Extreme weather caused more than $100B in damage by June

Summary

The first half of 2025 logged the most damaging extreme weather on record in terms of cost, even after accounting for inflation, data shows.This is partly because of a handful of extraordinary events, such as the Los Angeles wildfires. But the number of natural disasters that struck this winter was also "exceptional," Paul Ullrich, a professor of regional climate modeling at the University of California, Davis, told Live Science.All told, the first half of the year likely incurred $93 billion to $126 billion in damages, half-year estimates from insurance companies Munich Re, AON and Gallagher Re suggest. This total smashes the previous most costly first six months on record, of $57 billion (inflation-adjusted), set in 2023, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data.This is part of a larger trend. Natural weather disasters have become more frequent and destructive over the past several decades as a result of climate change and land use changes, and that trend is likely to continue."As long as we continue to warm the planet, we can expect extreme weather to grow more severe and more frequent," Kristina Dahl, a climate scientist and vice president for science at Climate Central, told Live Science in an email. "Combine that with our propensity to build communities in areas prone to climate-related hazards — think of the heavily built-up shoreline along the hurricane-prone coast of Florida or of small California communities tucked up against flammable forests — and we can expect the economic cost of those events to continue to rise as well."So far, these natural disasters haven't led to a dramatic increase in deaths, due in part to advances in weather forecasting and early warning systems that help get people out of harm's way, experts say. But as climate change intensifies, that could change, as some disasters are projected to increase in parts of the U.S., such as floods and regional heat waves, will be more difficult for people to avoid....