WASHINGTON - America smashed the record for billion-dollar weather disasters this year with a deadly dozen, and counting.
With an almost biblical onslaught of twisters, floods, snow, drought, heat and wildfire, the U.S. in 2011 has seen more weather catastrophes that caused at least $1 billion in damage than it did in all of the 1980s, even after the dollar figures from back then are adjusted for inflation.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration added two disasters to the list Wednesday, bringing the total to 12. The two are wildfires in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona and the mid-June tornadoes and severe weather.
NOAA uses $1 billion as a benchmark for the worst weather disasters.
Extreme weather in America this year has killed more than 1,000 people, according to National Weather Service Director Jack Hayes. The dozen billion-dollar disasters alone add up to $52 billion.
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The old record for $1 billion disasters was nine, in 2008.
Hayes, a meteorologist since 1970, said he has never seen a year for extreme weather like this, calling it "the deadly, destructive and relentless 2011."
This year's total may not stop at 12. Officials are still adding up the damage from the Tropical Storm Lee and the pre-Halloween Northeast snowstorm, and so far each is at $750 million. And there's still nearly a month left in the year.
Scientists blame an unlucky combination of global warming and freak chance. They say even with the long-predicted increase in weather extremes triggered by manmade climate change, 2011 in the U.S. was wilder than they had predicted. For example, the six large outbreaks of tornadoes cannot be attributed to global warming, scientists say.
Other years had higher overall damage figures because of one gargantuan disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and a 1988 drought.
At a glance
The 12 weather disasters this year that each caused at least $1 billion in damage:
• Wildfires in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona from spring to fall. Losses are more than $1 billion, with at least five deaths.
• Hurricane Irene along most of the East Coast in August. Losses exceed $7.3 billion with at least 45 deaths.
• Flooding in the upper Midwest along the Missouri and Souris Rivers over the summer. Damage is more than $2 billion, with at least five deaths.
• Flooding on the Mississippi River in spring and summer. Losses are $3 billion to $4 billion with at least two deaths.
• Drought and heat wave in the southern Plains and Southwest from spring to fall. Losses are near $10 billion.
• Tornadoes and severe storms in the Midwest and Southeast June 18-22. They cause more than $1.3 billion in damage and kill at least three people.
• Twisters in the Midwest and Southeast May 22-27. These kill 177 people and cause more than $9.1 billion in damage.
• Tornadoes in the Southeast and Ohio Valley April 25-28. These kill 321 people and cause more than $10.2 billion in damage.
• Tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast April 14-16. These leave 38 people dead and cause more than $2.1 billion in damage.
• Tornadoes in the Southeast and Midwest April 8-11. These cause more than $2.2 billion in damage.
• Tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast April 4 and 5. These inflict more than $2.8 billion in damage and kill nine people.
• The Groundhog Day blizzard in the Midwest and Northeast. It kills 36 people and causes damage of more than $1.8 billion.
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
