BY ALEX BALUKU
The United States experienced its third-highest number of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2025, according to a new analysis by Climate Central, underscoring the growing frequency and cost of extreme weather events.
From January through December 2025, the country recorded 23 weather and climate disasters, each causing at least $1 billion in damage. These events resulted in 276 deaths and an estimated $115 billion in total economic losses, placing 2025 behind only 2023 and 2024 for the highest number of such disasters on record.
The 2025 figures are well above the long-term average of nine billion-dollar disasters per year and an average annual cost of $67.6 billion, based on records dating back to 1980. The year also marked the 15th consecutive year in which the U.S. experienced an above-average number of billion-dollar disasters.
The costliest event of 2025 was the January wildfires in Los Angeles, which caused an estimated $61.2 billion in damages, making them the most expensive wildfires ever recorded in the United States. The losses were roughly double those of the previous record-holding wildfire.
Severe weather events, including tornado outbreaks and intense storms, accounted for 21 of the 23 disasters, representing 91% of all billion-dollar events in 2025. Most of these occurred across the central United States during the spring and summer months.
Since 1980, the U.S. has experienced 426 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, with total losses exceeding $3.1 trillion. Climate Central notes that the rising costs reflect both an increase in extreme weather events and the growing number of people, homes, and businesses located in vulnerable areas.
The analysis also highlights how disasters are occurring more frequently. In the 1980s, the average gap between billion-dollar disasters was 82 days. Over the past decade, that gap has shrunk to 16 days, and in 2025 alone, disasters occurred on average every 10 days.
Climate Central now hosts and maintains the U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and ClimateDisasters database, under the leadership of Adam Smith, the former lead scientist of NOAA’s long-running disaster tracking program. The organization says it plans to expand and improve the database in 2026 to ensure continued public access and transparency amid rising climate risks.
