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.
188 Articles
188 Articles
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