US EditionNOAA ends extreme weather database that tracked cost of disasters since 1980
- On Thursday, NOAA announced it plans to discontinue updates to its prominent database tracking billion-dollar weather and climate disasters after 2024 and will also phase out several related services.
- This decision follows staffing reductions and budget cuts, with the 2026 proposal cutting NOAA's funding by 24% and planning to close labs and eliminate research divisions.
- The database has tracked 403 billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. since 1980, covering extreme events like hurricanes and hailstorms, with costs totaling nearly $3 trillion.
- Jeremy Porter of First Street emphasized the database's unique value due to its standardized methodology and proprietary data from reinsurance estimates and private claims.
- Retiring the database will make tracking the cost of extreme weather events nearly impossible, increasing uncertainty for researchers, regulators, and the public amid rising disaster frequency and severity.
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189 Articles
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