(WSYR)- Another year, another potentially record-breaking number of natural billion-dollar disasters in the United States.

As of early October 2021, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information states that the United States has experienced 18 weather/climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion each. Year-to-date, this is a record high. The average number of billion-dollar disasters per year is 7.

The disasters this year include the ongoing Western drought, the western wildfires, severe weather and flooding in California early in January, summer severe weather in the central U.S., and four tropical cyclones.

The cost of damage to property and infrastructure from these events, and others during the first nine months of the year, have totaled more than $104 billion, which is already $4 billion more than all of 2020. Last year, was record-breaking with a total of 22 events weather/climate disasters. The previous record number of billion-dollar disasters was 16.

Since 1980, the country has experienced 308 weather and climate disasters that reached or exceeded $1 billion in damages and costs. In total, the events cost more than $2 trillion. According to NOAA, the total costs for the last five years alone make up for nearly one-third of the 42-year period. 

The frequency of extreme weather events is due to climate change, increase exposure, and vulnerability.  

Severe storms, like thunderstorms and tornadoes, are what the country experiences most but the events responsible for the highest total costs and deaths are by far tropical cyclones.