Knowing More About Losing More: Investigating Spatial-Temporal Patterns of Damage from Storm-Related Hazards in the Contiguous United States

Severe local storms are most frequently the cause of billion-dollar disasters across the United States. Understanding where storm-related hazards have historically caused the most damage and examining spatial damage trends in relation to shifts in physical hazards and climate is crucial for planning, mitigation, and decision-making. This study investigates spatial and temporal variations in direct property losses from four storm-related hazards—hail, wind, tornado, and lightning—at the county level across the contiguous United States from 1990 to 2019. We propose a geographic information system–based spatial-temporal approach for analyzing these trends while addressing biases in the loss data. Additionally, this study correlates a thirty-year series of annual damage with hazard frequency to determine if changes in damage correspond with shifts in physical hazards. Key findings indicate significant damage clusters over the Great Plains and the Lower Mississippi River Valley during this period. Spatially varying damage trends have been pronounced across all four hazards. The Lower Mississippi River Valley has seen increased damage from wind, tornadoes, and lightning, and the Plains have shifted from elongated damage hot spots to smaller, clustered hot spots. The relationship between changes in loss and hazard occurrences varied across different regions and hazard types, suggesting the localized interactions between hazards and society. This work aims to enhance understanding of the interplay between storm-related hazards and societal impacts, improve targeted hazard mitigation, and promote better risk reduction behaviors. This work further demonstrates how leveraging spatiotemporal approaches can address challenges in hazards and disaster research.