2017 produced 15 different billion-dollar weather disasters in the u.s. here are the top seven weather and claimant events of 2017. number seven, every acre of california was in drought and nearly two-thirds of the state was classified exceptional. tens of millions of trees died, creating concern for a major wildfire season ahead. rain and snows returned with a vengeance to california in the fall of 2016 and continued through the spring of this year. by april, governor brown officially declared the drought over. the heavy rain and melting snow was beneficial to most, but some, it became too much of a good thing. in february, the orville dam was in danger as an emergency spillway began to erode. 188,000 residents below the dam were evacuated. in the end, the dam was shored up and the disaster was narrowly avoided. number six, the eclipse of the century. on august 21st, millions of