NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Iowa Summary
From 1980–2024 (as of July 9, 2024), there have been 81 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Iowa. These events included 15 drought events, 7 flooding events, 2 freeze events, 54 severe storm events, and 3 winter storm events. The 1980–2023 annual average is 1.8 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2019–2023) is 4.8 events (CPI-adjusted).
| Disaster Type | Events | Events/Year | Percent Frequency | Total Costs | Percent of Total Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 15 | 0.3 | 18.5% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 25.7% |
| Flooding | 7 | 0.2 | 8.6% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 38.3% |
| Freeze | 2 | 0.0 | 2.5% | $5M-$100M | 0.1% |
| Severe Storm | 54 | 1.2 | 66.7% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 35.5% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 3 | 0.1 | 3.7% | $100M-$250M | 0.4% |
| All Disasters | 81 | 1.8 | 100.0% | $50.0B-$100.0B | 100.0% |
| Drought | 15 | 0.3 | 21.4% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 23.4% |
| Flooding | 7 | 0.2 | 10.0% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 33.9% |
| Freeze | 2 | 0.0 | 2.9% | $5M-$100M | 0.1% |
| Severe Storm | 45 | 1.0 | 64.3% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 42.4% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0.0 | 1.4% | $5M-$100M | 0.2% |
| All Disasters | 70 | 1.6 | 100.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Time Period | Billion-Dollar Disasters | Events/ | Cost | Percent of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 8 | 0.8 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 9.4% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 6 | 0.6 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 23.1% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 15 | 1.5 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 17.5% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 30 | 3.0 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 22.1% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 24 | 4.8 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 30.3% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 16 | 5.3 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 7.9% |
| Last Year (2023) | 8 | 8.0 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 4.9% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 81 | 1.8 | $50.0B-$100.0B | 100.0% |
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 4 | 0.4 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 4.6% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 4 | 0.4 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 15.4% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 13 | 1.3 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 17.4% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 27 | 2.7 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 25.1% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 24 | 4.8 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 40.2% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 16 | 5.3 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 11.5% |
| Last Year (2023) | 8 | 8.0 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 7.3% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 70 | 1.6 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Event | Type | Begin Date |
End Date |
Summary |
CPI-AUnadjusted Estimated Cost (in Billions) |
Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central, Southern, Eastern Severe Weather May 2024 | Severe Storm | May 18, 2024 | May 22, 2024 | Severe storms across many central, southern and eastern states produced widespread impacts from several dozen tornadoes, severe hail and high winds. The states most impacted were Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa and Wisconsin, as each experienced considerable damage to homes, vehicles, businesses, agriculture and additional infrastructure. On May 21, an EF-4 tornado cut a 44-mile path across southeast Iowa, with peak wind speeds of 175-185 mph. The town of Greenfield, Iowa was heavily damaged. Multiple 'Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS)' watches were issued by NOAA's National Weather Service for these states, during this multi-day sequence. Several eastern states also sustained high wind damage from these storms. | $4.8 CI | 5 |
Central and Southern Tornado Outbreak April 2024 | Severe Storm | April 26, 2024 | April 28, 2024 | An outbreak producing more than 140 tornadoes developed across several central and southern states including Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas causing widespread damage to many homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. Eastern Nebraska was particularly impacted by numerous strong tornadoes. Lincoln narrowly avoided a direct hit, with a large tornado touching down on the edge of the city. The same storm also spawned a mile-wide tornado that heavily damaged the towns of Elkhorn, Bennington, and Blair on the outskirts of Omaha. On April 27, an EF-4 tornado struck Marietta, Oklahoma damaging a large commercial distribution center. Near downtown Omaha another EF-3 touched down at Eppley Airfield, which destroyed several hangars and airplanes. Several tornadoes also touched down close to Topeka, Kansas while an EF-3 tornado caused extensive damage to the town of Westmoreland. | $1.2 CI | 3 |
Southern/ Spring-Fall 2023 | Drought | April 1, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | Drought conditions impacted numerous Southern and Midwestern states (TX, LA, OK, KS, IL, MO, NE) and surrounding states. The agriculture sector has been impacted across these affected states including damage to field crops from lack of rainfall. Ranchers have also been forced to sell-off livestock early in some regions due to high feeding costs. For the second straight year, portions of the Mississippi River have experienced low water levels impacting river commerce. This low flow has also allowed salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to migrate northward, along the bottom of the Mississippi River, impacting water quality in southern Louisiana. Several Northwestern states including Washington, Oregon and Montana have also been impacted by increasing drought effects. | $14.8 CI | 247 |
Northeastern Flooding and North Central Severe Weather July 2023 | Flooding | July 9, 2023 | July 15, 2023 | Severe storms brought devastation and flooding to portions of the Northeast, as areas reported up to eight inches of rain within a 24-hour period. Montpelier, Vermont received a record-breaking 5.28 inches of rain, flooding the city and damaging thousands of homes and businesses. The wide scale flooding in Vermont was similar to the flood impacts from Hurricane Irene in 2011. Early estimates put the flood damage in West Point, New York at more than $100 ($103.0) million. There was also considerable damage to roads, bridges and agriculture across the Northeast. Severe storms also caused high wind and hail impacts across Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. | $2.2 CI | 10 |
Central Severe Weather June 2023 | Severe Storm | June 28, 2023 | July 2, 2023 | Severe storms caused damage across numerous Central states. The state most impacted were Missouri, Illinois and Indiana while there were also damage in many surrounding states. The damage to many homes, vehicles, businesses and agriculture assets was largely from high wind and damaging hail but there were also scattered tornado impacts. | $2.0 CI | 3 |
Rockies Hail Storms and Central and Eastern Severe Weather June 2023 | Severe Storm | June 21, 2023 | June 26, 2023 | Severe hail storms across Colorado damaged many homes, vehicles and injured approximately 100 people at a large outdoor concert. This multi-day outbreak of severe weather also produced more than 60 tornadoes across portions of Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky and Arkansas that caused damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. | $5.4 CI | 8 |
Central Severe Weather May 2023 | Severe Storm | May 6, 2023 | May 8, 2023 | Severe weather across numerous central states including Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana. There was additional damage in Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas. Large hail, high winds and torandoes caused widespread impact to many homes, businesses, vehicles, farms and other infrastructure. | $2.2 CI | 1 |
Central Severe Weather April 2023 | Severe Storm | April 19, 2023 | April 20, 2023 | Severe hail, scattered tornadoes and high winds caused damage across numerous central states. Central Oklahoma was impacted by a cluster of tornadoes. Texas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin was impacted by hail and high wind damage from severe storms. | $3.1 CI | 1 |
Central and Eastern Severe Weather April 2023 | Severe Storm | April 4, 2023 | April 6, 2023 | Severe storms produced large hail, high winds and more than 35 tornadoes across many central and southern states. The states most affected were Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Michigan where there was considerable damage to homes, businesses, agriculture, vehicles and other infrastructure. | $2.9 CI | 5 |
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather March 2023 | Severe Storm | March 31, 2023 | April 1, 2023 | A historic tornado outbreak across numerous central states caused widespread damage from at least 145 tornadoes. States most impacted were Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Tennessee and Pennsylvania where there was severe damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. | $5.9 CI | 33 |
Western/ 2022 | Drought | January 1, 2022 | December 31, 2022 | Severe drought conditions impacted many Western and Central states. Large reservoirs across the West including Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Oroville, and Shasta Lake, among others continue to be depleted. Lake Mead, the Nation's largest reservoir, is nearing dead pool status and is at the lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s. The Great Salt Lake is also near record-low levels. The impacts of the drought affected crop production across may states and sharply increased feeding costs for livestock. Many segments of the Mississippi River also experienced low water levels causing delays and reductions in river commerce. Extreme heat also developed for many days across Western and Central states. These excess heat conditions caused more than one hundred heat-related fatalities focused across Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon and Texas. The 2022 drought was one of the costlier droughts on record, with a diverse array of direct impacts across different regions and industries. | $23.5 CI | 136 |
Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave December 2022 | Winter Storm | December 21, 2022 | December 26, 2022 | Historic winter storm and powerful arctic front caused significant impact across much of the nation, bringing heavy rains, snow, ice and high winds that sent temperatures plummeting. More than 200 million people were under a winter weather advisory or warning and more than a million customers, from Texas to Maine, were left without power. Buffalo, New York was paralyzed by near hurricane force winds and continuous snow squalls, which contributed to dozens of fatalities in the region. Additional impacts were widespread frozen water pipes that led to extensive water damage in many homes, businesses and to other critical infrastructure. | $8.9 CI | 87 |
Central Severe Weather June 2022 | Severe Storm | June 7, 2022 | June 8, 2022 | Severe weather produced damaging hail, high wind and damage from more than two dozen tornadoes across numerous states including Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa and Ohio. Hail and high wind damage was severe across much of Nebraska causing widespread damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, farms and agriculture and other infrastructure. | $2.0 CI | 0 |
Southern Severe Weather April 2022 | Severe Storm | April 11, 2022 | April 13, 2022 | Severe weather including hundreds of damaging wind reports and dozens of tornadoes occurred across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky. On April 11, tornadoes and damaging hail was focused across central Arkansas causing damage to homes, vehicles, outbuildings and farms and vegetation. April 12 and 13 produced widespread high wind reports and dozens of tornadoes across central Mississippi, northeast Arkansas and west-central Kentucky. These tornadoes produced damage to homes, businesses, farms, outbuildings and other infrastructure. There was also considerable hail damage across Wisconsin and Minnesota. | $2.9 CI | 1 |
Western Drought and Heat Wave 2021 | Drought | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | Western drought conditions were persistent throughout 2021, as the drought expanded and intensified across many Western states. A historic heat wave also developed for many days across the Pacific Northwest shattering numerous all-time high temperature records across the region. This prolonged heat dome was maximized over the states of Oregon and Washington and extended well into Canada. These extreme temperatures impacted several major cities and millions of people. For example, Portland reached a high of 116 degrees F while Seattle reached 108 degrees F. These extreme temperatures caused hundreds of direct and indirect heat-related fatalities across Oregon and Washington, not including excess mortality that may be hundreds of additional deaths. This combined drought and heat rapidly dried out vegetation across the West, impacting agriculture. Low water levels also forced the hydroelectric power plant at Lake Oroville in California to shut down for the first time since it opened in 1967. | $10.1 CI | 229 |
Midwest Derecho and Tornado Outbreak December 2021 | Severe Storm | December 15, 2021 | December 15, 2021 | A rare, record-breaking December derecho and tornado outbreak caused widespread damage that was focused across Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. There were many reports of hurricane-force thunderstorm wind gusts and more than 50 tornadoes causing widespread damage to homes, vehicles, businesses and infrastructure. This was the first December derecho on record to occur within the United States. This event also produced the first December tornado on record in Minnesota since 1950, with 17 tornadoes reported across southeast Minnesota. | $2.0 CI | 1 |
Central Severe Storms July 2021 | Severe Storm | July 8, 2021 | July 11, 2021 | Severe storms caused considerable hail damage across numerous Central states including Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, New Mexico and Texas. There was also widespread high wind damage to homes, vehicles and businesses in many other surrounding states. | $1.2 CI | 0 |
Ohio Valley Hail Storms June 2021 | Severe Storm | June 17, 2021 | June 18, 2021 | Damaging hail storm and high wind impacts across several states including Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. The hail impacts were most severe in southeastern Minnesota, southern Iowa, southeastern Indiana and southwestern Ohio, with damage to many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $2.0 CI | 0 |
Western/ Summer-Fall 2020 | Drought | June 1, 2020 | December 30, 2020 | Widespread, continuous drought and record heat affected more than a dozen Western and Central states for much of the summer, fall and into the winter months. Persistent above-average temperatures and precipitation deficits caused D3 (extreme) and D4 (exceptional) drought coverage in December that was the largest extent since August 2012. Death Valley recorded a temperature of 130 degrees F - the highest measured temperature globally in decades - while Los Angeles county recorded a record high of 121 degrees F. There were considerable crop and livestock impacts across the West and Central states from both the persistent heat and increasingly dry conditions. The combined drought and heat also assisted in drying out vegetation across the West that contributed to the Western wildfire potential and severity. | $5.4 CI | 45 |
Central Severe Weather - Derecho August 2020 | Severe Storm | August 10, 2020 | August 10, 2020 | A powerful derecho traveled from southeast South Dakota to Ohio, a path of 770 miles in 14 hours producing widespread winds greater than 100 mph. The states most affected included Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio. This derecho caused widespread damage to millions of acres of corn and soybean crops across central Iowa. There was also severe damage to homes, businesses and vehicles particularly in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In addition, there were 15 tornadoes across northeastern Illinois several affecting the Chicago metropolitan area. This is the third severe weather event (since 1980) with inflation-adjusted costs over $10.0 ($12.1) billion joining the late-April and May 2011 tornado outbreaks across the Southeastern and Central states, respectively. | $13.3 CI | 4 |
Central Severe Weather July 2020 | Severe Storm | July 10, 2020 | July 11, 2020 | Central severe weather producing hundreds of severe hail and high wind reports across numerous states including Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. These storms caused impacts to many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.4 CI | 0 |
North Central and Ohio Valley Hail Storms and Severe Weather April 2020 | Severe Storm | April 7, 2020 | April 8, 2020 | Numerous hail storms caused widespread damage across many North Central and Ohio Valley states including Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri. More than 20 tornadoes were also reorted across southern Indiana and Ohio. There was additional widespread high wind damage to homes, vehicles and businesses in many other surrounding states. | $3.5 CI | 0 |
Mississippi River, Midwest and Southern Flooding July 2019 | Flooding | March 15, 2019 | July 31, 2019 | Additional major flooding impacted many Southern Plains states significantly affecting agriculture, roads, bridges, levees, dams and other assets across many cities and towns. The states most affected were Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Very high water levels also disrupted barge traffic along the Mississippi River, which negatively impacted a variety of dependent industries. Indiana and Ohio were also affected by persistent heavy rainfall that flooded farmland, which prevented and reduced crop planting by millions of acres. | $7.6 CI | 4 |
Rockies, Central and Northeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather May 2019 | Severe Storm | May 26, 2019 | May 29, 2019 | A four-day tornado outbreak impacts many states across the Rockies, Central and Northeast (CO, WY, NE, KS, OK, MO, IA, IL, IN, OH, PA and NJ). This outbreak produced 190 tornadoes in addition to hundreds of reports of damaging hail and straight-line thunderstorm winds. Of particular note was an EF-4 tornado that produced heavy damage near the city of Dayton, Ohio on May 27. | $5.7 CI | 3 |
Central Severe Weather May 2019 | Severe Storm | May 16, 2019 | May 18, 2019 | Central severe storms across the Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Texas damaged many homes, businesses and vehicles. | $1.2 CI | 0 |
Missouri River and North Central Flooding March 2019 | Flooding | March 14, 2019 | March 31, 2019 | Historic Midwest flooding inundated millions of acres of agriculture, numerous cities and towns, and caused widespread damage to roads, bridges, levees, and dams. The states most affected were Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan. This flood was triggered by a powerful storm with heavy precipitation that intensified snow melt and flooding. Of note, the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska was also severely flooded - the third U.S. military base to be damaged by a billion-dollar disaster event over a 6-month period (Sept 2018-Feb 2019). This historic flooding was one of the costliest U.S. inland flooding events on record. | $13.4 CI | 3 |
Central and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather July 2018 | Severe Storm | July 19, 2018 | July 22, 2018 | At least 41 tornadoes and high wind damage from thunderstorms impact numerous Central and Eastern states (MO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, AL, AR, GA, TN, NC, SC, VA, MD, PA) over a multi-day event. The tornado damage was most severe across Iowa. | $2.0 CI | 0 |
Central and Eastern Severe Weather May 2018 | Severe Storm | May 13, 2018 | May 15, 2018 | Severe storm damage across many Central states including TX, KS, CO, OK, MO, IL, IN, IA and OH. This was followed by a derecho event across the Northeastern states of MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WV, MA and CT that caused widespread high wind damage. Also, there were one dozen tornadoes reported across PA, NY and CT causing further damage. | $1.7 CI | 5 |
Central and Northeast Severe Weather May 2018 | Severe Storm | May 1, 2018 | May 4, 2018 | Numerous central states (KS, NE, OK, TX, NM, MO, IA, IL, IN, OH, WI) were impacted by large hail and tornadoes. Several northeastern states including NY, PA and VT were also impacted by high wind damage from severe storms. | $1.7 CI | 0 |
Midwest Severe Weather June 2017 | Severe Storm | June 27, 2017 | June 29, 2017 | Severe hail and high wind damage impacting Nebraska, Illinois and Iowa. More than one dozen tornadoes touched down across parts of Iowa, in addition to other storm damage. | $1.8 CI | 0 |
Midwest Severe Weather June 2017 | Severe Storm | June 12, 2017 | June 16, 2017 | Severe hail, high winds and numerous tornadoes impact many states over several days including WY, TX, NE, KS, MO, IA, IL, PA, VA, NY. | $1.9 CI | 0 |
North Central Severe Weather and Tornadoes May 2017 | Severe Storm | May 15, 2017 | May 18, 2017 | Severe weather and tornadoes cause impacts across numerous north central states. The states most impacted were Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. | $1.2* CI | 1 |
Midwest Tornado Outbreak March 2017 | Severe Storm | March 6, 2017 | March 8, 2017 | Tornado outbreak and wind damage across many Midwestern states (AR, IA, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, NY, OH, WI). Missouri and Illinois were impacted by numerous tornadoes while Michigan and New York were affected by destructive, straight-line winds following the storm system. Nearly one million customers lost power in Michigan alone due to sustained high winds, which affected several states from Illinois to New York. | $2.8 CI | 2 |
Central/ March 2017 | Severe Storm | February 28, 2017 | March 1, 2017 | Over 70 tornadoes developed during a widespread outbreak across many central and southern states causing significant damage. There was also widespread straight-line wind and hail damage. This was the second largest tornado outbreak to occur early in 2017. | $2.3 CI | 6 |
Central and Northeast Severe Weather June 2015 | Severe Storm | June 21, 2015 | June 25, 2015 | Severe storms across numerous Central and Northeast states (CO, CT, IA, IL, MD, MI, NJ, NY, PA, SD, VA, WI) with widespread hail and high wind damage. | $1.5 CI | 1 |
Southern Plains Tornadoes May 2015 | Severe Storm | May 6, 2015 | May 10, 2015 | Tornado outbreak across the Southern Plain states (IA, KS, NE, OK, CO, SD, TX) with 122 tornadoes. The most costly damage occurred across Texas and Oklahoma. | $1.7 CI | 4 |
Midwest/ April 2015 | Severe Storm | April 7, 2015 | April 9, 2015 | Severe storms across the Midwest and Ohio Valley including the states (AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, WI, WV). Large hail and high winds created the most damage across Missouri and Illinois. | $2.1 CI | 2 |
Rockies/ June 2014 | Severe Storm | June 3, 2014 | June 5, 2014 | Severe storms across the Rockies and Central Plains states (NE, KS, WY, IA, AR). Wind gusts exceeding 90 mph and baseball to softball sized hail caused severe damage to structures and vehicles in central and eastern Nebraska. | $2.5 CI | 2 |
Rockies/ May 2014 | Severe Storm | May 18, 2014 | May 23, 2014 | Severe storms across the Rockies, Midwest and Eastern states (CO, MT, IA, IL, IN, OH, SC, VA, PA, DE, NY) with the most costly damage in Colorado, Illinois and Pennsylvania. | $4.9 CI | 0 |
Central Severe Weather April 2014 | Severe Storm | April 12, 2014 | April 13, 2014 | Severe weather produced hail and high wind damage across several central states including Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and Texas. The damage was most focused in Illinois and Michigan, as storms caused impacts to many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.2* CI | 0 |
Western/ Spring-Fall 2013 | Drought | March 1, 2013 | November 30, 2013 | The 2013 drought slowly dissipated from the historic levels of the 2012 drought, as conditions improved across many Midwestern and Plains states. However, moderate to extreme drought did remain or expand into western states (AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY). In comparison to 2011 and 2012 drought conditions the US experienced only moderate crop losses across the central agriculture states. | $14.2 CI | 53 |
Midwest/ May 2013 | Severe Storm | May 18, 2013 | May 22, 2013 | Outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather over the Midwest, Plains and Eastern states (GA, IA, IL, KS, MO, NY, OK, TX) with 59 confirmed tornadoes including the deadly tornado that impacted Moore, OK. Many destructive tornadoes remained on the ground for an extended time. | $3.2 CI | 27 |
U.S. Drought/ 2012 | Drought | January 1, 2012 | December 31, 2012 | The 2012 drought is the most extensive drought to affect the U.S. since the 1930s. Moderate to extreme drought conditions affected more than half the country for a majority of 2012. The following states were affected: CA, NV, ID, MT, WY, UT, CO, AZ, NM, TX, ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, AR, MO, IA, MN, IL, IN, GA. Costly drought impacts occurred across the central agriculture states resulting in widespread harvest failure for corn, sorghum and soybean crops, among others. The associated summer heat wave also caused 123 direct deaths, but an estimate of the excess mortality due to heat stress is still unknown. | $41.7 CI | 123 |
Midwest Tornadoes April 2012 | Severe Storm | April 13, 2012 | April 14, 2012 | Outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather over the midwest (OK, KS, NE, IA) with 98 confirmed tornadoes including many tornadoes that remained on the ground for an extended time - traveling tens of miles. | $1.5 CI | 6 |
Southern Plains/ Spring-Summer 2011 | Drought | March 1, 2011 | August 31, 2011 | Drought and heat wave conditions created major impacts across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Kansas, and western Louisiana. In Texas and Oklahoma, a majority of range and pastures were classified in "very poor" condition for much of the 2011 crop growing season. | $17.1 CI | 95 |
Midwest/ August 17-18, 2011 | Severe Storm | August 17, 2011 | August 18, 2011 | Severe weather impacts the states IA, KS, MO, NE, SD across the Midwest and Southeast. | $1.6 CI | 0 |
Rockies and Midwest Derecho July 10-11, 2011 | Severe Storm | July 10, 2011 | July 11, 2011 | A derecho produced a wide swatch of high wind damage beginning east of the Rockies and across the central plains (CO, IA, IL, MI, MN, OH). | $1.7 CI | 2 |
Missouri River flooding May-June 2011 | Flooding | May 1, 2011 | June 30, 2011 | Melting of an above-average snow pack across the Northern Rocky Mountains combined with above-average precipitation caused the Missouri and Souris Rivers to swell beyond their banks across the Upper Midwest (MT, ND, SD, NE, IA, KS, MO). An estimated 11,000 people were forced to evacuate Minot, North Dakota due to the record high water level of the Souris River, where 4,000 homes were flooded. Numerous levees were breached along the Missouri River, flooding thousands of acres of farmland. | $2.9 CI | 5 |
Mississippi River flooding April-May 2011 | Flooding | April 1, 2011 | May 31, 2011 | Persistent rainfall (nearly 300 percent normal precipitation amounts in the Ohio Valley) combined with melting snowpack caused historical flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Examples of economic damage include: $500 ($715.0) million to agriculture in Arkansas; $320 ($457.6) million in damage to Memphis, Tennessee; $800 million ($1.1 billion) to agriculture in Mississippi; $317 ($453.3) million to agriculture and property in Missouri's Birds Point-New Madrid Spillway; $80 ($114.4) million for the first 30 days of flood fighting efforts in Louisiana. | $4.3 CI | 7 |
Southeast/ April 2011 | Severe Storm | April 8, 2011 | April 11, 2011 | Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (NC, SC, TN, AL, TX, OK, KS, IA, WI) with an estimated 59 tornadoes. | $3.1 CI | 0 |
Midwest/ April 2011 | Severe Storm | April 4, 2011 | April 5, 2011 | Outbreak of tornadoes and derecho over central and southern states (KS, MO, IA, IL, WI, KY, GA, TN, NC, SC) with an estimated 46 tornadoes. | $3.9 CI | 9 |
Midwest/ July 2010 | Severe Storm | July 20, 2010 | July 23, 2010 | Severe storms and flooding affect the states IA, IL, MD, NY, PA, WI across the Midwest and Northeast. | $1.4* CI | 0 |
Midwest/ March 2009 | Severe Storm | March 25, 2009 | March 28, 2009 | Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (NE, KS, OK, IA, TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, TN, KY) with 56 tornadoes confirmed. | $2.4 CI | 0 |
Midwest Flooding Summer 2008 | Flooding | April 1, 2008 | June 30, 2008 | Heavy rain and flooding caused significant agricultural loss and property damage in IA, IL, IN, MO, MN, NE, and WI with IA being hardest hit with widespread rainfall totals ranging from 4 to over 16 inches. | $14.8 CI | 24 |
Midwest/ June 2008 | Severe Storm | June 6, 2008 | June 12, 2008 | An outbreak of tornadoes and thunderstorms over the Midwest/Mid-Atlantic states (IA, IL, IN, KS, NE, MI, MN, MO, OK, WI, MD, VA, WV). | $2.4 CI | 18 |
Midwest Tornadoes and Severe Weather May 2008 | Severe Storm | May 22, 2008 | May 27, 2008 | Outbreak of tornadoes over the Midwest/Ohio Valley regions (IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, NE, OK, WY, CO) with 235 tornadoes confirmed. | $4.4 CI | 13 |
Spring Freeze April 2007 | Freeze | April 4, 2007 | April 10, 2007 | Widespread severe freeze over much of the east and midwest (AL, AR, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MO, MS, NC, NE, OH, OK, SC, TN, VA, WV), causing significant losses in fruit crops, field crops (especially wheat), and the ornamental industry. Temperatures in the teens/20s accompanied by rather high winds nullified typical crop-protection systems. | $3.2 CI | 0 |
Midwest/ Spring-Summer 2006 | Drought | March 1, 2006 | August 31, 2006 | Rather severe drought affected crops especially during the spring-summer, centered over the Great Plains region with other areas affected across portions of the south -- including states of ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, MN, IA, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, MT, WY, CO, NM. | $9.5 CI | 0 |
Midwest Tornadoes April 2006 | Severe Storm | April 13, 2006 | April 16, 2006 | Tornadoes and severe weather cause significant damage in the states of IA, IL, IN, and WI. The state of Indiana was most affected with over one billion dollars in damage. | $3.8 CI | 27 |
Midwest Drought Spring-Summer 2005 | Drought | March 1, 2005 | August 31, 2005 | Rather severe localized drought causes significant crop losses (especially for corn and soybeans) in the states of AR, IL, IA, IN, MO, OH, and WI. | $2.4 CI | 0 |
Severe Storms, Hail, Tornadoes May 2004 | Severe Storm | May 21, 2004 | May 27, 2004 | Severe storms including tornadoes and hail cause damage across the Midwest, South, Southeast and Northeast regions. The states impacted include IA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, NC, NE, NY, OK, OH and WI. | $1.7 CI | 4 |
Western/ Spring-Fall 2003 | Drought | March 1, 2003 | November 30, 2003 | 2003 drought across western and central portions of the U.S. with losses to agriculture. The states most impacted include AZ, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, OR, SD, WA and WI. | $8.7 CI | 35 |
Midwest/ July 2003 | Severe Storm | July 4, 2003 | July 9, 2003 | Severe storms affect the states IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, VA, WV across the Midwest and Plains. | $1.5* CI | 7 |
Severe Storms/ May 2003 | Severe Storm | May 3, 2003 | May 10, 2003 | Numerous tornadoes over the midwest, Mississippi valley, OH/TN valleys, and portions of the southeast, with a modern record one-week total of approximately 400 tornadoes reported | $7.1 CI | 51 |
North Central Severe Weather May 2001 | Severe Storm | April 30, 2001 | May 1, 2001 | Severe weather produced impacts across several north central states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska. | $1.2* CI | 0 |
Midwest/ April 2001 | Severe Storm | April 6, 2001 | April 11, 2001 | Storms, tornadoes, and hail in the states of TX, OK, KS, NE, IA, MO, IL, IN, WI, MI, OH, KY, WV, and PA, over a 6-day period. | $5.5 CI | 3 |
Western/ Spring-Fall 2000 | Drought | March 1, 2000 | November 30, 2000 | Western/Central/Southeast Drought/Heat Wave. The states impacted include AZ, AL, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, KS, LA, MS, MT, NE, NM, OK, OR, SC, TN, and TX. | $9.3 CI | 140 |
Central and Eastern Severe Storms and Flooding June 1998 | Severe Storm | June 20, 1998 | June 24, 1998 | Severe storms and flooding impact numerous Central and Eastern states. In particular, these storms and floods affected many residences and businesses throughout north-central and eastern Ohio. More than 7,000 homes were affected and more than 1,000 structures were completely destroyed or declared uninhabitable. | $1.7* CI | 12 |
Northern Plains and Great Lakes Derecho, Tornadoes June 1998 | Severe Storm | May 30, 1998 | June 2, 1998 | Severe storms in late May through early June hit the Midwest, North, Northeast, and Southeast | $2.2 CI | 20 |
Midwest/ April 1994 | Severe Storm | April 25, 1994 | April 27, 1994 | Tornadoes and severe storms cause damage in states across the South, Southeast and Midwest. The states impacted include TX, OK, AR, CO, KS, NE, IA, SD, IL, IN, MN and MO. | $2.1 CI | 3 |
Midwest Flooding Summer 1993 | Flooding | June 27, 1993 | August 15, 1993 | Severe, widespread flooding in central U.S. due to persistent heavy rains and thunderstorms. There was extensive damage to agriculture, infrastructure, homes and businesses in many areas across several states. Many river stations also established new records for historical flood heights. This is the most costly non-tropical, inland flood event to affect the United States on record. | $46.1 CI | 48 |
Northern Plains and Ohio Valley Severe Weather July 1993 | Severe Storm | July 8, 1993 | July 10, 1993 | Severe storms caused high wind, hail and tornado damage across many Northern/Central Plains (NE, KS, MO, IA, MN, ND) and Ohio Valley states (IL, IN). | $1.4* CI | 1 |
U.S. Drought Spring-Summer 1991 | Drought | March 1, 1991 | August 31, 1991 | Drought conditions over parts of the West, Central and eastern U.S. most affected the states IL, IN, KS, MN, OH, OR, PA, SD, and WA. | $7.0 CI | 0 |
Northern Plains Drought Summer-Fall 1989 | Drought | June 1, 1989 | November 30, 1989 | Severe summer drought over much of the northern plains with significant losses to agriculture. The states impacted include CO, IA, IL, KS, MO, ND, NE, NV, SD, TX and UT. | $7.8 CI | 0 |
U.S. Drought/ Summer 1988 | Drought | June 1, 1988 | August 31, 1988 | 1988 drought across a large portion of the U.S. with very severe losses to agriculture and related industries. Combined direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess mortality) due to heat stress estimated at 5,000. | $54.2 CI | 454 |
Winter Storm, Cold Wave January 1985 | Winter Storm | January 19, 1985 | January 22, 1985 | Extreme cold and winter storms in the Southeast, South, Southwest, Northeast, Midwest, and North | $2.5* CI | 150 |
Freeze/ December 1983 | Freeze | December 15, 1983 | December 25, 1983 | Severe freeze damages citrus crops across central/northern Florida. Associated cold wave over much of the U.S. causes over 100 deaths and additional damages. | $6.4 CI | 151 |
Severe Storms June 1982 | Severe Storm | May 31, 1982 | June 10, 1982 | Severe storms cause damage across the South, Southeast and Central regions. The states impacted include AR, IL, KY, IN, SC, GA and OH. | $1.6* CI | 30 |
Midwest/ April 1982 | Severe Storm | April 2, 1982 | April 4, 1982 | Tornadoes and severe weather affect the states (AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, WI, WV) across the Midwest, Plains and Southeast. | $1.6* CI | 33 |
Midwest/ January 1982 | Winter Storm | January 8, 1982 | January 16, 1982 | Winter storm and cold wave affect numerous states (AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV) across the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. | $2.2* CI | 85 |
Central/ Summer-Fall 1980 | Drought | June 1, 1980 | November 30, 1980 | Central and eastern U.S. drought/heat wave caused damage to agriculture and other related industries. Combined direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess mortality) due to heat stress estimated at 10,000. | $40.5 CI | 1,260 |
†Deaths associated with drought are the result of heat waves. (Not all droughts are accompanied by extreme heat waves.)
Flooding events (river basin or urban flooding from excessive rainfall) are separate from inland flood damage caused by tropical cyclone events.
*Statistics valid as of July 9, 2024
Citing this information:
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2024). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/, DOI: 10.25921/stkw-7w73