Visualized: The Frequency of Billion-Dollar Disasters in the U.S.
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The Frequency of Billion-Dollar Disasters in the U.S.

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frequency of expensive disasters in the u.s.

Frequency of Billion-Dollar Disasters in the U.S.

Wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have had devastating effects on people, towns, and nature, and the final cost is nowhere near tallied. They are the latest of many climate disasters in the U.S.—and data shows that their frequency has been increasing.

These graphics from Planet Anomaly use tracking data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to show the average number of days between billion-dollar weather disasters in the U.S. from 1980 to 2022.

Methodology

NOAA’s database examines billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in America. Total associated damages and costs for each event are adjusted for inflation using the 2023 Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Disasters are categorized as one of seven different types:

  • Drought: Prolonged dry spells resulting in water shortages and reduced soil moisture.
  • Flooding: Overflow of water inundating land usually due to intense rainfall or melting snow.
  • Tropical Cyclone: Intense rotating storm systems known as hurricanes.
  • Severe Storm: Includes windstorms and tornadoes, hail, lightning, and heavy precipitation.
  • Winter Storm: Heavy snow, freezing rain, and icy conditions impacting transportation and infrastructure.
  • Wildfire: Uncontrolled fires consuming vast areas of forests and vegetation.
  • Freezes: Sub-zero temperatures damaging crops and infrastructure, such as pipes or energy lines.

The average days between billion-dollar disasters are calculated from the start dates of adjacent events within a single year.

Days Between Billion-Dollar Disasters in the U.S. (1980‒2022)

Between 1980 and 2022, there were 155 total disasters in the U.S. that cost more than a billion dollars in damages when adjusted for inflation.

And when looking at the average number of days between these billion-dollar events within each year, we can see the decades becoming more and more costly:

YearAvg. Days Between Disasters
198060
1981113
198285
198366
198478
198548
1986104
1987N/A
1988N/A
198947
199074
199171
199244
199344
199454
199546
199673
1997111
199839
199964
200064
200130
200251
200334
200423
200547
200639
200735
200823
200933
201040
201116
201230
201330
201430
201536
201620
201713
201819
201918
202014
202118
202220

Back in the early 1980s, the average interval between these major disasters (within each year) was 75 days. Even more starkly, 1987 had no climate disasters that topped $1 billion in damages, while 1988 only had one.

Fast forward to 2022, and that average window has drastically reduced to a mere 20 days between billion-dollar disasters in the United States.

Breaking Down Billion-Dollar Disasters by Type

Of the 155 disasters tracked through 2022, the majority have been in the form of severe storms including tornadoes, windstorms, and thunderstorms.

charting breakdown of costly natural disasters in the u.s.

The worst severe storms include an outbreak of tornadoes in April 2011 across many central and southern states, with an estimated 343 tornadoes causing a total of $14 billion in CPI-adjusted damages. In August 2020, a powerful derecho—a widespread and intense windstorm characterized by straight-line winds—devastated millions of acres of crops across the Midwest and caused $13 billion in adjusted damages.

But the most expensive disasters so far have been hurricanes. Eight hurricanes top the inflation-adjusted damages charts, with Hurricane Katrina’s unprecedented devastation in 2005 leading with a staggering $194 billion.

Will the U.S. be prepared for more costly disasters going forward? And will climate change continue to accelerate the pace of weather disasters in the U.S. even more?

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Infographic: How Long Does Plastic Take to Decompose?

Plastics can take 20 to 500 years to decompose.

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Bar chart showing how long it takes for plastic to decompose.

Infographic: How Long Does Plastic Take to Decompose?

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • Plastics can take 20 to 500 years to decompose, depending on the material and structure
  • The breakdown rate of plastic also depends on sunlight exposure (UV radiation)
  • Single-use plastic grocery bags take about 20 years to break down
  • Plastic water bottles (made of polyethylene terephthalate – PET) take around 450 years to fully break down

Not Natural

Plastic is everywhere—from everyday packaging to essential medical tools. But once discarded, these items don’t just disappear. They linger for decades, centuries even, posing long-term environmental threats. Meanwhile, only 9% of plastic gets recycled globally.

Plastic is derived from petroleum and doesn’t occur in nature. Its carbon bonds differ from those in nature, making it harder and more energy-intensive to break down.

The quickest to break down, cigarette butts, still take five years. Plastic bags follow at 20 years, and plastic-lined coffee cups at 30 years, according to data from Chariot Energy.

MaterialEstimated Decomposition
Cigarette butts5 years
Plastic bags20 years
Plastic-lined coffee cups30 years
Plastic straws200 years
Soda can rings400 years
Plastic bottles450 years
Toothbrushes500 years
Disposable diapers500 years
Styrofoam500 years
Fishing line600 years

More durable items last far longer. Plastic straws take 200 years to decompose, soda can rings 400 years, and plastic bottles 450 years. Everyday hygiene items like toothbrushes and diapers take about 500 years—just as long as styrofoam.

At the top of the chart is fishing line, which can persist in the environment for 600 years. This is especially harmful to marine life, often entangling animals or being ingested with fatal consequences.

It’s also important to note that plastic can usually only be recycled once or twice before it degrades and becomes unusable. This means that even recycled plastics will eventually end up in a landfill, be incinerated, or find their way into the ocean.

Learn More on the Voronoi App 

If you enjoyed this post, check out How Much Plastic Waste Actually Gets Recycled Globally? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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