The 10 costliest U.S. winter storms

With millions of Americans affected by this year's brutal winter weather, you might be wondering what all this disruption is costing consumers and businesses.

While this winter's total damages won't be available for a while, according to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), 178 weather and climate disasters have taken place since 1980 where the overall costs reached or exceeded $1 billion in 2014 money. The total for those 178 events reached over $1 trillion.

During that 1980-2014 time frame, NCDC classified 13 winter storm events.

The insurance industry says winter storms caused an estimated $2.3 billion in insured losses last year, compared to $1.9 billion in 2013. And from 1994 to 2013, winter events were responsible for about $27 billion in insured losses, or over $1 billion in losses on average annually.

Here's a look at 10 of the most costly winter storms to hit the U.S. since the early 1980s, according to the multinational insurance firm Munich Re Group.

10. Jan. 1-4, 1999

• Overall damage: $1 billion, insured losses $780 million
• 25 deaths

This New Year's blizzard swept across much of the Midwest, bringing with it record low temperatures and 15 or more inches of snow. President Bill Clinton declared parts of Illinois and Indiana disaster areas. Ground and air transportation, as well as rail freight shipments from Chicago, were paralyzed for up to four days -- affecting retail businesses nationwide. The storm was also blamed for more than 2,500 car and truck accidents. Navigation on some major Midwestern rivers was also cut in half.

9. Feb. 10-12, 1994

• Overall damage: $3 billion, insured losses $800 million
• 9 deaths

During this event, much of the Southeastern U.S. was hit by what the NCDC described as a "severe ice storm of unusual duration and severity." Ice-coated phone and power lines broke, creating havoc for the region's electric utilities and telecoms. The weight of the ice also caused trees to lose their limbs or collapse altogether, damaging homes, businesses and vehicles. Millions were left without power for up to three days after the ice storm. In the hardest-hit areas, people had no electricity for up to a month afterward.

8. Jan. 17-20, 1994

• Overall damage: $1 billion, insured losses $800 million
• 70 deaths

An outbreak of snowy conditions and bone-chilling Arctic air invaded more than 20 states. Temperatures in northern Illinois plunged, while strong winds in the area created wind chill temperatures of 50 below zero, and even colder. More than 15 inches of snow were recorded in Louisville, Kentucky, on Jan. 17. Temperatures also plummeted in Washington, D.C., with Reagan National Airport reaching a record low of seven degrees.

7. Dec. 17-30, 1983

• Overall damage: $1 billion, insured losses $880 million
• 500 deaths

Waves of unseasonably cold air caused record low temperatures across a large area of two-thirds of the eastern U.S., starting in mid-December and lasting until the end of the month. According to NOAA, many of the weather-related deaths took place in Southern states unprepared for such cold. The death toll was especially heavy among the elderly, "who died of hypothermia in their unheated homes." Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Wichita Falls, Texas, both recorded record lows. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport also recorded nearly 300 consecutive hours of below-freezing temperatures from Dec. 18-Dec. 30, a record length.

6. Jan 31 - Feb. 3, 2011

• Overall damage: $1.3 billion, insured losses $980 million
• 36 deaths

The so-called "Groundhog Day Blizzard" was widespread, and its effects were felt from parts of northeastern Mexico, through New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, up to the Midwest and on to Canada. But it's probably best remembered for shutting down Chicago, where up to two feet of snow and winds reaching hurricane force combined for a knockout blizzard. Nationwide, 6,300 flights were canceled, large stretches of interstate highways were closed and, for the first time in its then 105-year-old history, the Tulsa World newspaper was unable to publish due to the weather.

5. Dec. 10-13, 1992

• Overall damage: $3 billion, insured losses $1 billion
• 19 deaths

This slow-moving Nor'easter hit the Mid-Atlantic and New England states hard, with record-high winds, snow, sleet and rain. It also created a tidal surge up to four feet above normal, which along with heavy rains led to flooding in New York, Boston and other coastal cities. Away from the coast, between two and four feet of snow fell in some parts of New England.

4. April 7-11, 2013

• Overall damage: $1.5 billion, insured losses $1.2 billion
• Deaths N/A

This surprisingly strong spring storm hit the Midwestern states with snow and ice while triggering tornadoes and damaging hail in the South. The storm was, in the words of Weather Underground's Jeff Masters, "crazy spring weather at its finest." The cold front accompanying the storm also caused severe temperature drops. For example, Abilene, Texas, went from 93 degrees to 37 degrees (and snowing) in less than eight hours.

3. April 13-17, 2007

• Overall damage: $2 billion, insured losses: $1.6 billion
• 19 deaths

What The New York Times described at the time as a "rare spring northeaster masquerading as a classic winter storm" sparked deadly tornadoes in the South while unleashing record rainfalls along the Mid-Atlantic states and, further north, over a foot of snowfall in some mountainous areas. Power outages were widespread, and the severe weather nearly canceled the Boston Marathon.

2. Jan. 5-8 2014

• Overall damage: $2.5 billion, insured losses $1.7 billion
• 21 deaths estimated

Last year's infamous polar vortex, with its bitter Arctic blast, created wind chill temperatures of minus-30 degrees Fahrenheit in at least 19 states. The bitter cold also generated a record high demand for electricity, while helping to spark a heating fuel shortage and a jump in natural gas prices. The seemingly unending cold was accompanied by heavy snowfall across much of the eastern half of the U.S., creating a severe winter weather wallop that caused thousands of flight cancellations, disrupted ground transportation, led to widespread school and business closures and the shuttering of government offices in Washington, D.C. Ironically, while Americans in the lower 48 were suffering through record lows, Alaska enjoyed warmer-than-usual temperatures.

1. March 11-14, 1993

• Overall damage: $5 billion, insured losses $2 billion
• 270 deaths

Known at the time as "the storm of the century," this winter weather event is remembered for the record wind gusts and heavy snowfall it dropped over much of the Southeast as it moved northward along the Eastern Seaboard. According to the NCDC, the storm forced the unprecedented closure of every major airport along the East Coast. Heavy, wet snow also snapped trees, downed power lines and left millions of people in the dark. The system also caused tidal surges that damaged or destroyed homes from North Carolina to New York. The storm triggered an estimated 15 tornadoes in Florida, where 44 deaths were blamed on the severe weather.