"The Walking Dead," which is filmed in Georgia, may be a fictional tale. But in reality, the state is quite apocalyptic. Zombies aren't the reason though; it's the weather, according to a recent study.

U.S. climate officials recently released a series of maps, created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to illustrate how climate disasters have affected America over the last several years.

Since 1980, there have been 203 disasters, which have caused $1.1 trillion of damage, and Georgia was responsible for 67 of them.

That’s the second-highest in the nation since 1980, second only to Texas and tied with Illinois and Oklahoma.

In 2016 alone, there were 15 weather and climate events including wildfires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and more. The Peach State experienced both wildfires and hurricanes.

In fact, last year was the second-worst year for billion-dollar disasters, which was right behind 2011. There were 16 events that year.

Scientists believe that the number of costly weather occurrences is on the rise and climate change may be a contributor.

» Atlanta weather: Forecast, news and updates

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As the violence at Macon State Prison has intensified, so, too, have the calls for ambulance service. And because of those calls, the county now finds itself dealing with an unexpected and costly burden: more than $100,000 in unpaid bills. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

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Much of Georgia was under a Level 3 of 5 risk for severe weather on March 31, 2025. The far northern portion of the state was under a Level 2 and 1 risk.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News