2018 marks third straight year of above-average catastrophic activity

Much like 2017, 2018 was a historic year for natural catastrophes. Combined, the two are now the costliest years on record back-to-back, totaling $653 billion in global economic losses, according to Aon's Weather, Climate & Catastrophe Insight Report. In their 2018 Natural Hazard Report, experts at CoreLogic break down just what exactly occurred in 2018, where it happened, and what it all means. This annual summation examines what the risk and exposure looked like in each affected area, what happened during the weather event, and the residential and commercial losses which occurred in the aftermath for each notable climatological event. The information will help homeowners and businesses better prepare for future weather events in their area, studying what their risk exposures are and preparing for the worst.

Examining weather trends, events year-by-year

CoreLogic's report analyzes hazard activity in the U.S. and worldwide. Notable events included several billion-dollar storms, including Hurricanes Florence and Michael, the historic Camp Fire, and typhoons and cyclones in Japan, Oman, Hong Kong and the Philippines. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there were 11 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion in the U.S. in 2018. While this is a decrease from the previous year, both 2017 and 2018 have tracked far above the 1980-2017 annual average of $6 billion events. The slideshow above breaks down CoreLogic's 2018 report by type of catastrophe, offering summaries of the worst events in each natural disaster category in 2018. Related: 7 key figures: Breaking down the cost of natural disasters in 2018