Atlantic Hurricane "Milton" Among Most Expensive Tropical Cyclones to Strike the Atlantic Region
In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which struck Florida in the past three months, President Joe Biden has praised the efforts of over 50,000 workers from 43 states and Canada, who have helped restore power to over one million people affected by the storm.
The National Hurricane Center's data shows that Hurricane Milton is one of the most expensive hurricanes in the last 124 years, with estimated damages of $50 billion. While this value places it among the most financially destructive Atlantic hurricanes, it does not yet rank it as the costliest.
Historically, some of the costliest Atlantic hurricanes include Hurricane Helene (2024), which is estimated to have caused damages of up to $200 billion, making it the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Hurricane Katrina (2005) is another benchmark for expensive U.S. hurricanes, with damages well over $100 billion adjusted for inflation.
Hurricane Hazel (1954) is one of the earlier costly hurricanes, with damage estimated at around $382 million at the time, which would be significantly higher adjusted for inflation.
Although Hurricane Milton is not yet ranked within the top five most costly Atlantic hurricanes, with $50 billion in damages, it clearly ranks among the top tier of costly hurricanes.
President Biden has emphasised the importance of collaboration between deployment forces, volunteers, and other personnel in managing the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. He has also highlighted that the efforts to combat Hurricane Milton are taken very seriously by the relevant authorities.
The restoration of power to over one million people affected by Hurricane Milton is a significant achievement, as stated by President Biden, and a testament to the dedication and hard work of the deployment forces and volunteers.
Experts emphasise that while human-induced climate change does not lead to a higher frequency of hurricanes, it does make them more destructive due to the heated oceans. As such, the increasing economic toll of hurricanes over time, partly due to stronger storms and growth in coastal development, is a concern for authorities and experts alike.
In summary, the most expensive Atlantic hurricanes include Hurricane Helene (2024), with estimated damages of up to $200 billion; Hurricane Katrina (2005), with damages well over $100 billion adjusted for inflation; Hurricane Milton (N/A), with estimated damages of $50 billion; and Hurricane Hazel (1954), with damage estimated at around $382 million (historic), although this value indicates it is a major economic impact hurricane.
Further context suggests that a YouTube video overview from July 2025 also lists the top 5 costliest Atlantic hurricanes by damage (inflation-adjusted), likely including Helene, Katrina, Milton, and others alongside their economic impacts.
TheNational Hurricane Center's data reveals that Hurricane Milton's $50 billion in damages places it among the top tier of costly Atlantic hurricanes. As experts stress, human-induced climate change enhances the destructiveness of hurricanes due to heated oceans, making the weather patterns more unpredictable in environmental-science terms, and contributing to the increasing economic toll of such climate-change-related events in the future.
