Record Number Of Billion Dollar Weather Disasters Was Another Reason To Hate 2020

The nation experienced 22 weather-related disasters
during 2020 that each caused at least $1 billion in 
damage. Another reason to hate the year 2020.

The United States last year faced a total of 22 weather disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage.  

It was the most such disasters for any year on record.  It's just one more reason why the year 2020 really, really sucked. 

According to CNN:

"The cumulative cost of these disasters in 2020 is $95 billion, the fourth-highest total annual cost since 1980, behind 2017, 2005 and 2012 (all inflation adjusted to 2020 dollars)."

CNN continues: 

"This is the sixth year in a row that the US has experienced 10 or more separate billion dollar disasters,' NOAA climatologist Adam Smith told CNN Weather. Ten disasters has become the more recent standard of what to expect in a year, he added."

Hurricanes tend to be the most expensive weather disasters. Seven of the billion dollar disasters in 2020 were caused by hurricanes. If there's a silver lining, it's that this year's hurricanes didn't strike heavily populated places like Houston, Miami, and New York while they were at full strength. 

Those three other super expensive years involved hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria; in 2017; Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005; Sandy in 2012).

The most expensive disasters in 2020 were Hurricane Laura, with $19 billion in damage; western U.S. wildfires, at $16.5 billion, and the August 10 derecho in Iowa and surrounding states, $11 billion.  

People might be quick to blame climate change for the increasing costs of these disasters.  They're partly right, but there's a lot more going on than just a warmer world. 

Development continues to boom in places that are vulnerable: Ocean front property that can be wrecked by hurricanes, houses in the woods in wildfire zones, that kind of thing. 

Here in Vermont, we had the usual share of locally damaging storms but we were not part of any of the 22 $1 billion disasters that hit the nation in 2020.

The last time any part of Vermont had a weather related disaster declaration was from the Halloween storm of 2019, which caused widespread, destructive flooding and wind damage across northern and central Vermont. 

The Green Mountain State has proven prone to disasters, especially in the past decade or two.  Parts of Vermont have been declared weather-related disaster areas 18 times since 2010.  Most of those disasters primarily consisted of flooding. 

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