The Earth Billed 200 Trillion Won... Unusual Weather Damage Costs in the US

Since 1980, Last Year Ranked 3rd Highest
"More Intensive and Extreme Weather Disasters Expected in the Future"

Last year in the United States, various extreme weather events such as super typhoons, record-breaking droughts, and wildfires caused at least 474 deaths and damages totaling $165 billion (approximately 206 trillion KRW).

US Extreme Weather Damage Reaches 206 Trillion KRW... Third Largest on Record

On October 4 last year (local time), buildings such as restaurants and shops located on the beach in Fort Myers, Florida, USA, were destroyed by Hurricane Ian. Photo by Reuters·Yonhap News

On the 10th (local time), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that the total damage caused by 18 extreme weather events each causing over $1 billion in property damage last year amounted to $165 billion. This surpasses the $155.3 billion recorded in 2021 and ranks as the third largest amount since records began in 1980.

According to NOAA, although hurricane activity was the weakest since 2015, category 4 or 5 super typhoons struck the US mainland more frequently. In particular, category 4 Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Florida on September 28 last year, caused approximately $112.9 billion in damage, making it the third largest property damage event after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Record-breaking Drought and Extreme Heat... "Cause is Climate Change"

Due to severe drought, the water volume of the Yangtze River in China has significantly decreased.

By October 25 last year, up to 63% of the US land experienced drought, marking the most severe drought damage in recent years. According to NOAA, this was the largest area affected by drought since 2012.

In the western US, as of May 3 last year, a staggering 91.3% was classified as drought-affected. The prolonged drought in the western region over several years worsened water shortages, causing major reservoir levels to reach historic lows. The drought and heatwaves, which lasted almost year-round mainly in the western and central Great Plains regions, caused an estimated $22.2 billion in damages.

Extreme heat officially resulted in over 100 deaths in Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, and Texas. However, the actual death toll is estimated to be much higher. Bloomberg reported that in Maricopa County, Arizona alone, there were 378 heat-related deaths last year.

However, NOAA stated that the average temperature in the US last year was 11.9°C (53.4°F), ranking as the 18th warmest year on record. This was cooler than the previous year, which was the 4th warmest at 54.5°F.

Wildfires also caused significant damage, burning over 7.5 million acres across the US last year. In Alaska alone, over 1 million acres had burned by June 18, marking the fastest wildfire spread in 32 years.

The primary cause of these disaster damages is analyzed to be climate change. Richard Spinrad, NOAA Administrator, said, "Climate change is causing more concentrated and extreme weather disasters," adding, "These disasters cause tremendous damage and often lead to consecutive risks. Severe droughts are followed by large wildfires, then floods and landslides."