Private Sector Revives the Climate Disaster Database Trump Tried to Squash
Climate Central reports 23 billion-dollar disasters in 2025, the third highest on record, continuing NOAA’s methodology after government tracking was halted in May 2025.
- On Thursday, Climate Central released its report continuing NOAA's disaster record and is now hosting the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disaster dataset after NOAA stopped updates, hiring Adam Smith who brought the database and methodology.
- NOAA announced the product's retirement last year, leaving past reports accessible but halting new events, which created a rare private-sector takeover by Climate Central, nonprofit.
- Climate Central's analysis shows the scale and human toll of last year's disasters: 23 billion-dollar events caused 276 deaths and $115 billion in damages, led by $61.2 billion Los Angeles wildfires and an $11 billion March tornado outbreak with 43 deaths.
- Government agencies and private industries rely on the dataset for economic and planning decisions, and Climate Central plans to expand the database in the coming years to broaden coverage.
- Analysts point to human-amplified climate change and growing exposure as key drivers, with Climate Central finding the time between billion-dollar disasters shrank from about 82 days in the 1980s to 28 days during the past decade.
33 Articles
33 Articles
Private sector revives the climate disaster database Trump tried to squash
In the US last year there were 23 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, adding up to a total of $115 billion in damages. The database that tracks these costs used to be maintained by the federal government. It is now published by the climate research nonprofit Climate Central.
The US experienced nearly two dozen billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2025
Cal Fire Firefighters do a prescribed burn ahead of oncoming new wildfire called ‘Hughes Fire’ as it tore through northern Los Angeles County, burning over 9,000 acres just hours after it was first reported in California, United States on January 22, 2025. Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The United States experienced nearly two dozen billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2025, causing at least 276 fatalities and costin…
Heat waves, wildfires, droughts and storms will cost the world more than $120 billion in 2025, according to Christian Aid's new report, Counting the Cost 2025.
US averaged a billion-dollar disaster every 10 days in 2025, analysis shows
Severe weather dominated the year’s losses.
In 2025, the US suffered a billion-dollar disaster every 10 days
Last year began with the costliest wildfires in American history, as a series of blazes tore across Los Angeles for nearly all of January. A parade of other catastrophes followed: severe storms across the southern and northeastern United States, tornadoes in the central states, drought and heat waves through the western expanse of the country. All told, the U.S. notched 23 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2025, which claimed 276 …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 73% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
















