Weather disasters in first half of 2025 were the costliest on record, data shows

The first half of 2025 was the most costly ever recorded for weather disasters, according to a new report. NOAA used to track this data, but the Trump administration cut the program.

The first half of this year was the costliest ever recorded for weather and climate disasters in the United States, according to an analysis published Wednesday by the nonprofit organization Climate Central.

It is information that the public might never have learned: This spring, the Trump administration cut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration program that had tracked weather events that caused at least $1 billion in damage. The researcher who led that work, Adam Smith, left NOAA over the decision.

Climate Central, a research group focused on the effects of climate change, hired Smith to redevelop the database, which includes records back to 1980.

According to the organization’s new analysis, 14 weather events exceeded $1 billion in damages in the first six months of 2025. The January wildfires in Los Angeles were, by far, the most expensive natural disaster so far this year — they caused more than $61 billion in damage. That also makes them the most expensive wildfire event on record.

Suspect arrested in connection with deadly Palisades Fire02:09The findings show how the costs of weather and climate disasters continue to escalate as extreme weather grows more frequent and intense, and as populations spread into areas prone to costly destruction from wildfires and flooding.