PlainHazard

The costliest storm records since 1993

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1993 to 2026-06-30, damage in 2025 dollars

The single costliest record in NOAA's Storm Events Database is storm surge/tide damage on August 29, 2005 in Louisiana: $27 billion in 2025 dollars. By hazard, hurricane and tropical storm records carry the largest recorded damage ($291.2B), then floods and flash floods ($221.2B).

By  · Updated  · How this was measured

The 25 costliest records

Records with the most damage, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2005-08-29 Storm Surge/TideOrleans Parish and St. Bernard Parish, LA · forecast zone Orleans Storm surge damage in southeast Louisiana, especially in the New Orleans area and the coastal parishes, was catastrophic. Hurricane protection levees and floodwalls were overtopped and/or breached resulting in widespread and deep flooding of homes and businesses. Much of Orleans and Plaquemines Parishes and nearly all ... 0 0 $27.0B
2018-11-08 WildfireButte County and 2 more, CA · forecast zone Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley The Camp Fire began on the morning of November 8, 2018, by Camp Creek Road, near Pulga in Butte County. The fire was not fully contained until November 25. This fire was the most destructive wildfire in California history, destroying much of the city of Paradise, the community of Concow, and damaging the towns of ... 86 12 $20.0B
2005-10-24 Hurricane (Typhoon)Palm Beach County, FL · forecast zone Coastal Palm Beach Wilma was a classic October hurricane which struck South Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on October 24th, 2005. Wilma developed from a tropical depression near Jamaica, a typical source region for October tropical cyclones, on the afternoon of October 15, 2005. It became the 21st named storm of the season during the ... 1 0 $15.1B
2017-08-26 Flash FloodJoyce, Harris County, TX There were numerous water rescues within Houston and the surrounding suburbs. Flood waters completely inundated thousands of homes and businesses. Roads and highways in and around Houston were flooded and therefore closed for long time periods. Catastrophic flooding occurred on nearly every one of the 22 watersheds in ... 38 0 $12.0B
2017-08-26 Flash FloodSan Leon, Galveston County, TX There were numerous water rescues across western and central Galveston County. Flood waters completely inundated hundreds to thousands of homes and businesses in League City, Dickinson and Santa Fe. Approximately 7,000 homes and 125 businesses were impacted by flood waters across the county. Clear Creek measured ... 6 0 $12.0B
2012-10-29 Coastal FloodOcean County, NJ · forecast zone Eastern Ocean Post Tropical Storm Sandy was the costliest natural disaster by far in the state of New Jersey. Record breaking high tides and wave action combined with sustained winds as high as 60 to 70 mph with wind gusts as high as around 90 mph to batter the state. Statewide, Sandy caused an estimated 29.4 billion dollars in ... 0 0 $9.6B
2017-08-26 Flash FloodKendleton, Fort Bend County, TX There were numerous road closures around the Rosenberg and Richmond areas. Some of these roads included Highway 90 at Highway 36 and Lane Drive, Lane Drive at Mustang Road and I-69 at FM 762 and Reading Road. Major record level flooding of both the Brazos and San Bernard Rivers caused significant home flooding from ... 3 0 $9.6B
2005-08-29 Storm Surge/TideHarrison County, MS · forecast zone Harrison Storm surge damage across coastal Mississippi was catastrophic and approached or exceeded the surge associated with Hurricane Camille and impacted a much more extensive area. Almost total destruction was observed along the immediate coast in Hancock and Harrison Counties with storm surge damage extending north along ... 0 0 $8.5B
2017-08-27 Flash FloodBoy, Montgomery County, TX Tropical Storm Harvey brought heavy rains and catastrophic flooding to portions of Montgomery County. There were 5 storm related fatalities, 3 direct. Major record flooding occurred along the San Jacinto River and tributaries. Water was reported over sections of I-45 northbound where TXDOT reported flooding at the FM ... 4 0 $8.4B
2001-06-05 Tropical StormHarris County, TX · forecast zone Harris Tropical Storm Allison formed in the northwest Gulf of Mexico during the early afternoon of June 5th, 80 miles south of Galveston. Allison moved northward, making landfall on the west end of Galveston Island between midnight and 1am on the 6th, less than 12 hours after forming. As Allison moved inland it caused two to ... 22 0 $8.4B
2022-09-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Lee County, FL · forecast zone Coastal Lee The highest wind reported in Lee County from Hurricane Ian was a gust to 140 mph at a weatherSTEM station at the Cape Coral yacht club at 4:20 PM EST on September 28. Catastrophic damage was caused by the storm surge that most severely affected coastal areas. Surveys indicate a maximum storm surge near 15 feet near ... 60 0 $7.1B
2018-10-10 Hurricane (Typhoon)Bay County, FL · forecast zone Coastal Bay Hurricane Michael started as typical weak October Caribbean tropical system. However, after approximately a week of slow development, the system moved into warm Gulf of Mexico waters and rapidly intensified into a major hurricane as it moved north towards the Florida Panhandle. After a 2-day long intensification ... 21 0 $7.1B
2020-08-26 Hurricane (Typhoon)Calcasieu Parish, LA · forecast zone Calcasieu There was a mandatory evacuation for the parish. Numerous trees, power lines, transmission lines, and poles were blown down across the parish. All of the parish was without power immediately after the storm. Homes and businesses were damage from trees falling on them, or from the winds. Low-lying areas near downtown ... 13 0 $6.8B
2012-10-28 Coastal FloodMonmouth County, NJ · forecast zone Eastern Monmouth Post Tropical Storm Sandy was the costliest natural disaster by far in the state of New Jersey. Record breaking high tides and wave action combined with sustained winds as high as 60 to 70 mph with wind gusts as high as around 90 mph to batter the state. Statewide, Sandy caused an estimated 29.4 billion dollars in ... 1 0 $6.4B
2004-09-13 Hurricane (Typhoon)Escambia County, FL · forecast zone Coastal Escambia See the narrative on Hurricane Ivan under Alabama, Southwest, September 13-16 ,2004. Ivan will be remembered as one of the most damaging hurricanes to affect the extreme western Florida panhandle in modern history. The $4 billion in property damage is an estimate, but the final figure could be as low as $2.5 billion ... 6 0 $6.3B
1999-09-15 Hurricane (Typhoon)Alamance County, NC · forecast zone Alamance Hurricane Floyd produced more human misery and environmental impact in North Carolina than any disaster in memory. The 15-20 inches of rain that fell across the eastern half of the state caused every river and stream to flood. Many rivers set new flood records. Whole communities were underwater for days, even weeks in ... 0 0 $6.2B
1997-04-18 FloodGrand Forks County, ND · forecast zone Grand Forks The Red River reached a new record level in Grand Forks, just over 54 feet, on April 21st/22nd, shattering the previous record by over 5 feet. Problems with the river gauge led to difficulties in obtaining stages. One flow measurement, taken close to the crest, indicated 145,000 cfs in the Red River. The city dikes ... 0 0 $5.5B
2008-09-12 Storm Surge/TideGalveston County, TX · forecast zone Galveston Storm tide ranged from 10 to 15 feet above mean sea level along the Galveston Bay, Clear Lake and associated tributaries which caused major flooding of coastal areas. Some higher surge levels up to 17 feet were indicated on the Bolivar Peninsula. At least 10 direct fatalities occurred in Galveston County. Number of ... 12 0 $5.5B
2005-08-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Orleans Parish and St. Bernard Parish, LA · forecast zone Orleans Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest and most destructive hurricanes on record to impact the coast of the United States. It will likely be recorded as one the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States to date resulting in catastrophic damage and numerous casualties in southeast Louisiana and ... 638 0 $5.4B
2023-08-08 WildfireMaui County, HI · forecast zone Maui Leeward West A wildfire near Lahaina was reported at 6:40 am HST and was contained within 3 hours. Another fire was reported around 3:30pm and prompted evacuation orders by 4:30 pm. However, power lines downed by the damaging winds closed roads and restricted evacuation routes. Wildfire continued to spread rapidly and quickly ... 102 32 $5.3B
2005-08-29 Storm Surge/TideHancock County, MS · forecast zone Hancock Storm surge damage across coastal Mississippi was catastrophic and approached or exceeded the surge associated with Hurricane Camille and impacted a much more extensive area. Almost total destruction was observed along the immediate coast in Hancock and Harrison Counties with storm surge damage extending north along ... 0 0 $5.1B
2004-08-13 Hurricane (Typhoon)Charlotte County, FL · forecast zone Charlotte The collective effects of Hurricane Charley in southwest and west central Florida during August 13th resulted in 8 direct fatalities, 16 indirect fatalities, 792 injuries, eight tornadoes, an eight foot storm surge in Lee County, an estimated $11.2 billion in property damage (estimated to be about twice that of the ... 4 700 $4.9B
2005-08-29 Storm Surge/TideSt. Bernard Parish, LA · forecast zone Lower St. Bernard Storm surge damage in southeast Louisiana, especially in the New Orleans area and the coastal parishes, was catastrophic. Hurricane protection levees and floodwalls were overtopped and/or breached resulting in widespread and deep flooding of homes and businesses. Much of Orleans and Plaquemines Parishes and nearly all ... 0 0 $4.6B
2005-08-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Harrison County, MS · forecast zone Harrison Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest and most destructive hurricanes on record to impact the coast of the United States. It will likely be recorded as one the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States to date resulting in catastrophic damage and numerous casualties in southeast Louisiana and ... 97 0 $4.4B
2005-09-23 Hurricane (Typhoon)Cameron Parish, LA · forecast zone Cameron Hurricane Rita made landfall around 230 am on September 24th in Cameron Parish near Johnson Bayou as a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph. Wind gusts over 110 mph were recorded in Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes. This resulted in numerous trees and power lines downed. In parts of Beauregard, Jeff ... 0 0 $4.2B

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database. Search the record at NCEI.

Recorded damage by hazard

  1. Hurricanes and tropical storms $291.2B
  2. Floods $221.2B
  3. Tornadoes $210.7B
  4. Hail $52.6B
  5. Wildfires $50.1B
  6. Drought $29.5B
  7. Severe thunderstorm wind $25.7B
  8. High wind and dust storms $20.9B
  9. Winter storms $12.9B
  10. Extreme cold $8.6B
  11. Heavy rain $2.5B
  12. Landslides and avalanches $1.7B
  13. Lightning $1.6B
  14. Heat $775M
  15. Rip currents and high surf $545M
  16. Fog, smoke and funnel clouds $73M

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, each hazard since its complete start.

How this was measured

Each record's property and crop damage as the National Weather Service estimated it, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS consumer price index (CPI-U) average of the record's year. A storm that crossed several counties or forecast zones is recorded once for each; where the same amount is filed on several of them the same day, it is counted once. Tornado records with no rating are left out. The list starts in 1993: from 1950 to 1992 the file's non-zero damage figures take only 12 distinct values (2.5K, 25K, 250K, 2.5M, 25M, 250M and a few smaller ones), steps of a scale rather than estimates.

Sources

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; CPI-U (BLS, via FRED series CPIAUCNS).

Limits

Damage figures are early estimates, often rounded, and many records carry none; they are not insured or total economic losses. Converting old dollars with the CPI adjusts for prices, not for how much more property now stands in harm's way.

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