ABC57 spoke with a Climate Central expert to see if storms could turn into billion-dollar disaster

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- ABC57 spoke with a Non-Profit Climate Central expert on how the widespread storms that sweep through the Hoosier state on August 11 could turn into another billion-dollar disaster.

"We're going to see similar to what we saw before, but it's going to be more extreme, more impactful, and that really ratchets you up into these billion-dollar disaster categories and moves you away from just being maybe a regular thunderstorm that we would have previously had," said Jen Brady, a Senior Data Analyst at Climate Central.

The Independent scientists crunching the numbers and reporting 438 different natural disasters, doing more than a billion dollars in damage since 1980.

The damage, costing the U.S. a total of $3 trillion with more than 17,000 deaths.

Brady, saying we might need to get used to this because it's becoming the new normal.

"One thing that I find particularly interesting and concerning is that also means the more you have, the closer together they are, so it's harder to clean up from one before we move on to another."

The scientists are tracking 12 potential billion-dollar disasters this year, but they will have to wait until all the damage reports are totaled to declare the deadly Derecho in that category.

Governor Mike Braun wrote a letter on Aug. 20 where he estimates the cost of the damage could reach five billion dollars.