US Hurricane Statistics

On 17 August hurricane Harvey formed first as a tropical storm and finally as a strong hurricane that barreled through Texas and neighboring states with sustained winds and rain volumes comparable to the likes of other historic storms such as Katrina, Ike, and Sandy. 

• Harvey already has become the most extreme rain event in US history.
• An Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that Harvey Hurricane is "probably the worst disaster the state [of Texas] has seen". Initial loss estimates from the New York Times place the total damages in the range of $70 to $108 billion. If confirmed, these losses would certainly rank Harvey among the top 10 costliest storms in US history along with the likes of Katrina $108 billion (2005) and Ike $29.52 billion (2008).

Every year, roughly 12 named storms make landfall in the US, with two to three of these storms reach category 3 to 5 levels. The US Atlantic coast is the most vulnerable globally to hurricanes, with September being the most dangerous month during the Atlantic hurricane season.

• Florida is the most hurricane-prone state, although until Hurricane Irma, Florida had not experienced multi-billion dollar hurricane losses since Hurricane Andrew (1992). Since that storm, Florida has revised building codes and made other hurricane-centric infrastructure improvements. At the same time, the build up of coastal residential and commercial property has increased the value of property and lives at risk in the state.