Hurricane Ian, which left more than 150 people dead as it swept across the southeast coast of the US, was the costliest tropical storm in Florida’s history after causing $109bn (£87bn) worth of damage.

Ian was also the third costliest storm in US history as it caused a total of $112bn (£89bn) worth of damage in September 2022.

Florida was worst-affected and the hurricane lead to almost 70 deaths in the Sunshine State, according to a report from the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Monday.

The hurricane reached maximum Category 5 status before weakening to a Category 4 storm, making it one of the most powerful tropical cyclones on record with winds estimated at 161mph (259kph) being recorded off the coast of Florida on 28 September.

After landfall, winds of 150mph (241kph) were recorded in Florida. There were also storm surges of up to 4 metres (15 feet) recorded at Fort Myers Beach on the west coast of the state.

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“Ian made landfall in a region extremely vulnerable to storm surge,” the NOAA report says. “In southwestern Florida, the catastrophic storm surge and wind left a huge swathe of complete destruction.”

Drowning caused by the storm surge was the leading cause of death with 41 deaths, with 12 additional fatalities due to flooding inland. In all, 66 deaths in Florida were directly attributable to the storm, the report concluded.

Across the US there were 156 fatalities, including indirect deaths such as heart attacks, electrocution from power lines, inability to reach medical help and vehicle accidents, with victims ranging in age from 6 to 101 years old.

More than nine million people across the US lost power during Hurricane Ian, with tens of thousands of homes being impacted or completely destroyed.

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