Extreme weather events—from powerful, massive hurricanes in the Atlantic to devastating wildfires in the West—caused more than $306 billion in damage in 2017, making the year the most costly on record for natural disasters, The Washington Post reports.
The figures come from a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which shows 16 weather-related events last year each cost more than $1 billion each. The bulk of the damages—$265 billion—came from hurricanes.
Last year’s events include one drought event, two flooding events, one freeze event, eight severe storm events, three tropical cyclone events and one wildfire event. The record-breaking year is raising concerns about the effects of future natural disasters, as scientists fear climate change could make extreme weather events more damaging.
