The Cost of Tornadoes
High winds and tornadoes that made their way across Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois in June 2017 caused widespread destruction, amounting to $1.5 billion in economic costs, according to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Tornado outbreaks and wind damage that affected Midwestern states in March 2017 left nearly 1 million residents in Michigan without power and cost an estimated $2.3 billion.
Minnesota and the upper Midwest also endured severe hailstorms in summer 2017 that left many buildings and vehicles damaged. The cost of that hail and wind damage came to $2.4 billion.