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Earlier this month we examined the astonishing number of billion-dollar weather disasters so far in 2011.
With the heart of the hurricane season quickly approaching, we are now taking a look back in history at the many tropical systems which have caused damage of a billion dollars or more in the mainland United States.
This information comes from reports by the National Hurricane Center, which cite damage costs for hurricanes and tropical storms at the time they occurred (not adjusted for inflation). Altogether, there have been a total of 27 billion-dollar hurricanes and tropical storms combined since 1900. The image at the top right shows the full list by year (click to enlarge).
It may come as no surprise that eight of the top ten most costly hurricanes have occurred since 2004, especially after the many landfalling hurricanes during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Those two disastrous years alone account for seven of the top ten most costly hurricanes in history.
Out of the full list of 27, there have been seven hurricanes which have surpassed the 10 billion-dollar mark. Six of these seven have occurred since 2004!
Next, we will break down the hurricanes in the 10 to 20 billion-dollar range, 20 to 30 billion-dollar range and reveal the most costly hurricane in history.
Also, we will provide proof that you do not need a powerful hurricane to have a hefty damage price tag for one specific reason. 10 to 20 Billion-Dollar Hurricanes  | | Hurricane damage costs: $10 to $20 billion | |
Without the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, this list would be empty.
Two of these hurricanes, Ivan and Charley, inflicted heavy damage on Florida within a span of just over a month. Combined, their total damage amounts to nearly 30 billion dollars. This is in addition to two other top ten costliest hurricanes that year, Frances ($8.9 billion) and Jeanne ($6.9 billion).
Ivan also produced a significant amount of wind and surge damage along the Alabama coast and went on to produce wind and flood damage well inland from Georgia all the way to Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Another legacy of Ivan was the large amount of tornadoes it spawned. The final total of 127 is a record for the most tornadoes produced by any tropical cyclone in history.
Charley's legacy is its rapid intensification to category four strength just before striking the southwest coast of Florida. Wind damage was catastrophic in Charlotte County, Fla. Major wind damage occurred well inland across central Florida along with some damage in in the Carolinas. The total cost was $15 billion, putting Charley among the top five most expensive hurricanes in history.
Third on the list above is Hurricane Rita, the seventh most costly hurricane in history with $11.3 billion in damage. Rita slammed into the Texas and Louisiana border as a category three hurricane. Significant wind damage, storm surge and inland flooding occurred in portions of the following states: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas.
Prior to Rita, two other billion-dollar hurricanes (Dennis and Katrina) had already made landfall along the Gulf Coast in 2005.
20 to 30 Billion-Dollar Hurricanes
 | | Hurricane damage costs: $20 to $30 billion
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The top two hurricanes in the 20 to 30 billion-dollar category are among the top three most costly on record, however they were very far apart when it comes to category.
Andrew made landfall in South Florida as a category five, while Ike hit the Upper Texas Coast as a category two.
How was Ike so costly even though it wasn't a major hurricane at landfall? The answer is its size. Ike was a very large hurricane that generated a huge storm surge along portions of the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Homes were completely wiped off their foundations on the Bolivar Peninsula. Wind and flood damage occurred north and eastward along the path of Ike and its remnants in Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Experts: Size matters when it comes to surge | A category two brings untold misery
Andrew, on the other hand, was a much smaller hurricane but with extreme winds estimated to be category five strength at landfall along the southeast Florida coast.
The intense winds caused catastrophic damage in South Florida, destroying or damaging approximately 125,000 homes.
Just below Andrew and Ike on the list above is Hurricane Wilma from 2005. Wilma was the fifth in a line of hurricanes that made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, but that doesn't mean its damage lagged behind the rest. In fact, Wilma ranks as the second most costly hurricane in 2005 and the fourth most expensive in history after damaging winds and flooding hit southern portions of Florida in late October. Wilma also marked its spot in the meteorological history books by having the lowest pressure (882 millibars) ever recorded in a hurricane when it was a category five in the northwest Caribbean.
The most expensive hurricane in history resulted in damage costs far and above any hurricane we've examined so far. [ weather ] |
