Query: The 30 most costly hurricanes in U.S. history (according to federal data from January) show no increase in intensity over time.

Relevant passages:
Hurricane Irma <=SEP=> Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered as the most powerful hurricane on record in the open Atlantic region, outside of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico until it was surpassed by Hurricane Dorian two years later. It was also the third strongest Atlantic hurricane at landfall ever recorded, just behind the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and Hurricane Dorian. The ninth named storm, fourth hurricane, second major hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane of the 2017 season, Irma caused widespread and catastrophic damage throughout its long lifetime, particularly in the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys. It was also the most intense hurricane to strike the continental United States since Katrina in 2005, the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in the same year, and the first Category 4 hurricane to strike the state since Charley in 2004. The word Irmageddon was coined soon after the hurricane to describe the damage caused by the hurricane.

Hurricane Harvey <=SEP=> The name Harvey has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean .  Hurricane Harvey ( 1981 ) - threatened Bermuda but turned away before striking , no damage .  Hurricane Harvey ( 1993 ) - short-lived storm that threatened no land .  Tropical Storm Harvey ( 1999 ) - struck Florida , causing $ 15 million in damage .  Tropical Storm Harvey ( 2005 ) - earliest eighth-storm formation in the Atlantic Ocean since record-keeping began , breaking the old record set in 1936 by 12 days . Threatened Bermuda .  Tropical Storm Harvey ( 2011 ) - record eighth-storm failing to reach hurricane strength , in a single season , since reliable records began . Strong tropical storm that affected parts of Central America .   Category : Atlantic hurricane disambiguation pages

Hurricane Andrew <=SEP=> Hurricane Andrew was , at the time of its occurrence in August 1992 , the most destructive hurricane in United States history . It caused major damage in the Bahamas and Louisiana , but the greatest impact was in South Florida , where it made landfall at Category 5 hurricane intensity on the Saffir -- Simpson hurricane scale , with wind speeds up to 165 mph ( 270 km/h ) . Passing directly through the town of Homestead , Florida , a city south of Miami , Andrew obliterated entire blocks of homes , in many cases leaving only the concrete foundations . Over 25,500 houses were destroyed in Miami-Dade County alone , and nearly 100,000 more were severely damaged . A total of 65 people were killed and damage across the affected regions exceeded $ 26.5 billion ( 1992 USD ) .   Andrew originated from a tropical wave on August 16 over the central Atlantic , becoming the fourth tropical cyclone and the first hurricane of the season . Initially , strong wind shear prevented much intensification , but after turning westward , Andrew entered a stage of rapid intensification , peaking as a powerful Category 5 hurricane near the Bahamas on August 23 . Though it briefly weakened to Category 4 strength while traversing the island nation , Andrew regained its Category 5 status before making two separate landfalls in South Florida -- the first on Elliott Key and the second in Homestead . A barometric pressure of 922 mbar ( 27.23 inHg ) in the latter made Andrew the fourth most intense hurricane to strike the United States . Several hours later , the hurricane emerged over the Gulf of Mexico at Category 4 strength , with the Gulf Coast of the United States in its projected path . After weakening slightly , Andrew moved ashore near Morgan City , Louisiana , as low-end Category 3 storm . The effects of land caused the small hurricane to rapidly lose its intensity , and it diminished to a depression by August 27 while crossing Mississippi . The next day , Andrew merged with a frontal system over the southern Appalachian Mountains .   In the Bahamas , Andrew brought storm surge , hurricane-force winds , and tornadoes , causing widespread structural damage , especially on Cat Cays . About 800 houses were destroyed in the archipelago , and there was substantial damage to the transport , water , sanitation , agriculture , and fishing sectors . Overall , Andrew left four dead and $ 250 million in damage throughout the Bahamas . In parts of southern Florida , Andrew produced severe winds ; a wind gust of 177 mph ( 282 km/h ) was observed at a house in Perrine . These winds wreaked catastrophic damage in Florida -- Miami-Dade County cities of Florida City , Homestead , and Cutler Ridge receiving the brunt of the storm . A total of 63,000 homes were destroyed and more than 101,000 others were damaged throughout Florida , leaving roughly 175,000 people homeless . As many as 1.4 million people lost power at the height of the storm . In the Everglades , 70,000 acres ( 280 km2 ) of trees were downed . Rainfall in Florida was substantial , peaking at 13.98 in ( 355 mm ) in western Miami-Dade County . Altogether , Andrew killed 44 and left a record $ 25 billion in damage in the state .   Before moving ashore , Andrew caused extensive damage to oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico , leading to $ 500 million in losses for oil companies . It produced hurricane-force winds along its path through Louisiana , leaving about 152,000 without electricity . Over 80 % of trees in the Atchafalaya River Basin were downed , and the agriculture there was devastated . Throughout the basin and Bayou Lafourche , 187 million freshwater fish were killed in the hurricane . An F3 tornado in St. John the Baptist Parish wrecked 163 structures . With 23,000 houses damaged , 985 others destroyed , and 1,951 mobile homes demolished , property losses in Louisiana exceeded $ 1.5 billion . The hurricane caused the deaths of 17 people in the state , six of whom drowned offshore . Andrew spawned at least 28 tornadoes along the Gulf Coast , especially in Alabama , Georgia , and Mississippi . Throughout its path , Andrew left 65 dead and $ 26.5 billion in damage ; it is currently the fifth costliest hurricane in Atlantic hurricane history , behind only hurricanes Katrina , Sandy , Ike , and Wilma , and the fourth costliest hurricane in the United States , behind Katrina , Sandy , and Ike .

Climate change in the United States <=SEP=> Because of global warming , there has been concern in the United States and internationally , that the country should reduce total greenhouse gas which is relatively high per capita .   In 2012 , the United States experienced its warmest year on record . , the thirteen warmest years for the entire planet have all occurred since 1998 , transcending those from 1880 .   From 1950 to 2009 , the American government 's surface temperature record shows an increase by 1 F-change , approximately . Global warming has caused many changes in the U.S. . According to a 2009 statement by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) , trends include lake and river ice melting earlier in the spring , plants blooming earlier , multiple animal species shifting their habitat ranges northward , and reductions in the size of glaciers .   Predicting future climate changes are fraught with difficulty . Some research has warned against possible problems due to American climate changes such as the spread of invasive species and possibilities of floods as well as droughts . Changes in climate in the regions of the United States appear significant . Drought conditions appear to be worsening in the southwest while improving in the northeast for example .   President Barack Obama committed in the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Summit to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the range of 17 % below 2005 levels by 2020 , 42 % below 2005 levels by 2030 , and 83 % below 2005 levels by 2050 . In an address towards the U.S. Congress in June 2013 , Obama detailed a specific action plan to achieve the 17 % carbon emissions cut from 2005 by 2020 . He included such measures as shifting from coal-based power generation to solar and natural gas production .   Climate change is seen as a national security threat to the United States .   In 2015 , according to The New York Times and others , oil companies knew that burning oil and gas could cause global warming since the 1970s but , nonetheless , funded deniers for years .   2016 was an historic year for billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in U.S.