Milton caused between $160 and $180 billion in economic and other damages.
“The financial ripple effects of hurricane impacts this year will be felt for a long time,” Porter said.
“AccuWeather estimates the total damage and economic loss from Beryl, Debby, Francine, Helene, Milton and the unnamed subtropical storm in the Carolinas will surpass half a trillion dollars.
“The cleanup and recovery process could take 10 years or longer in some of the hardest-hit communities,” he continued. “The long-term costs of health care and mental health impacts will last for decades.
“The extreme weather of 2024 should be a further wake-up call for businesses, government leaders, emergency officials and the insurance industry to prepare for a future with more weather disasters, extreme temperatures, and unprecedented impacts,” Porter said.
“We need to become more resilient to extreme and severe weather and ensure each family, business and government organization has the best plan in place to be better prepared and stay safer, given increasing severe weather impacts.”
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue
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