TAMPA, Fla. — The historic Category 4 Hurricane Ian landed in the history books as one of the costliest U.S. hurricanes on record, ranking No. 3, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
According to the agency, for all United States hurricanes, Hurricane Katrina (2005, $190.0B) is the costliest storm on record. Hurricane Harvey (2017, $151.3B) ranks second and Hurricane Ian (2022, $112.9B) ranks third.
Hurricane Maria (2017, $108.9B) ranks fourth, and Hurricane Sandy (2012, $83.9B) ranks fifth.
These figures come from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) in consultation with the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
In an explanation of costs from NOAA, "Using the latest scientific methodology, it determined the estimated total costs of these events - that is, the costs in terms of dollars that would not have been incurred had the event not taken place. Insured and uninsured losses are included in damage estimates.
"Sources include the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, individual state emergency management agencies, state and regional climate centers, media reports, and insurance industry estimates."
The cost values are based on the 2022 Consumer Price Index adjusted cost. The U.S. has seen 59 tropical cyclones with costs of $1 billion dollars or more. Included in that list is Hurricane Nicole, with an unadjusted cost of $1 billion.
Hurricane Ian became a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 28, 2022, as it made its way toward Florida's west coast. Ian made landfall on Cayo Costa Island.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, as of Jan. 10, there have been 145 deaths attributed to Hurricane Ian confirmed by the medical examiners' commission spanning 19 counties. The county experiencing the highest number of deaths is Lee County, with 68 confirmed fatalities.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.