Coastal street flooding in Norfolk, Virginia.
Credit: D. Loftis/VIMS.

A climate study has estimated the costs associated with sea level rise by 2040. Virginia and Maryland are near the top of the list of hardest hit states.

The Center for Climate Integrity conducted the evaluation of potential costs of constructing seawalls in 22 coastal states and the District of Columbia.

Florida ($75.8 billion), Louisiana ($38.4 billion) and North Carolina ($34.8 billion) are projected to have the highest costs.

Virginia ranks fourth on the list at $31.2 billion and Maryland is fifth at $27.4 billion.

The District of Columbia is listed at number 23 with estimated costs of $138 million.

The study released in June says U.S. overall costs will top $400 billion.

The analysis was done in conjunction with engineering firm Resilient Analytics and the University of Colorado.

The study used a sea level rise model, storm surge estimates and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shoreline data.