NJ December Storm Contributed To Record 28 Disasters Costing $92.9B

NEW JERSEY — The December storm in New Jersey contributed to a record 28 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters that collectively cost about $92.9 billion, government climatologists said Tuesday.

The unprecedented number of disasters occurred during a remarkably warm year wrapped up by a record-warm December, according to the report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The storm in New Jersey in December was among the billion-dollar-plus disasters. From Dec. 16-18, people were rescued, cars were stranded, schools were delayed, tens of thousands lost power, and many roads were closed across the state as several inches of rain fell.

At least 492 people died in the 28 severe weather events in the U.S. overall, which collectively cost about $92.2 billion, NOAA said. They included:

• 17 severe weather/hail events;
• 4 flooding events.
• 2 tropical cyclones (Idalia in Florida and Typhoon Mawar in Guam).
• 2 tornado outbreaks.
• 1 winter storm/cold wave event.
• 1 wildfire event (Maui Island of Hawaii).
• 1 drought and heat wave event.

NOAA Chief Scientist Sarah Kapnick said the most recent disasters point to a worrying pattern of weather extremes.

“For millions of Americans impacted by a seemingly endless onslaught of weather and climate disasters, 2023 has hit a new record for many extremes,” Kapnick said in a news release. “Record warm U.S. temperatures in December, a record-setting number of U.S. billion-dollar disasters in 2023 and potentially the warmest year on record for the planet are just the latest examples of the extremes we now face that will continue to worsen due to climate change.”

NOAA said the most costly disasters were the Southern/Midwestern drought and heat wave, with costs of $14.5 billion, and severe weather in the South and East that cost $6 billion in early March.

Since 1980, the United States has sustained 376 weather and climate disasters costing or exceeding $1 billion. Their cumulative cost exceeds $2.66 trillion, NOAA said.

Over the last seven years, at least 5,000 people have been killed in 137 separate billion-dollar disasters that collectively cost more than $1 trillion in damage.

This is also a record 13th consecutive year in which the United States has experienced 10 or more billion-dollar disasters and the fourth consecutive year (2020–2023) in which 18 or more billion-dollar disasters impacted the country.

Multiple records were shattered in 2023, according to NOAA.

On June 20 in Texas, Del Rio and Rio Grande both hit 113 degrees Fahrenheit, and San Angelo reported a high of 114 degrees, setting an all-time heat record at each location. Temperatures averaged 102.8 degrees for the month of July in Phoenix; Death Valley, California set records with daytime and nighttime temperatures of 128 degrees and 120 degrees, respectively on July 20; and Chicago broke the record for heat indices, with a feel-like temperature of 120 degrees on July 6.

2023 was also an above-average tornado year, with 1,197 reported and 97 possible tornadoes still under investigation. Significantly, Iowa had its first January tornadoes since 1967; California had its strongest tornado since 1983; and more than 110 tornadoes were reported across the Midwest on March 28, placing nearly 28 million people under watches and warnings.

The number of wildfires was near normal, with 55,500 reported for the year. The fires burned 2.6 million acres, well below the 10-year average of 7.1 million acres.