By The Numbers: 2017 Most Expensive U.S. Hurricane Season Ever

By Brian K. Sullivan
Bloomberg

This year’s U.S. Atlantic hurricane season is officially the most expensive ever, racking up $202.6 billion in damages since the formal start June 1.

The costs tallied by disaster modelers Chuck Watson and Mark Johnson surpass anything they’ve seen in previous years. That shouldn’t come as a complete surprise: In late August, Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Gulf Coast, wreaking havoc upon the heart of America’s energy sector. Then Irma struck Florida, devastating the Caribbean islands on the way. Hurricane Maria followed shortly after, wiping out power to all of Puerto Rico. And the season’s not over yet: It officially ends Nov. 30.

“Given our infrastructure today, the question is: Was 2017 unusual? I think we answered that pretty well,” said Watson, a modeler at Enki Research. “2017 wins no matter what you do. At one point, I was working disasters in Asia, Central America, the U.S. and Ireland. It felt like I had jet lag even though I never left the office. ”As this devastating season draws to a close, here are a few statistics that show the extraordinary strength of this year’s storms:

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