Natural disaster statistics show that risk is not distributed evenly across the United States. NOAA NCEI state summaries counted 46 confirmed weather and climate disaster events costing more than $1 billion each in California from 1980–2024, compared with 190 in Texas. The same summaries show that recent annual averages for 2020–2024 were higher than the full-period averages in every state covered here.
Contents
- How to read these statistics
- State-by-state totals
- The most frequent event types
- California and the Northeast comparison
- Gulf Coast and Southeast patterns
- What the recent averages show
How to read these statistics
These figures count confirmed weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each. The measurement period is 1980–2024 unless a shorter period is stated. An event count is not a complete measure of personal danger: it does not describe every smaller disaster, the number of people affected, or the severity of each event within a state.
The event categories are state-summary classifications from NOAA NCEI. They include drought, flooding, freeze, severe storm, wildfire, tropical cyclone, and winter storm events where those categories appear in a state’s summary. Category totals should be read as reported counts for each state and period, not as a substitute for a local hazard assessment.
The annual averages provide a second view. A full-period average covers 1980–2024, while the “most recent 5-year annual average” covers 2020–2024. These are averages of reported billion-dollar disasters per year, not forecasts of what will happen in a particular future year.
State-by-state totals
The six states differ substantially in the number of confirmed billion-dollar events recorded across the 1980–2024 period. Texas had the largest total, followed by North Carolina, Louisiana, New York, Florida, and California.
| State | Confirmed events, 1980–2024 | Full-period annual average | 2020–2024 annual average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 190 | 4.2 | 13.6 |
| North Carolina | 121 | 2.7 | 7.4 |
| Louisiana | 106 | 2.4 | 6.8 |
| New York | 95 | 2.1 | 6.2 |
| Florida | 94 | 2.1 | 6.8 |
| California | 46 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
Source for every row: NOAA NCEI California Summary, NOAA NCEI New York Summary, NOAA NCEI Florida Summary, NOAA NCEI Texas Summary, NOAA NCEI North Carolina Summary, and NOAA NCEI Louisiana Summary.
Texas recorded 190 confirmed events with losses exceeding $1 billion each from 1980–2024. Its full-period annual average was 4.2 events, and its 2020–2024 annual average was 13.6. North Carolina recorded 121 events, with averages of 2.7 across 1980–2024 and 7.4 across 2020–2024.
Louisiana recorded 106 events across the full period. Its annual average was 2.4 from 1980–2024 and 6.8 from 2020–2024. New York recorded 95 events, with a full-period annual average of 2.1 and a recent 5-year average of 6.2.
Florida recorded 94 events from 1980–2024. Its full-period annual average was 2.1, while its 2020–2024 annual average was 6.8. California recorded 46 events, a full-period annual average of 1.0, and a recent 5-year annual average of 1.6.
The most frequent event types
Severe storms were the leading reported category in several states. Texas had 126 severe storm events from 1980–2024, more than any other category in the six state summaries. North Carolina had 54 severe storm events, New York had 48, Louisiana had 44, and Florida had 33.
California’s category pattern was different. It had 19 wildfire events and 14 drought events, alongside 6 flooding events, 4 severe storm events, and 3 freeze events. The California summary reported no other category in the supplied figures.
| State | Largest supplied category | Count | Other notable categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Wildfire | 19 | Drought 14; flooding 6 |
| New York | Severe storm | 48 | Winter storm 21; tropical cyclone 16 |
| Florida | Tropical cyclone | 36 | Severe storm 33; drought 7 |
| Texas | Severe storm | 126 | Drought 20; winter storm 11 |
| North Carolina | Severe storm | 54 | Tropical cyclone 31; winter storm 16 |
| Louisiana | Severe storm | 44 | Tropical cyclone 27; drought 15 |
Source: NOAA NCEI state summaries for the 1980–2024 period.
Texas also had 20 drought events, 9 flooding events, 16 tropical cyclone events, 11 winter storm events, 7 wildfire events, and 1 freeze event. North Carolina had 13 drought events, 2 flooding events, 31 tropical cyclone events, 16 winter storm events, 2 wildfire events, and 3 freeze events.
Louisiana had 15 drought events, 10 flooding events, 27 tropical cyclone events, 9 winter storm events, and 1 freeze event. Florida had 7 drought events, 4 flooding events, 36 tropical cyclone events, 5 winter storm events, 4 wildfire events, and 5 freeze events.
New York’s supplied category counts included 4 drought events, 5 flooding events, 1 freeze event, 48 severe storm events, 16 tropical cyclone events, and 21 winter storm events. Its winter storm count was the highest among the states outside the leading severe-storm totals.
California and the Northeast comparison
California and New York illustrate how different hazard mixes can produce different totals. California’s 46 confirmed billion-dollar events from 1980–2024 were concentrated most heavily in wildfire and drought counts: 19 wildfires and 14 droughts. New York’s 95 events were led by 48 severe storms, followed by 21 winter storms and 16 tropical cyclones.
California’s remaining supplied categories were 6 floods, 4 severe storms, and 3 freezes. New York’s additional categories were 5 floods, 4 droughts, and 1 freeze. These state-summary counts describe different reported event profiles rather than a single nationwide ranking of every type of disaster.
The annual averages also differ. California averaged 1.0 billion-dollar disaster per year over 1980–2024 and 1.6 per year over 2020–2024. New York averaged 2.1 per year over the full period and 6.2 per year during the most recent five years. The recent averages are period-specific summaries for 2020–2024; they are not forecasts.
Gulf Coast and Southeast patterns
Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and North Carolina all show substantial counts for severe storms or tropical cyclones. Florida had 36 tropical cyclone events and 33 severe storm events. Louisiana had 27 tropical cyclone events and 44 severe storm events. North Carolina had 31 tropical cyclone events and 54 severe storm events. Texas had 16 tropical cyclone events and 126 severe storm events.
The other reported categories add important context. Louisiana’s count included 15 drought events and 10 flooding events. Florida’s included 7 drought events, 5 winter storm events, 5 freeze events, 4 flooding events, and 4 wildfire events. North Carolina’s included 13 drought events, 16 winter storm events, 3 freezes, 2 floods, and 2 wildfires.
Texas had the largest total in this comparison, with 190 confirmed events. Beyond its 126 severe storms and 20 droughts, the state summary reported 11 winter storms, 9 floods, 7 wildfires, 16 tropical cyclones, and 1 freeze. The event mix helps explain why a single statewide total should not be treated as a complete description of local preparedness needs.
What the recent averages show
Each state’s 2020–2024 annual average was higher than its 1980–2024 annual average in the supplied NOAA NCEI summaries. California rose from 1.0 to 1.6, while New York rose from 2.1 to 6.2 and Florida from 2.1 to 6.8.
The same comparison shows Louisiana rising from 2.4 to 6.8, North Carolina from 2.7 to 7.4, and Texas from 4.2 to 13.6. These values describe the frequency of qualifying billion-dollar events during two different measurement windows. They should not be interpreted as a guarantee that the next year will match the recent average.
For everyday preparedness, the most useful takeaway is the range of hazards represented in the local record. California’s supplied figures emphasize wildfire and drought; New York’s emphasize severe and winter storms; Florida’s emphasize tropical cyclones and severe storms; and Texas, North Carolina, and Louisiana combine severe storms with tropical cyclones, drought, flooding, winter storms, or wildfire. A household plan can therefore start with the state’s reported event profile while still accounting for the fact that these statistics cover only confirmed disasters exceeding $1 billion in losses.