US to Stop Tracking Cost of Climate and Weather Disasters

Extreme weather is an increasingly expensive problem in the US. Last year, fires, droughts and storms caused more than $182 billion in damages — but going forward, the federal government won’t be keeping track.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, announced Thursday it will “retire” its popular database of climate and weather disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage, a move that follows the Trump administration’s efforts to scrub environmental data across the federal government.

The free public tool tallies up direct economic losses, response costs and the toll of business interruptions tied to the most damaging ...