The US broke a record last year in terms of damage caused by weather related disasters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that the US had 16 disasters that each exceeded a billion in damage. That tied 2011 for the number of greater-than-$1 billion disasters. But the dollar amount in damages, $306 billion, exceeded the old record of $215 billion set in 2015, by almost 50%. NOAA has kept records on billion-dollar weather-related disasters since 1980.
Last year, the US saw three of the five most expensive hurricanes in its history. Wildfires in the west alone accounted for $18 billion in damage, tripling the previous wildfire record.
NOAA also said that 2017 was the third hottest year on record for the Lower 48 states. Only 2012 and 2016 were warmer. The US has had above average annual temperatures for 21 straight years. This was the third straight year that all 50 states had above average temperatures for the year, according to NOAA.