Billion Dollar Weather x 14

From the National Centers for Environmental Information (never heard of this...... looks like it's part of NOAA):

In 2019, there were 14 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States: three inland flooding events, eight severe storm events, two tropical cyclone events (Dorian and Imelda) and one wildfire event. 2019 experienced an above-average year of costs ($45.0 billion) as the 40-year (1980–2019) annual cost average is $43.9 billion (inflation-adjusted). The combined cost of the Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi river flooding ($20.0 billion) was almost half of the U.S. cost total in 2019. There was a trend of an increasing number of billion-dollar inland flooding events during the 2010s

Here is a map of the 14 (click to enlarge):


If you want to read more, I found it here:

Assessing the U.S. Climate in 2019


Something else interesting on that page:
The annual precipitation total for the contiguous U.S. was 34.78 inches, 4.84 inches above average, the second wettest year on record and 0.18 inch less than the total for the wettest year set in 1973. Record precipitation fell across the northern Plains, Great Lakes and portions of the central Plains. Ten of the last twelve 12-month periods were record wet with the top seven all-time wettest 12-month periods occurring during 2019. 

Yes, I knew it was wet but had no idea we were less than a quarter-inch away from the record.


Grace & Peace & Love to you all -

Matt