Extreme hurricanes and wildfires made 2017 the most costly U.S. disaster year on record

The following article by Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis was posted on the Washington Post website January 8, 2018:

Fires in California and hurricanes in Texas and Puerto Rico caused massive damage in 2017. This is what it looked like from the air. (Patrick Martin/The Washington Post)

This story has been updated.

Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria combined with devastating Western wildfires and other natural catastrophes to make 2017 the most expensive year on record for disasters in the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Monday.

The disasters caused $306 billion in total damage in 2017, with 16 events that caused more than $1 billion in damage each. The bulk of the damage, at $265 billion, came from hurricanes. Continue reading “Extreme hurricanes and wildfires made 2017 the most costly U.S. disaster year on record”