Total economic impacts of historic tornado outbreak about $18 billion
AccuWeather Founder and CEO Joel Myers estimated that the total economic losses from the deadly tornado outbreak will be the costliest tornado impact in U.S. history.
By
Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Dec 14, 2021 11:57 AM EDT
|
Updated Dec 14, 2021 5:06 PM EDT
The dozens of tornadoes that caused devastation in the Southeast and Midwest from Dec. 10-11 may constitute one of the costliest tornado outbreaks in recent history.
The total damages and economic losses resulting from the historic tornado outbreak that impacted multiple states from the South to the Midwest could amount to $18 billion, which would make it the costliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history.
The United States has seen some deadly and landscape-altering tornado outbreaks in its history. In 1925, an outbreak killed hundreds of people, while in 1974 and in 2011, super outbreaks spewed hundreds of twisters that killed several hundred and resulted in billions of dollars of damage. However, no outbreak has ever caused as much economic impact as this year's historic December tornado event.
In the days after the deadly, multistate and multiday outbreak, AccuWeather released its preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss caused by the event – a figure the country has never seen attached to a tornado outbreak before.
"According to Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers, the tornadoes are expected to cost about $18 billion in total damage and economic loss," the company said in a statement. "This estimate is based on an analysis incorporating independent methods to evaluate all direct and indirect impacts of the tornadoes based on a variety of sources, statistics and unique techniques AccuWeather uses to estimate damage developed over a decade and account for both insured and uninsured losses."
AccuWeather Vice President of Forecasting Jonathan Porter said the estimate is "a result of the severe destruction that has occurred over a multi-state area." Porter cited the high number of homes that suffered extensive damage as a key factor in the estimate. Many suffered "a complete loss," Porter added.
Porter went on to say that the extreme weather Friday night into Saturday resulted in "a very sad human impact. Many personal tragedies with so many lives impacted in just a matter of moments" during the dark of night, he said.
For comparison, the 2011 outbreak, which was previously on record as the costliest in history, caused $10.2 billion in damages, or $12.6 billion in today's dollars.
The 2021 tornadoes were responsible for killing dozens across five states, making the event the single deadliest tornado outbreak since 2011, which caused the deaths of 324 people.
For context with other destructive storms in 2021, Hurricane Ida caused about $95 billion in economic loss and damages, according to an AccuWeather estimate. The entire 2021 wildfire season caused about $75 billion and the coast-to-coast winter storms from February resulted in $45 billion to $50 billion in losses.
While survey teams from the National Weather Service are still determining the strengths of the tornadoes that raged overnight from Dec. 10 to 11, AccuWeather experts estimate that the twisters may possibly register as high as EF4 (166–200 mph) or EF5 (greater than 200 mph) on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Such devastating tornadic impacts razed entire towns, particularly in the states of Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. Warehouses in both Kentucky and Illinois were completely leveled by the tornadoes, capturing national attention as uncertainty swirled around the death tolls.
As of early October, the U.S. had experienced 18 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2021 and, at the time, was on pace to exceed the number of billion-dollar disasters last year when there were 22 such catastrophes, according to records kept by NOAA. Already this year, parts of the southern U.S. had been hit hard by a series of tropical storms and, most notably, by Hurricane Ida.
Looking further back, disasters tied to extreme weather over the last 40 years have been costly for Americans.
Since 1980, the U.S. has sustained 308 weather and climate disasters that have caused $1 billion or more in damages, according to NOAA. The total cost of economic losses and damages from the 308 events is more than $2.085 trillion.
Rick Vincent, of Newaygo, Mich., reads a sign placed on a pile of building rubble as he stops work at the end of the day, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky. Vincent, a retired teacher, has come to Mayfield on his own to volunteer to help in the cleanup effort after tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across several states Friday, killing multiple people. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The AccuWeather economic estimate factors in damage to not only homes and businesses, but also their contents, along with impacts to vehicles, jobs, wage losses, infrastructure damage, auxiliary business, losses and school closures.
"The estimates also account for the costs of power outages to businesses and individuals and for economic losses because of highway closures, transportation disruption and evacuations, as well as extraordinary government expenses for cleanup and rescue operations," the statement reads.
AccuWeather's estimate also included economic costs related to injuries and loss of life in its calculation.
“While I am confident many hundreds of thousands of lives were saved and injuries prevented due to the amazing progress of weather forecasting since a tornado in the Midwest claimed the lives of nearly 700 people back in 1925, even one life lost to severe weather is far too many,” said Myers. “Our thoughts are with the families of the victims impacted by this tragic event.”
More on the historic tornado outbreak:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Severe Weather
Total economic impacts of historic tornado outbreak about $18 billion
AccuWeather Founder and CEO Joel Myers estimated that the total economic losses from the deadly tornado outbreak will be the costliest tornado impact in U.S. history.
By Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Dec 14, 2021 11:57 AM EDT | Updated Dec 14, 2021 5:06 PM EDT
The dozens of tornadoes that caused devastation in the Southeast and Midwest from Dec. 10-11 may constitute one of the costliest tornado outbreaks in recent history.
The total damages and economic losses resulting from the historic tornado outbreak that impacted multiple states from the South to the Midwest could amount to $18 billion, which would make it the costliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history.
The United States has seen some deadly and landscape-altering tornado outbreaks in its history. In 1925, an outbreak killed hundreds of people, while in 1974 and in 2011, super outbreaks spewed hundreds of twisters that killed several hundred and resulted in billions of dollars of damage. However, no outbreak has ever caused as much economic impact as this year's historic December tornado event.
In the days after the deadly, multistate and multiday outbreak, AccuWeather released its preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss caused by the event – a figure the country has never seen attached to a tornado outbreak before.
"According to Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers, the tornadoes are expected to cost about $18 billion in total damage and economic loss," the company said in a statement. "This estimate is based on an analysis incorporating independent methods to evaluate all direct and indirect impacts of the tornadoes based on a variety of sources, statistics and unique techniques AccuWeather uses to estimate damage developed over a decade and account for both insured and uninsured losses."
AccuWeather Vice President of Forecasting Jonathan Porter said the estimate is "a result of the severe destruction that has occurred over a multi-state area." Porter cited the high number of homes that suffered extensive damage as a key factor in the estimate. Many suffered "a complete loss," Porter added.
Porter went on to say that the extreme weather Friday night into Saturday resulted in "a very sad human impact. Many personal tragedies with so many lives impacted in just a matter of moments" during the dark of night, he said.
For comparison, the 2011 outbreak, which was previously on record as the costliest in history, caused $10.2 billion in damages, or $12.6 billion in today's dollars.
The 2021 tornadoes were responsible for killing dozens across five states, making the event the single deadliest tornado outbreak since 2011, which caused the deaths of 324 people.
For context with other destructive storms in 2021, Hurricane Ida caused about $95 billion in economic loss and damages, according to an AccuWeather estimate. The entire 2021 wildfire season caused about $75 billion and the coast-to-coast winter storms from February resulted in $45 billion to $50 billion in losses.
While survey teams from the National Weather Service are still determining the strengths of the tornadoes that raged overnight from Dec. 10 to 11, AccuWeather experts estimate that the twisters may possibly register as high as EF4 (166–200 mph) or EF5 (greater than 200 mph) on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Such devastating tornadic impacts razed entire towns, particularly in the states of Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. Warehouses in both Kentucky and Illinois were completely leveled by the tornadoes, capturing national attention as uncertainty swirled around the death tolls.
As of early October, the U.S. had experienced 18 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2021 and, at the time, was on pace to exceed the number of billion-dollar disasters last year when there were 22 such catastrophes, according to records kept by NOAA. Already this year, parts of the southern U.S. had been hit hard by a series of tropical storms and, most notably, by Hurricane Ida.
Looking further back, disasters tied to extreme weather over the last 40 years have been costly for Americans.
Since 1980, the U.S. has sustained 308 weather and climate disasters that have caused $1 billion or more in damages, according to NOAA. The total cost of economic losses and damages from the 308 events is more than $2.085 trillion.
Rick Vincent, of Newaygo, Mich., reads a sign placed on a pile of building rubble as he stops work at the end of the day, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky. Vincent, a retired teacher, has come to Mayfield on his own to volunteer to help in the cleanup effort after tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across several states Friday, killing multiple people. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The AccuWeather economic estimate factors in damage to not only homes and businesses, but also their contents, along with impacts to vehicles, jobs, wage losses, infrastructure damage, auxiliary business, losses and school closures.
"The estimates also account for the costs of power outages to businesses and individuals and for economic losses because of highway closures, transportation disruption and evacuations, as well as extraordinary government expenses for cleanup and rescue operations," the statement reads.
AccuWeather's estimate also included economic costs related to injuries and loss of life in its calculation.
“While I am confident many hundreds of thousands of lives were saved and injuries prevented due to the amazing progress of weather forecasting since a tornado in the Midwest claimed the lives of nearly 700 people back in 1925, even one life lost to severe weather is far too many,” said Myers. “Our thoughts are with the families of the victims impacted by this tragic event.”
More on the historic tornado outbreak:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo