Every year is a busy year for NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), and 2021 proved no different. As the world continued dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued working hard to carry out our mission, providing the nation with the most accurate and timely environmental observations available.
For example, NOAA satellites helped us keep careful watch over 2021’s record-breaking weather events, such as the third-most active Atlantic hurricane season on record and devastating wildfires across the country.
All together, there were a total of 20 weather and climate disasters in the U.S. with losses exceeding $1 billion. They also resulted in the deaths of 688 people and had significant economic effects on the areas impacted. These events included drought, floods, severe storms, tropical cyclones, wildfire, and a major winter storm. The total dollar-cost of these events was roughly $145 billion—the third highest price tag for the year since records began in 1980.
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