NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Kentucky Summary
From 1980-2024, there were 92 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Kentucky. These events included 10 drought events, 4 flooding events, 3 freeze events, 58 severe storm events, 5 tropical cyclone events, and 12 winter storm events. The 1980–2024 annual average is 2.0 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2020–2024) is 5.4 events (CPI-adjusted).
| Disaster Type | Events | Events/Year | Percent Frequency | Total Costs | Percent of Total Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 10 | 0.2 | 10.9% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 27.3% |
| Flooding | 4 | 0.1 | 4.3% | $500M-$1.0B | 3.3% |
| Freeze | 3 | 0.1 | 3.3% | $250M-$500M | 0.9% |
| Severe Storm | 58 | 1.3 | 63.0% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 57.4% |
| Tropical Cyclone | 5 | 0.1 | 5.4% | $1.0B-$2.0B | 5.5% |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 12 | 0.3 | 13.0% | $1.0B-$2.0B | 5.5% |
| All Disasters | 92 | 2.0 | 100.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Time Period | Billion-Dollar Disasters | Events/ | Cost | Percent of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 9 | 0.9 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 16.5% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 11 | 1.1 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 6.9% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 21 | 2.1 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 21.5% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 24 | 2.4 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 23.6% |
| Last 5 Years (2020-2024) | 27 | 5.4 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 31.6% |
| Last 3 Years (2022-2024) | 19 | 6.3 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 19.1% |
| Last Year (2024) | 7 | 7.0 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 3.9% |
| All Years (1980-2024) | 92 | 2.0 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Event | Type | Begin Date |
End Date |
Summary |
CPI-Adjusted Estimated Cost (in Billions) |
Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hurricane Helene September 2024 | Tropical Cyclone | September 24, 2024 | September 29, 2024 | Category 4 Hurricane Helene with 140 mph sustained winds was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida having made landfall near Perry, Florida on September 26. Helene was the third hurricane to hit the Big Bend region in just over a year. It caused up to 15 feet of storm surge along the Big Bend coast and six feet of surge as far south as St. Petersburg. It also caused billions of dollars in damage to Georgia's agriculture sector. Helene's most severe impacts were from the historic rainfall (up to 30+ inches) and flooding across much of western North Carolina. This flooding eclipsed the region's previous worst flood from 1916. Asheville and many surrounding cities and communities were heavily impacted. Southwestern Virginia and extreme eastern Tennessee were also heavily impacted. Damage came in many forms. Landslides, debris flows, and historic levels of flooding inundated and destroyed homes, businesses, parks, hospitals, the electrical, cellular and water system infrastructure, and damaged thousands of roads, highways and bridges, as examples. Additional information is currently being assembled that summarizes the vast scope of damage produced by Helene. Helene was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Maria (2017), and the deadliest to strike the U.S. mainland since Katrina (2005). | $78.7 CI | 219 |
Central Tornado Outbreak May 2024 | Severe Storm | May 25, 2024 | May 26, 2024 | An outbreak producing more than 110 tornadoes developed across many central states. The states most affected include Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois and Kentucky causing widespread damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. On May 25, an EF-3 tornado tracked through the Montague, Cooke and Denton counties of Texas, with maximum winds of 140 mph that caused seven fatalities and at least 100 injuries. | $3.5 CI | 16 |
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. | $4.9 CI | 5 |
Central, Southern, Southeastern Tornado Outbreak May 2024 | Severe Storm | May 6, 2024 | May 9, 2024 | An outbreak producing more than 165 tornadoes developed across many central, southern and southeastern states. The states most affected include Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. This multi-day tornado outbreak produced at least 61 EF-0, 79 EF-1, 13 EF-2, three EF-3, one EF-4 tornado and dozens of EF-U (unknown/unrated) tornadoes, causing widespread damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. The towns of Barnsdall and Bartlesville, Oklahoma were impacted by an EF-4 tornado that caused extensive damage. | $6.6 CI | 3 |
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather April 2024 | Severe Storm | April 1, 2024 | April 3, 2024 | A central tornado outbreak produced more than 85 tornadoes across a three-day period from Oklahoma to West Virginia. This outbreak included 19 EF-0, 52 EF-1 and 14 EF-2 tornadoes, which were most concentrated across the Ohio River Valley on April 1-2. These tornadoes and severe weather impacts across several eastern states caused damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and other infrastructure. | $2.5 CI | 3 |
Central and Southern Severe Weather March 2024 | Severe Storm | March 12, 2024 | March 14, 2024 | Damaging hail, tornadoes and high wind from severe storms impact many Central and Southern states. Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri were affected by up to baseball-sized hail damaging homes, vehicles, businesses. Illinois, Indiana and Ohio were impacted by hail, high wind and dozens of tornadoes including a deadly EF-3 striking northwest Ohio. | $6.2 CI | 3 |
Central and Eastern Severe Weather February 2024 | Severe Storm | February 27, 2024 | February 28, 2024 | Severe storms produced two dozen tornadoes, hail and high wind impacts across northern Illinois, central Ohio and southern Michigan. There were additional high wind impacts focused across northern Kentucky and northern Georgia causing damage to homes, vehicles, businesses and other infrastructure. | $1.5 CI | 0 |
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. | $5.5 CI | 8 |
Southern Severe Weather June 2023 | Severe Storm | June 11, 2023 | June 14, 2023 | Numerous southern states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, South Carolina and Florida were impacted by hail, tornadoes and high winds. These storms caused damage to many homes, vehicles and businesses across several days of severe storm activity. | $4.2 CI | 0 |
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 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. | $3.0 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 |
Southern and Eastern Severe Weather March 2023 | Severe Storm | March 2, 2023 | March 3, 2023 | Severe storms impact numerous southern and eastern states including Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Impacts from high wind and tornadoes cause widespread damage to homes, vehicles, businesses, government buildings and infrastructure. | $6.2 CI | 13 |
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. | $9.0 CI | 87 |
Kentucky and Missouri Flooding July 2022 | Flooding | July 26, 2022 | July 28, 2022 | Eastern Kentucky and eastern Missouri were impacted by major flooding from a stalled frontal system, which damaged thousands of homes, businesses, vehicles and other infrastructure in late-July. Areas around St. Louis received 8-12 inches of rainfall that required swift water rescues due to flooded interstates and homes across the St. Louis metropolitan area. A large region of 5-10+ inches of rainfall across eastern Kentucky produced deadly flash flooding. Over 600 helicopter rescues and many swift water rescues by boat were needed to evacuate people who were trapped by the quickly-rising flood waters. The North Fork of the Kentucky River at Jackson also reached major flood stage setting a new record crest of 43.47' (the previous record was 43.1' set in 1939). | $1.6 CI | 42 |
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 |
Southern Tornado Outbreak March 2022 | Severe Storm | March 30, 2022 | March 30, 2022 | An outbreak of 83 tornadoes was focused across the Gulf Coast states including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. | $1.4 CI | 2 |
Southeast, Central Tornado Outbreak December 2021 | Severe Storm | December 10, 2021 | December 10, 2021 | Historic December tornado outbreak across several southeast and central states caused devastating damage across many towns and cities. This outbreak produced two long-tracked EF-4 tornadoes across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. The longest tornado track was nearly 166 miles across Kentucky and a small portion of Tennessee. This was the longest-tracked tornado on record in Kentucky and was a U.S. record tornado track length for the month of December. There were over 800 total miles of tornado path length on December 10. The peak intensity from this outbreak was EF-4 rated wind speeds of 190 mph in Mayfield, Kentucky. This day was also the deadliest December tornado outbreak recorded in the United States surpassing the Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado of December 5, 1953, which caused 38 fatalities. | $4.5 CI | 93 |
Hurricane Ida August 2021 | Tropical Cyclone | August 29, 2021 | September 1, 2021 | Category 4 Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 930 mb. Ida was one of three hurricanes in recorded history to make landfall in Louisiana with 150 mph winds, along with Hurricane Laura in 2020 and the 'Last Island' hurricane of 1856. Grand Isle, Louisiana took a direct hit with 100% of its homes damaged and nearly 40% were nearly-to-completely destroyed. There was heavy damage to the energy infrastructure across southern Louisiana causing widespread, long duration power outages to millions of people. Parts of New Orleans were without power for nearly a week due to the widespread damage. As the remnants of Ida moved into the Northeast it merged with a frontal system creating severe weather and flash flooding across a wide region from eastern Pennsylvania to New York. Flash flood emergencies were declared in New Jersey and New York for the first time, producing damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and infrastructure while also causing dozens of fatalities. | $84.6 CI | 96 |
Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather March 2021 | Severe Storm | March 24, 2021 | March 25, 2021 | At least 41 tornadoes impact several states including Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. These included one EF-4, four EF-3s, ten EF-2s and approximately two-dozen EF-1 or EF-0 tornadoes. The strongest of these tornadoes were focused across central Alabama and western Georgia with tracks across the entire width of Alabama. There was widespread damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and infrastructure. | $2.0 CI | 6 |
Northwest, Central, Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave February 2021 | Winter Storm | February 10, 2021 | February 19, 2021 | Historic cold wave and winter storm impacts many northwest, central and eastern states. Temperature departures exceeding 40.0 degrees F (22.2 degrees C) below normal occurred from Nebraska southward to Texas. The prolonged arctic air caused widespread power outages in Texas, as well as other southern states, with multiple days of sustained below-freezing temperatures. At the peak of the outage, nearly 10 million people were without power. Additional impacts were frozen water pipes, which burst upon thawing causing water damage to buildings. These extreme conditions also caused or contributed to the direct and indirect deaths of more than 210 people in Texas alone. This count does not include excess mortality that may be hundreds of additional deaths. There were also snow and ice impacts across numerous states including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. This is now the costliest U.S. winter storm event on record, more than doubling the inflation-adjusted cost of the 'Storm of the Century' that occurred in March 1993. | $27.2 CI | 262 |
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 |
Midwest and Ohio Valley Severe Weather March 2020 | Severe Storm | March 27, 2020 | March 28, 2020 | Severe weather caused damage across many Midwest and Ohio Valley states including Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The states most affected from a combination of high winds and hail were Missouri, Ohio and Arkansas. There were also two dozen tornadoes across Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Arkansas causing additional damage. | $3.1 CI | 0 |
Tennessee Tornadoes and Southeast Severe Weather March 2020 | Severe Storm | March 2, 2020 | March 4, 2020 | Powerful EF-3 and EF-4 tornadoes cause considerable damage across the Nashville metroplex and several counties east of Nashville. This damage included many homes, businesses, vehicles, 90 planes and numerous buildings at the Nashville airport. There was also additional hail and wind damage in the surrounding states including Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Missouri. | $2.8 CI | 25 |
Southeast Tornadoes and Northern Storms and Flooding January 2020 | Severe Storm | January 10, 2020 | January 12, 2020 | More than 80 tornadoes and severe storms caused damage across many southeastern states (AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC, OH, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI). Storms and severe flooding also impacted northern states including Michigan, Wisconsin and New York. Significant damage occurred along the shoreline of Lake Michigan to roads, the foundation of homes and to Port Milwaukee. These powerful waves were generated by high winds and a lack of seasonal ice cover. | $1.4 CI | 10 |
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 |
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 |
Missouri and Arkansas Flooding and Central Severe Weather May 2017 | Flooding | April 25, 2017 | May 7, 2017 | A period of heavy rainfall up to 15 inches over a multi-state region in the Midwest caused historic levels of flooding along many rivers. The flooding was most severe in Missouri, Arkansas and southern Illinois where levees were breached and towns were flooded. There was widespread damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and agriculture. Severe storms also caused additional impacts during the flooding event across a number of central and southern states. | $2.2 CI | 20 |
Southeast Severe Weather and Tornadoes April 2017 | Severe Storm | April 4, 2017 | April 6, 2017 | Severe weather and tornadoes impact numerous southern and eastern states. The states most impacted include Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky. | $1.3 CI | 1 |
South/ March 2017 | Severe Storm | March 26, 2017 | March 28, 2017 | Large hail and high winds in Texas north of the Dallas metro region caused widespread damage to structures and vehicles. Severe storms also caused damage across several other states (OK, TN, KY, MS, AL) due to the combination of high winds, hail and tornadoes. | $3.5 CI | 0 |
Southeast Freeze March 2017 | Freeze | March 14, 2017 | March 16, 2017 | Severe freeze heavily damaged fruit crops across several southeastern states (SC, GA, NC, TN, AL, MS, FL, KY, VA). Mid-March freezes are not climatologically unusual in the Southeast, however many crops were blooming 3+ weeks early due to unusually warm temperatures during the preceding weeks. Damage was most severe in Georgia and South Carolina. Crops most impacted include peaches, blueberries, strawberries and apples, among others. | $1.3 CI | 0 |
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 |
Plains Tornadoes and Central Severe Weather May 2016 | Severe Storm | May 8, 2016 | May 11, 2016 | Tornadoes and severe storms cause widespread damage across the Plains and Central states (NE, MO, TX, OK, KS, CO, IL, KY, TN) over a multi-day period. The damage from tornadoes and high wind was most costly in Nebraska and Missouri. | $2.3 CI | 2 |
Texas Tornadoes and Midwest Flooding December 2015 | Severe Storm | December 26, 2015 | December 29, 2015 | A powerful storm system packing unseasonably strong tornadoes caused widespread destruction in the Dallas metropolitan region, damaging well over 1,000 homes and businesses. This same potent system also produced intense rainfall over several Midwestern states triggering historic flooding that has approached or broken records at river gauges in several states (MO, IL, AR, TN, MS, LA). The flooding has overtopped levees and caused damage in numerous areas. This historic storm also produced high wind, snow and ice impacts from New Mexico through the Midwest and into New England. Overall, the storm caused at least 50 deaths from the combined impact of tornadoes, flooding and winter weather. | $2.6 CI | 50 |
South and Southeast Severe Weather April 2015 | Severe Storm | April 24, 2015 | April 25, 2015 | Severe weather produced tornadoes, large hail and high wind damage across numerous southern and southeastern states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. These storms caused widespread impacts to many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.3* CI | 3 |
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 |
Central and Eastern Winter storm, Cold Wave February 2015 | Winter Storm | February 14, 2015 | February 20, 2015 | A large winter storm and associated cold wave impacted many central, eastern and northeastern states (CT, DE, GA, IL, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA). The city of Boston was particularly impacted as feet of snow continued to accumulate causing load-stress on buildings and clogging transportation corridors. Total, direct losses in Massachusetts alone exceed $1.0 ($1.3) billion for this event, with considerable damage in many other states. | $4.0 CI | 30 |
Midwest/ January 2014 | Winter Storm | January 5, 2014 | January 8, 2014 | Winter storm caused widespread damage across numerous Midwest, Southeast and Northeastern states (AL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA). | $2.9 CI | 16 |
Ohio Valley Tornadoes November 2013 | Severe Storm | November 17, 2013 | November 17, 2013 | Late-season outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather over the Ohio Valley (IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, OH) with 70 confirmed tornadoes. Most severe impacts occurred across Illinois and Indiana. | $1.5 CI | 8 |
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 |
Plains/ June-July 2012 | Severe Storm | June 29, 2012 | July 2, 2012 | Sustained outbreak of thunderstorms/high winds from a strong derecho event over the central, eastern, and northeastern states (IL, IN, KY, OH, WV, SC, NC, VA, MD, DC, NJ). | $4.0 CI | 28 |
Midwest/ April-May 2012 | Severe Storm | April 28, 2012 | May 1, 2012 | Severe weather over the midwest and Ohio Valley (TX, OK, KS, MO, IL, IN, KY) with 38 confirmed tornadoes. Considerable damage resulting from hail. | $4.5 CI | 1 |
Southeast/ March 2012 | Severe Storm | March 2, 2012 | March 3, 2012 | Outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather over the southeast and Ohio Valley (AL, GA, IN, OH, KY, TN) with 75 confirmed tornadoes. | $4.3 CI | 42 |
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/ May 2011 | Severe Storm | May 22, 2011 | May 27, 2011 | Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (MO, TX, OK, KS, AR, GA, TN, VA, KY, IN, IL, OH, WI, MN, PA) with an estimated 180 tornadoes. Notably, an EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, MO resulting in at least 160 deaths, making it the deadliest single tornado to strike the U.S. since modern tornado record keeping began in 1950. | $12.7 CI | 177 |
Southeast/ April 2011 | Severe Storm | April 25, 2011 | April 28, 2011 | Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (AL, AR, LA, MS, GA, TN, VA, KY, IL, MO, OH, TX, OK) with an estimated 343 tornadoes. The deadliest tornado of the outbreak, an EF-5, hit northern Alabama, killing 78 people. Several major metropolitan areas were directly impacted by strong tornadoes including Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Huntsville in Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee, causing the estimated damage costs to soar. | $14.3 CI | 321 |
Ohio Valley Derecho and Southern Tornadoes April 2011 | Severe Storm | April 19, 2011 | April 20, 2011 | Dozens of tornadoes and a derecho affect numerous states (AR, IL, IN, KY, MO, OH, TN, TX) across the Ohio Valley and South. | $1.5 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 |
East/ May 2010 | Flooding | April 30, 2010 | May 2, 2010 | Flooding, hail, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms occurred across many Southern states (TN, AR, KY, GA) on April 30-May 2. Flooding in the Nashville, TN area alone contributed > $1.0 ($1.5) billion in damages. Western and Middle Tennessee were hardest hit with local rainfall amounts of 18-20 inches to the south and west of Greater Nashville. | $3.3 CI | 32 |
Midwest, South and East Severe Weather June 2009 | Severe Storm | June 9, 2009 | June 12, 2009 | Sustained outbreak of thunderstorms and high winds from a strong derecho event over the central, southern, and eastern states (TX, OK, MO, NE, KS, AR, AL, MS, TN, NC, SC, KY, PA). | $1.9 CI | 0 |
Central Derecho and Tornadoes May 2009 | Severe Storm | May 7, 2009 | May 9, 2009 | More than 50 tornadoes and large hail from severe storms caused damage across many southeastern states (IL, KS, KY, MO, TN, TX). | $1.3* CI | 7 |
South/ April 2009 | Severe Storm | April 9, 2009 | April 10, 2009 | Outbreak of tornadoes, hail and severe thunderstorms over the south and southeastern states (AL, AR, GA, KY, MO, SC, TN) with 85 confirmed tornadoes. | $2.1 CI | 6 |
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 |
Southeast/ February 2009 | Severe Storm | February 10, 2009 | February 11, 2009 | Complex of severe thunderstorms and high winds across the region (TN, KY, OK, OH, VA, WV, PA). | $2.6 CI | 10 |
U.S. Drought 2008 | Drought | January 1, 2008 | December 31, 2008 | Severe drought and heat caused agricultural losses across a large portion of the U.S. Record low lake levels also occurred in areas of the southeast. The states impacted include AL, AR, CA, CO, GA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MD, MN, MS, MT, NC, ND, NJ, NM, OH, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA and WI. | $10.5 CI | 0 |
Hurricane Ike September 2008 | Tropical Cyclone | September 12, 2008 | September 14, 2008 | Category 2 hurricane makes landfall in Texas, as the largest (in size) Atlantic hurricane on record, causing considerable storm surge in coastal TX and significant wind and flooding damage in TX, LA, AR, TN, IL, IN, KY, MO, OH, MI and PA. Severe gasoline shortages occurred in the southeast U.S. due to damaged oil platforms, storage tanks, pipelines and off-line refineries. | $43.2 CI | 112 |
Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather February 2008 | Severe Storm | February 5, 2008 | February 6, 2008 | Series of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the Southeast and Midwest states (AL, AR, IN, KY, MS, OH, TN, TX) with 87 tornadoes confirmed. | $1.8 CI | 57 |
Western/ Summer-Fall 2007 | Drought | June 1, 2007 | November 30, 2007 | Severe drought with periods of extreme heat over most of the southeast and portions of the Great Plains, Ohio Valley, and Great Lakes area, resulting in major reductions in crop yields, along with very low stream-flows and lake levels. Includes states of ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, MN, WI, IA, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, NC, SC, FL, TN, VA, WV, KY, IN, IL, OH, MI, PA, NY. | $5.5 CI | 15 |
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/ April 6-8, 2006 | Severe Storm | April 6, 2006 | April 8, 2006 | Severe weather and numerous tornadoes affecting the states of OK, KS, MO, NE, KY, OH, TN, IN, MS, GA, and AL on April 6-8 with 3 "killer" tornadoes in TN. | $2.5 CI | 10 |
Severe Storms and Tornadoes March 2006 | Severe Storm | March 8, 2006 | March 13, 2006 | Outbreak of tornadoes over portions of the midwest and south during a week-long period-affecting the states of AL, AR, KY, MS, TN, TX, IN, KS, MO, and OK. | $2.1 CI | 10 |
Hurricane Katrina August 2005 | Tropical Cyclone | August 25, 2005 | August 30, 2005 | Category 3 hurricane initially impacts the U.S. as a Category 1 near Miami, FL, then as a strong Category 3 along the eastern LA-western MS coastlines, resulting in severe storm surge damage (maximum surge probably exceeded 30 feet) along the LA-MS-AL coasts, wind damage, and the failure of parts of the levee system in New Orleans. Inland effects included high winds and some flooding in the states of AL, MS, FL, TN, KY, IN, OH, and GA. | $201.3 CI | 1,833 |
Hurricane Ivan September 2004 | Tropical Cyclone | September 12, 2004 | September 21, 2004 | Category 3 hurricane makes landfall on Gulf coast of Alabama, with significant wind, storm surge, and flooding damage in coastal AL and FL panhandle, along with wind/flood damage in the states of GA, MS, LA, SC, NC, VA, WV, MD, TN, KY, OH, DE, NJ, PA, and NY. | $34.0 CI | 57 |
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 |
Southern Derecho and Eastern Severe Weather July 2003 | Severe Storm | July 21, 2003 | July 23, 2003 | Derecho across several southern states with the most focused damage across the Memphis, Tennessee metro area. Severe storms impact states across the South, Southeast, Midwest and Northeast regions including AR, AL, MS, GA, FL, SC, TN, KY, MI, NY, OH, PA and VT. | $1.7 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 |
U.S. Drought Spring-Fall 2002 | Drought | March 1, 2002 | November 30, 2002 | Moderate to extreme drought over large portions of more than 30 states, including the western states, the Great Plains, and much of the eastern U.S. | $16.0 CI | 0 |
Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Storms November 2002 | Severe Storm | November 9, 2002 | November 11, 2002 | Tornado outbreak of over 100 tornadoes across many eastern states causes widespread damage (AL, MS, GA, TN, KY, OH, PA). Tennessee and Ohio had the highest count of tornadoes. | $1.3* CI | 28 |
Severe Storms and Tornadoes April 2002 | Severe Storm | April 27, 2002 | April 28, 2002 | Numerous tornadoes and widespread hail damage over the Central and Eastern states including NC, GA, VA, TX, AR, MO, MS, TN, IL, IN, KY, PA, MD, NY, OH, WV, and KS. | $3.7 CI | 7 |
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 |
Eastern Drought/ Summer 1999 | Drought | June 1, 1999 | August 31, 1999 | Very dry summer and high temperatures, mainly in eastern U.S., with extensive agricultural losses. The states impacted include AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, OH, SC, TN, VA, WV and PA. | $4.8 CI | 502 |
Oklahoma and Kansas Tornadoes May 1999 | Severe Storm | May 3, 1999 | May 6, 1999 | Outbreak of F4-F5 tornadoes hit the states of Oklahoma and Kansas, along with Texas and Tennessee, Oklahoma City area hardest hit. | $3.8 CI | 55 |
Central and Eastern Winter Storm January 1999 | Winter Storm | January 1, 1999 | January 4, 1999 | South, Southeast, Midwest, Northeast affected by damaging winter storm | $2.0 CI | 25 |
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 |
Mississippi and Ohio Valley Severe Weather and Flooding March 1997 | Severe Storm | February 28, 1997 | March 5, 1997 | Tornadoes and severe flooding hit the states of AR, MO, MS, TN, IL, IN, KY, OH, and WV, with over 10 inches of rain in 24 hours in Louisville. | $1.9 CI | 67 |
Blizzard/ January 1996 | Winter Storm | January 1, 1996 | January 31, 1996 | Very heavy snowstorm (1-4 feet) over Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast; followed by severe flooding in parts of same area due to rain and snowmelt. | $6.1 CI | 187 |
Southeast Ice Storm February 1994 | Winter Storm | February 8, 1994 | February 13, 1994 | Intense ice storm with extensive damage in portions of TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, GA, SC, NC, and VA. | $6.4 CI | 9 |
Winter Storm, Cold Wave January 1994 | Winter Storm | January 17, 1994 | January 20, 1994 | Winter storm affects the Southeast and Northeast regions. The states impacted include CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT and WV. | $2.2 CI | 70 |
East Coast Blizzard and Severe Weather March 1993 | Winter Storm | March 11, 1993 | March 14, 1993 | The "Storm of the Century" impacts the entire Eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine. This historic storm dumped 2-4 feet of snow and caused hurricane force winds across many Eastern and Northeastern states. This caused power outages to over 10 million households. Additional impacts included numerous tornadoes across Florida causing substantial damage. This was the most destructive and costly winter storm to affect the United States (since 1980), until it was surpassed by the February 2021 winter storm and cold wave. | $12.2 CI | 270 |
Southeast Severe Weather November 1992 | Severe Storm | November 21, 1992 | November 23, 1992 | Three-day tornado outbreak strikes many Central and Eastern states including TX, LA, AL, MS, GA, AR, IN, OH, KY, TN, and NC. Major damage was reported across many areas, as more than 100 tornadoes were reported. This event remains one of the most prolific Fall season tornado outbreaks on record. | $1.5* CI | 26 |
Severe Storms, Tornadoes March 1991 | Severe Storm | March 26, 1991 | March 29, 1991 | Severe storms hit the Midwest, Southeast, Northeast. The states impacted include KS, IL, MI, IN, MS, TN, KY, OH, AL, PA, NY, GA, SC and NC. | $1.5* CI | 0 |
Winter Storm, Cold Wave December 1989 | Winter Storm | December 21, 1989 | December 26, 1989 | Winter storm and deep cold impacts the Northeast, South and Southeast. The states impacted include AL, AR, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MO, MS, NC, NH, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT and WV. | $1.7* CI | 100 |
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. | $54.6 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. | $6.5 CI | 151 |
Southeast Drought Summer 1983 | Drought | June 1, 1983 | August 31, 1983 | 1983 flash drought in the southeastern U.S. with losses to agriculture, most notably corn and soybeans. The states impacted include AL, AR, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, SC, TN and VA. | $9.6 CI | 0 |
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. | $40.7 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.
Citing this information:
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/, DOI: 10.25921/stkw-7w73
