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Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The United States experienced 18 billion-dollar weather-related disasters in 2022, as climate change continues to cause severe weather events, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report released Tuesday. The 18 disasters are tied for third-most in a year, behind only 2021 and 2020. The total damages for the 18 events reached about $165 billion, with Hurricane Ian accounting for $112.9 billion.
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Other hurricanes brought vast damage, as well. Hurricane Fiona delivered 12-18 inches of rain to Puerto Rico, while Hurricane Ian brought 150-mph winds to southwest Florida. Hurricane Nicole was the first hurricane to hit the United States during November in nearly 40 years.
According to NOAA, 2022 was also an above-average tornado year.
The preliminary U.S. tornado count for 2022 was about 9% above the 1991-2020 average across the contiguous United States with 1,331 tornadoes reported, NOAA said. "March 2022 had triple the average number of tornadoes reported (293) and the most tornadoes reported for any March in the 1950-2022 record."
The average annual temperature in the United States was 53.4 degrees, making it the third-warmest year on record.
"Florida and Rhode Island both saw their fifth-warmest calendar year on record while Massachusetts ranked sixth-warmest," NOAA said.
It was also the third-driest year on record, with 63% of the United States experiencing a drought at one point.
On May 3, drought conditions reached a peak coverage of 91.3% in the western United States, the largest 2012.
The report comes as thousands of Californians were under evacuation orders Tuesday amid a deadly winter storm that caused mudslides and flooding.
