A natural disaster can upend lives in an instant. This recent wildfires are a heartbreaking reminder of both the emotional and financial toll that Mother Nature can unleash.
Many natural disasters struck U.S. residents in 2024, with 27 separate weather events that each caused at least $1 billion in damage, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
Wildfires, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes all inflicted heavy losses.
Recently, The Zebra calculated the toll of the worst of these disasters from last year. Here are the natural disasters that did the most costly damage in 2024.
1. Hurricane Helene
Estimated cost: Up to $250 billion
Helene crashed into southwest Florida near Perry on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane. Peak winds of 140 mph caused catastrophic damage in the Big Bend region of the state.
Helene left a path of destruction more than 500 miles long across the Eastern U.S., causing massive flooding in parts of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
2. Hurricane Milton
Estimated cost: More than $50 billion
After building to a Category 5 in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on Oct. 9, just a couple of weeks after Helene.
Nearly 19 inches of rain fell near St. Petersburg, and cities such as Naples and Fort Myers saw storm surges of up to 6 feet. Milton also spawned 46 tornadoes, the most during one day in Florida in 70 years.
3. Hurricane Beryl
Estimated cost: Up to $3.5 billion
After reaching peak intensity as a Category 5 over the Caribbean, Hurricane Beryl came ashore near Matagorda, Texas, on July 8 as a Category 1 hurricane. Rainfall was heavy and caused flash flooding throughout the southeastern part of the state.
Parts of Houston recorded nearly 15 inches of rain from Beryl, which also triggered at least 65 tornadoes from Texas to New York.
Other billion-dollar storms of 2024
Three additional weather events that caused a great amount of damage in 2024 were:
- Tornado outbreak in the Central and Southern U.S.: A severe weather outbreak caused more than 165 twisters to tear across such states as Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee and Alabama from May 6-10, leaving an estimated $2.4 billion in damage.
- Hailstorm in Colorado: A May 30 hailstorm pounded the Denver metro area, including the cities of Broomfield, Aurora and Commerce City, with some hail reaching the size of baseballs. Damage was estimated at $2.3 billion.
- Hurricane Debby: This Category 1 storm struck near Steinhatchee, Florida, on Aug. 5. Debby weakened to a tropical storm after landfall but still caused an estimated $1.4 billion in damage from the Sunshine State across parts of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
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