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Facts + Statistics: Hurricanes

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The official Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November, but occasionally storms form outside those months. Seasonal hurricane forecasting from Colorado State University is available here.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a tropical cyclone is a rotating low-pressure weather system that has organized thunderstorms but no fronts, Hurricanes are tropical cyclones that have sustained winds of 74 mph. At this point a hurricane reaches Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which ranges from 1 to 5, based on the hurricane's intensity at the time of landfall at the location experiencing the strongest winds. The scale provides examples of the type of damage and impacts in the United States associated with winds of the indicated intensity. It does not address the potential for other hurricane-related phenomena such as storm surge, rainfall-induced floods and tornadoes.

Costliest U.S. Hurricanes

The chart below shows insured losses in dollars for the top 10 costliest hurricanes in the United States when they occurred and in 2023 dollars adjusted for inflation. According to Aon, Katrina was the costliest hurricane on record, causing $65 billion in insured losses in 2005, including losses from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Losses from Katrina totaled $101.9 billion in 2023 dollars.

Top 10 Costliest Hurricanes In The United States (1)

($ millions)

      Estimated insured loss
Rank Year Hurricane Dollars when occurred In 2023 dollars (2)
1 2005 Hurricane Katrina $65,000 $101,865
2 2022 Hurricane Ian 54,000 55,772
3 2021 Hurricane Ida 36,000 40,503
4 2012 Hurricane Sandy 30,000 39,918
5 2017 Hurricane Harvey 30,000 37,609
6 2017 Hurricane Irma 30,050 37,473
7 2017 Hurricane Maria 29,511 36,802
8 1992 Hurricane Andrew 16,000 34,951
9 2008 Hurricane Ike 18,200 25,604
10 2005 Hurricane Wilma 10,700 16,533

(1) Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and losses sustained by private insurers and government-sponsored programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program. Includes hurricanes that occurred through 2023. Subject to change as loss estimates are further developed. As of January 2024. Ranked on insured losses in 2023 dollars.
(2) Adjusted for inflation by Aon using the U.S. Consumer Price Index.

Source: Aon.

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Hurricanes And Related Deaths In The United States, 2000-2021

 

Year Total
hurricanes (1)		 Made landfall
as hurricane
in the U.S.		 Deaths (2)
2000 8 0 4
2005 15 5 1,408
2006 5 0 0
2007 6 1 1
2008 8 4 (3) 41
2009 3 1 (4) 6
2010 12 0 11
2011 7 1 44
2012 10 1 (5) 83
2013 2 0 1
2014 6 1 2
2015 4 0 3
2016 7 3 36
2017 10 4 147
2018 8 2 48
2019 6 2 15 (6)
2020 13 6 47
2021 7 4 68

(1) Atlantic Basin.
(2) Includes fatalities from high winds of less than hurricane force from tropical storms.
(3) Includes one hurricane (Hanna) which made landfall as a tropical storm.
(4) Hurricane Ida, which made landfall as a tropical storm.
(5) Excludes Hurricane Sandy which made landfall as a post-tropical storm.
(6) All fatalities in 2019 are from storms that did not make landfall in the United States.

Source: Insurance Information Institute from data supplied by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center.

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Top 10 Most Significant Flood Events By National Flood Insurance Program Payouts (1)

 

Rank Date Event Number of
paid losses		 Amount paid
($ millions)
when occurred		 Amount paid
($ millions)
in 2023 dollars		 Average paid loss
in 2023 dollars
1 Aug. 2005 Hurricane Katrina 168,200 $16,330 $25,592 $152,152
2 Oct. 2012 Superstorm Sandy 132,800 8,967 11,931 89,842
3 Sep. 2017 Hurricane Harvey 77,100 9,015 11,302 146,589
4 Sep. 2022 Hurricane Ian 48,000 4,300 4,441 92,521
5 Sep. 2008 Hurricane Ike 46,900 2,711 3,814 81,322
6 Aug. 2016 Louisiana severe storms and flooding 27,600 2,522 3,223 116,775
7 Sep. 2004 Hurricane Ivan 31,000 1,671 2,709 87,387
8 May 2001 Tropical Storm Allison 62,200 1,110 1,919 30,852
9 Aug. 2011 Hurricane Irene 43,800 1,344 1,826 41,689
10 Apr. 2017 Hurricane Irma 22,300 1,094 1,365 61,211

(1) Includes events from 1978 to December 31, 2023 as of January 2024. Defined by the National Flood Insurance Program as an event that produces at least 1,500 paid losses. Ranked on Amount Paid in 2023 dollars.

Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data; analysis courtesy of Aon.

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U.S. Storm Surge Risk, Gulf and Atlantic States, 2024

 

Storm surge risk level (1)
(Storm category)		 Number of homes Reconstruction cost value (2)
($billions)
Category 1 1,304,612 $396.0
Category 2 2,805,963 875.0
Category 3 4,553,182 1,403.0
Category 4 6,602,039 2,042.0
Category 5 7,735,659 2,343.0

(1) The risk categories are cumulative and increase in value from Category 1 to Category 5. Category 1 represents the higher risk of damage from a weak hurricane; Category 5 includes Categories 1 to 4 and the low risk of damage from a Category 5 hurricane.
(2) Combines materials, equipment and labor, but does not include the value of the land or lot.

Source: CoreLogic®, a property data and analytics company. May not be re-sold, republished or licensed to any other source without prior written permission from CoreLogic.

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U.S. Hurricane Wind Risk, Gulf and Atlantic States, 2024

 

Hurricane wind risk level (1) Number of homes Reconstruction cost value (2)
($billions)
Extreme 6,437,350 $1,680.0
Very high or greater 14,929,120 4,183.0
High or greater 22,776,568 7,159.0
Moderate or greater 32,744,262 10,849.0

(1) The risk categories are cumulative and increase in value from extreme to moderate or greater. The moderate or greater wind risk level encompasses all four wind risk levels.
(2) Combines materials, equipment and labor, but does not include the value of the land or lot.

Source: CoreLogic®, a property data and analytics company. May not be re-sold, republished or licensed to any other source without prior written permission from CoreLogic.

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Top Metropolitan Areas At Risk for Storm Surge and Hurricane Wind, 2024

 

  At risk for storm surge
Metropolitan area (1) Number of homes Reconstruction cost value (2) ($billions)
New York 878,226 $415.4
Miami 509,133 124.0
Houston 192,937 52.6
  At risk for hurricane wind
Metropolitan area (1) Number of homes Reconstruction cost value (2) ($billions)
New York 3,765,489 $1,961.1
Houston 2,092,308 671.3
Miami 2,048,827 511.4

(1) The Miami, New York and Houston metro areas studied in this analysis are defined by the Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) of that region. In Miami, this includes the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL area; in New York City, this includes the New York City-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA area; in Houston, this includes Houston-The Woodlands-Sugarland, TX.
(2) Combines materials, equipment and labor, but does not include the value of the land or lot.

Source: CoreLogic®, a property data and analytics company.

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