Flooding from Tropical Storm Chantal causes an estimated $4 Billion to $6 Billion in Total Damage and Economic Loss

AccuWeather® Global Weather Center – July 8, 2025 - Torrential rainfall from Tropical Storm Chantal triggered widespread flash flooding, significant property damage, and disruptions to travel and holiday tourism in the Carolinas over the Independence Day weekend, causing $4 billion to $6 billion in total damage and economic loss, according to a preliminary estimate from experts at AccuWeather®.

“Chantal is yet another reminder tropical storms that spin up quickly near the coastline can cause dangerous coastal and inland flooding,” AccuWeather® Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. “This storm made landfall in the middle of the busy Independence Day weekend, disrupting holiday travel plans and creating dangerous beach conditions for thousands of families along the East Coast."

Chantal made landfall near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, early Sunday morning before moving northward into North Carolina. The storm brought heavy rainfall, with some areas receiving up to 10 inches. Flooding and road closures were reported in more than 100 locations, along with the collapse of infrastructure, including State Highway 902 in Chatham County. Dozens of swift-water rescues and at least one fatality were reported across the region.

The AccuWeather® preliminary estimate of total damage and economic loss of $4 billion to $6 billion accounts for damage to homes and businesses, disruptions to commerce and supply chain logistics, tourism losses, impacts to shipping operations at major hubs, financial losses from extended power outages, major travel delays, as well as damage to infrastructure. This is a preliminary estimate, as the storm’s effects are continuing to be felt, and some areas have not yet reported complete information about damage, injuries and other impacts.

Water damage is particularly costly to repair and is often not covered by homeowner’s insurance policies. Many people are often underinsured for flood damage. An estimated 4 percent of homeowners in the U.S. have flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), although the uptake in the NFIP program tends to be higher in communities along waterways, such as rivers, where some of the flooding has occurred in this event.

Porter is urging families, businesses, emergency and public officials along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and in areas prone to inland impacts during hurricane season to remain prepared and vigilant with the peak of the season less than two months away.

“There is no such thing as ‘just’ a tropical storm,” Porter explained. “There is a long history of fast-developing and slow-moving tropical storms that have caused life-threatening flooding. Some of the most destructive flood events in our nation’s history were caused by tropical storms or unnamed tropical rainstorms. It’s crucial that people never let their guard down during hurricane season. We’re predicting yet another above-average hurricane season. Many families and businesses are still trying to recover from last year’s record-shattering season that caused catastrophic damage across the Carolinas and Florida."

AccuWeather® expert meteorologists say the strength of storms is typically based on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, but more people are killed by water than wind in tropical systems. This is why AccuWeather developed the exclusive AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes, factoring in not just wind but storm surge flooding, rainfall flooding, and total damage and economic loss expected from the storm.

The AccuWeather® 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast predicts 13 to 18 named storms with three to six direct impacts to the U.S. AccuWeather® was the first source to issue a seasonal forecast in March ahead of all other sources for better planning and preparedness.

AccuWeather® hurricane experts issued a warning in May about an increased risk of flash flooding, damaging winds, tornadoes, and other impacts for hurricanes reaching far inland again this year.

Chantal was the third named tropical storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, following Andrea and Barry from June.

AccuWeather® incorporates independent methods to evaluate all direct and indirect impacts of the storm, includes both insured and uninsured losses and is based on a variety of sources, statistics and unique techniques AccuWeather® uses to estimate the damage. It includes damage to property, job and wage losses, crops, infrastructure, interruption of the supply chain, auxiliary business losses and flight delays. The estimate also accounts for the costs of evacuations, relocations, emergency management and the extraordinary government expenses for cleanup operations and the long-term effects on business logistics, transportation and tourism as well as the long-term and short-term health effects and the medical and other expenses of unreported deaths and injuries.

AccuWeather® is the trusted source for total damage and economic loss estimates for weather disasters in the United States. Our recognized experts incorporate independent methods to evaluate all direct and indirect impacts of extreme weather events. In 2017, AccuWeather® first issued a widely quoted preliminary estimate for total damage and economic loss during catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey along the Gulf coast, which helped people in the impacted area, and across the country to better understand the magnitude of the disaster.

This is the sixth preliminary estimate for total damage and economic loss that AccuWeather® experts have issued so far this year, outpacing the frequency of major, costly weather disasters since AccuWeather® began issuing estimates in 2017.

Earlier this week, AccuWeather® experts issued a preliminary estimate of total damage and economic loss of $18 billion to $22 billion for the Independence Day flash flood tragedy in the Texas Hill Country that claimed more than 100 lives.

In May, AccuWeather® experts issued a preliminary estimate of total damage and economic loss of $9 billion to $11 billion after a deadly severe weather outbreak with more than 70 tornadoes in the central U.S., including a destructive EF3 tornado that impacted parts of St. Louis, Missouri.

In early April, AccuWeather® experts issued a preliminary estimate of total damage and economic loss of $80 billion to $90 billion after a rare multiday severe weather outbreak and atmospheric river that triggered devastating flash flooding in the central U.S.

In late January, AccuWeather® experts issued a preliminary estimate of total damage and economic loss of $14 billion to $17 billion for a historic winter storm that brought snow, freezing temperatures and major disruptions to the Gulf Coast and southeastern U.S.

AccuWeather® experts estimate that historic and deadly wildfires that swept through communities across Los Angeles County, California, in early January caused $250 billion to $275 billion in damages.

AccuWeather® experts say extreme weather events in the United States have caused a combined total damage and economic loss of $375 billion to $421 billion so far this year. The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events in America are expected to worsen, heightening insurance availability and affordability challenges, especially in areas that are vulnerable to hurricane impacts and flash flooding.

AccuWeather® meteorologists are available 24/7 to provide further insights and updates on evolving weather conditions. Please contact pr@accuweather.com during regular business hours, or support@accuweather.com or call the AccuWeather® Media Hotline at (814)-235-8710 at any time to arrange interviews with AccuWeather experts or to request the most updated graphics for print or broadcast.

Report a Typo