A new home for the Billion Dollar Disasters database

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's no secret that extreme weather is becoming more frequent and more expensive across the United States. This year has been no exception. Between January and June, the country experienced 14 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters.

The price tag for these catastrophes totals $101.4 billion.

The January wildfires in Los Angeles alone cost $60 billion in damages, making this the costliest in U.S. history.

The number of these devastating events has climbed from an average of about three per year in the 1980s to an average of 19 per year over the last decade. This includes the records shattered in 2023 and 2024.

In 2023, there were 28 such disasters, 27 in 2024.

We know these numbers from the previous home for the database, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But that database ceased to be updated by the government in May of this year due to, per NOAA, budget cuts and shifting priorities. This meant that there would be no updates to this database beyond 2024.

Seeing a definite need for this information, the database was taken over by our media partners at Climate Central. This nonprofit organization is using the same methodology that makes those who need this information able to retrieve it.

Why is knowing this information so important? It allows people to understand the economic impact of extreme weather. Climatologists are given another tool in communicating the real-world consequences of climate change. And, perhaps most importantly, it helps emergency responders and policymakers gather information to better plan for future events with the goal of saving lives and property.

Billion-dollar disasters have affected Texas in the first six months of this year. On March 14, a hail storm in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, along with intense flooding later in the month in South Texas, caused an estimated $1.2 billion in damage. Two people lost their lives.

Fourth of July weekend is the one that will never be forgotten for the historic flash flooding in our Hill Country region, with the biggest part of that catastrophe along the Guadalupe River. The preliminary damage estimates the price tag runs anywhere from $18 billion to $22 billion.

The economic impact of this flood estimate notwithstanding, it has forced local, state, and federal officials to examine how to avoid a disaster like this from ever happening again. Information from the resurrected database is sure to help.