NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Louisiana Summary
From 1980–2024 (as of June 10, 2024), there have been 101 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Louisiana. These events included 14 drought events, 10 flooding events, 1 freeze event, 42 severe storm events, 25 tropical cyclone events, and 9 winter storm events. The 1980–2023 annual average is 2.2 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2019–2023) is 5.8 events (CPI-adjusted).
| Disaster Type | Events | Events/Year | Percent Frequency | Total Costs | Percent of Total Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 14 | 0.3 | 13.9% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 2.2% |
| Flooding | 10 | 0.2 | 9.9% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 6.9% |
| Freeze | 1 | 0.0 | 1.0% | $100M-$250M | 0.1% |
| Severe Storm | 42 | 0.9 | 41.6% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 4.0% |
| Tropical Cyclone | 25 | 0.6 | 24.8% | $200.0B-$300.0B | 86.1% |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 9 | 0.2 | 8.9% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 0.7% |
| All Disasters | 101 | 2.2 | 100.0% | $300.0B-$310.0B | 100.0% |
| Drought | 14 | 0.3 | 16.5% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 1.8% |
| Flooding | 9 | 0.2 | 10.6% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 6.4% |
| Freeze | 1 | 0.0 | 1.2% | $5M-$100M | 0.0% |
| Severe Storm | 34 | 0.8 | 40.0% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 3.1% |
| Tropical Cyclone | 22 | 0.5 | 25.9% | $100.0B-$200.0B | 88.2% |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 5 | 0.1 | 5.9% | $500M-$1.0B | 0.4% |
| All Disasters | 85 | 1.9 | 100.0% | $200.0B-$300.0B | 100.0% |
| Time Period | Billion-Dollar Disasters | Events/ | Cost | Percent of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 17 | 1.7 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 4.2% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 15 | 1.5 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 3.7% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 17 | 1.7 | $100.0B-$200.0B | 54.6% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 23 | 2.3 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 7.0% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 29 | 5.8 | $50.0B-$100.0B | 30.6% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 15 | 5.0 | $50.0B-$100.0B | 20.3% |
| Last Year (2023) | 5 | 5.0 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 0.8% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 101 | 2.2 | $300.0B-$310.0B | 100.0% |
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 8 | 0.8 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 1.5% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 12 | 1.2 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 2.5% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 15 | 1.5 | $100.0B-$200.0B | 50.2% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 21 | 2.1 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 7.5% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 29 | 5.8 | $50.0B-$100.0B | 38.5% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 15 | 5.0 | $50.0B-$100.0B | 26.1% |
| Last Year (2023) | 5 | 5.0 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 1.1% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 85 | 1.9 | $200.0B-$300.0B | 100.0% |
| Event | Type | Begin Date |
End Date |
Summary |
CPI-AUnadjusted Estimated Cost (in Billions) |
Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southern Derecho May 2024 | Severe Storm | May 16, 2024 | May 17, 2024 | A rare southern derecho event produced high wind damage from Texas to Florida. Central and eastern Texas were impacted by high winds at times exceeding 100 mph. These winds also ripped through downtown Houston blowing out numerous windows in skyscrapers causing considerable damage. Louisiana, Alabama and Florida also were impacted by damaging winds impacting many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.2 CI | 8 |
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 and Eastern Severe Weather April 2024 | Severe Storm | April 8, 2024 | April 11, 2024 | Southern and eastern severe weather produced tornadoes, hail and high wind, from Texas to Virginia. The event began with severe hail and high wind impacts across central and eastern Texas, followed by more than 20 tornadoes impacting the Gulf Coast counties of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. There were additional high wind and tornado impacts in North Carolina and Virginia. | $2.0 CI | 0 |
Southern Severe Weather February 2024 | Severe Storm | February 10, 2024 | February 12, 2024 | Severe storms produced up to golf ball sized hail across central and eastern Texas causing damage to homes, vehicles and businesses. Additional damage from hail and high winds and training thunderstorms caused flooding across portions of Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. | $1.1 CI | 0 |
Southern Tornado Outbreak and East Coast Storm January 2024 | Severe Storm | January 8, 2024 | January 10, 2024 | Southern tornado outbreak and east coast storm impacted more than a dozen states. At least 39 preliminary tornadoes were clustered around the Florida Panhandle through the Carolinas while hundreds of high wind reports were scattered up the East Coast reflecting damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and other infrastructure. The strongest tornado was an EF-3 that caused significant damage around Panama City Beach, Florida, after an intense waterspout moved onshore. | $2.8 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 |
Central and Southern Severe Weather June 2023 | Severe Storm | June 15, 2023 | June 18, 2023 | Severe storms produce over one thousand reports of damaging weather across Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas and Ohio. Among these reports were over 70 preliminary tornadoes including an EF-3 tornado in Louin, Mississippi. This combination of high winds, hail and tornadoes caused damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. The damage was most focused in Oklahoma. | $3.9 CI | 5 |
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 and Southern Severe Weather April 2023 | Severe Storm | April 15, 2023 | April 15, 2023 | Several central and southern states including Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Texas, Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle were impacted by hail, tornadoes and high winds. These storms caused damage to many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.4 CI | 0 |
Southern and Eastern Severe Weather April 2023 | Severe Storm | March 24, 2023 | March 26, 2023 | Southern and eastern severe storms including more than 40 tornadoes caused damage across Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee to many homes, businesses, vehicles and other infrastructure. Additional high wind damage occurred in parts of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. | $2.9 CI | 23 |
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 |
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 |
Southeast Tornado Outbreak April 2022 | Severe Storm | April 4, 2022 | April 6, 2022 | A tornado outbreak on April 4-6 with a combined 100 preliminary tornadoes reported. The tornadoes occurred across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. Many of these tornadoes were clustered along the southern regions of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. During this three-day period many of these tornadoes were rated as either EF-1 or EF-0, but there were also nine EF-2, three EF-3 and one EF-4 tornado. This EF-4 occurred in Pembroke, Georgia on April 5th with winds of 185 mph that destroyed several neighborhoods. Many of the other tornadoes across the South caused considerable damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, and other infrastructure. | $1.5 CI | 3 |
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 |
Hurricane Nicholas September 2021 | Tropical Cyclone | September 14, 2021 | September 18, 2021 | Category 1 Hurricane Nicholas made landfall near Sargent Beach, Texas on September 14 and moved slowly toward Louisiana over the next several days. This slow progression helped to produce flooding rainfall across regions of the Gulf Coast that were already saturated from Hurricane Ida. | $1.2 CI | 0 |
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 |
Louisiana Flooding May 2021 | Flooding | May 17, 2021 | May 18, 2021 | Torrential rainfall from thunderstorms across Louisiana and coastal Texas caused widespread flooding and resulted in hundreds of water rescues. Baton Rouge and Lake Charles experienced flood damage to thousands of homes, vehicles and businesses, as more than 12 inches of rain fell. Lake Charles also continues to recover from the widespread damage caused by Hurricanes Laura and Delta less than 9 months before this flood event. | $1.6 CI | 5 |
Southern Tornadoes and Southeast Severe Weather May 2021 | Severe Storm | May 2, 2021 | May 4, 2021 | Tornadoes and severe storms with widespread high wind and large hail cause damage across many Southern and Southeastern states including Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. There were over 111 confirmed tornadoes largely clustered in central Mississippi and surrounding states. | $1.5 CI | 4 |
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. | $27.0 CI | 262 |
Hurricane Zeta October 2020 | Tropical Cyclone | October 28, 2020 | October 29, 2020 | Hurricane Zeta was a category 2 hurricane that made landfall at Cocodrie, Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph on October 28th. Zeta's path inland saw an acceleration of its quick landfall speed to nearly 40 mph, which allowed the wind fields to maintain some strength. These wind impacts propagated well inland affecting parts of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, northern Georgia and into the Carolinas. Hurricane Zeta was the fifth tropical cyclone to make landfall in Louisiana during 2020 as part of a historically active Atlantic hurricane season. | $5.3 CI | 6 |
Hurricane Delta October 2020 | Tropical Cyclone | October 9, 2020 | October 11, 2020 | Hurricane Delta was a category 2 hurricane that made landfall near Creole, Louisiana with winds of 100 mph on October 9. This was nearly the same location in which category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall 6 weeks prior. Heavy rainfall, high winds, storm surge, and nearly one dozen EF-0 or EF-1 tornadoes caused damage across several states including Louisiana, eastern Texas, Mississippi and Georgia. | $3.5 CI | 5 |
Hurricane Sally September 2020 | Tropical Cyclone | September 15, 2020 | September 17, 2020 | Hurricane Sally was a category 2 hurricane at landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Wind gusts up to 100 mph and 20-30 inches of rainfall caused considerable flood and wind damage across Alabama, the Florida panhandle and into Georgia. Many homes and businesses in downtown Pensacola, FL were impacted from flooding produced by storm surge and heavy rainfall. 2020 is now the fourth consecutive year (2017-2020) that the U.S. has been impacted by a slow moving tropical cyclone that produced extreme rainfall and damaging floods - Harvey, Florence, Imelda and Sally. | $8.8 CI | 5 |
Hurricane Laura August 2020 | Tropical Cyclone | August 27, 2020 | August 28, 2020 | Hurricane Laura was a powerful category 4 that made landfall at Cameron Parish, in southwestern Louisiana on August 27. Winds up to 150 mph and storm surge in excess of 15 feet caused heavy damage along the coast and inland to the city of Lake Charles. Many broken water systems and a severely damaged electrical grid in southern Louisiana will slow the recovery process. Laura was the strongest hurricane (by maximum sustained windspeed at landfall) to hit Louisiana since the 1856 Last Island hurricane. Laura also had highest landfall wind speed to impact the U.S. since Hurricane Michael in 2018. There were additional impacts to surrounding states including Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas. | $28.1 CI | 42 |
Central, Southern and Eastern Severe Weather April 2020 | Severe Storm | April 27, 2020 | April 30, 2020 | Severe weather across many Central, Southern and Eastern states produced primarily large hail and high winds that caused widespread damage to many homes, vehicles and businesses. The states affected included Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. | $1.3 CI | 1 |
Southern Severe Weather April 2020 | Severe Storm | April 21, 2020 | April 23, 2020 | Severe weather caused damage across many Southern states. The states most affected from a combination of high winds, hail and tornadoes included Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Virginia. The states with the highest damage totals for the event were Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas. | $1.6 CI | 3 |
Southeast and Eastern Tornado Outbreak April 2020 | Severe Storm | April 12, 2020 | April 13, 2020 | Outbreak of at least 140 tornadoes from Texas to Maryland including 3 EF4s, 12 EF3s, 20 EF2s, 77 EF1s and 28 EF0s. Damage was extensive and highly destructive to many homes, vehicles and businesses across more than a dozen Southeast and Eastern states. | $4.2 CI | 35 |
South, East and Northeast Severe Weather February 2020 | Severe Storm | February 5, 2020 | February 7, 2020 | Severe weather across many South, East and Northeastern states including AL, FL, GA, SC, LA, MS, TN, NC, VA, PA, RI, NY, NJ, MD and MA. There were more than 20 tornadoes clustered across central Mississippi into Tennessee. There were also hundreds of high wind damage reports from Florida to New Jersey, with the Carolinas and Florida receiving the most costly damage. | $1.5 CI | 3 |
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 |
Texas Tornadoes and Central Severe Weather October 2019 | Severe Storm | October 20, 2019 | October 20, 2019 | Numerous tornadoes caused widespread damage across northern Dallas damaging thousands of homes, vehicles, businesses and other public infrastructure. Tornadoes up to EF-3 intensity with maximum winds of 140 mph tracked across a large section of highly developed northern Dallas. Additionally high winds and hail damage also caused damage in other states including Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. | $2.1 CI | 2 |
Tropical Storm Imelda September 2019 | Tropical Cyclone | September 17, 2019 | September 21, 2019 | Tropical storm and its remnants cause 24 to 36 inches of rainfall over a 3-day period across a large area between Houston and Beaumont, Texas. The largest storm total, 43.39 inches, was reported at North Fork Taylors Bayou, Texas. Many thousands of homes, cars and businesses were impacted by flood water due to this extraordinarily heavy rainfall. Imelda is yet another of the historically extreme rainfall and flood events that have become a regular occurrence across Southeast Texas over the last 5 years. | $6.1 CI | 5 |
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 |
South and Southeast Severe Weather May 2019 | Severe Storm | May 7, 2019 | May 13, 2019 | Persistent severe storms impacted numerous states from Texas to North Carolina (TX, OK, KS, AR, LA, MS, AL, NC). Tornadoes and damaging hail particularly affected Texas, Louisiana and North Carolina focused across the Raleigh metro region. | $1.8 CI | 0 |
Southern and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather April 2019 | Severe Storm | April 13, 2019 | April 14, 2019 | Tornado outbreak and severe storms impacted many states (TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, NC, OH and PA). More than 50 tornadoes occurred across central Mississippi and Alabama causing damage to vehicles, homes and businesses. More than 25 additional tornadoes also caused damage across several eastern states from Georgia to Pennsylvania. These severe storms also delivered damaging hail and high wind damage that was widespread across many Southern and and Eastern states. | $1.5 CI | 7 |
Southern and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather April 2018 | Severe Storm | April 13, 2018 | April 16, 2018 | Tornadoes and severe storms with large hail cause widespread damage across many Southern and Eastern states (AR, FL, GA, LA, MD, MI, MS, MO, NJ, NY, NC, PA, SC, TX, VA) over a multi-day period. There were over 70 confirmed tornadoes largely clustered in Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia. This same system also caused winter storm impacts of high wind and ice accumulation in northeastern states. | $1.6 CI | 3 |
Southeastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather March 2018 | Severe Storm | March 18, 2018 | March 21, 2018 | A potent severe storm system caused over 20 tornadoes across Alabama and also widespread hail damage from Texas to Florida. Most notably this system produced an EF-3 tornado that caused extensive damage in Jacksonville, Alabama and across the campus of Jacksonville State University. | $1.8 CI | 0 |
Hurricane Harvey August 2017 | Tropical Cyclone | August 25, 2017 | August 31, 2017 | Category 4 hurricane made landfall near Rockport, Texas causing widespread damage. Harvey's devastation was most pronounced due to the large region of extreme rainfall producing historic flooding across Houston and surrounding areas. More than 30 inches of rainfall fell on 6.9 million people, while 1.25 million experienced over 45 inches and 11,000 had over 50 inches, based on 7-day rainfall totals ending August 31. This historic U.S. rainfall caused massive flooding that displaced over 30,000 people and damaged or destroyed over 200,000 homes and businesses. | $158.8 CI | 89 |
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. | $2.1 CI | 20 |
Southern Tornado Outbreak and Western Storms January 2017 | Severe Storm | January 20, 2017 | January 22, 2017 | High wind damage occurred across southern California near San Diego followed by 79 confirmed tornadoes during an outbreak across many southern states including AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, SC and TX. This was the 3rd most tornadoes to occur in a single outbreak of extreme weather during a winter month (Dec.-Feb.) based on records from 1950. | $1.4 CI | 24 |
Louisiana Flooding August 2016 | Flooding | August 12, 2016 | August 15, 2016 | A historic flood devastated a large area of southern Louisiana resulting from 20 to 30 inches of rainfall over several days. Watson, Louisiana received an astounding 31.39 inches of rain from the storm. Two-day rainfall totals in the hardest hit areas have a 0.2% chance of occurring in any given year: a 1 in 500 year event. More than 30,000 people were rescued from the floodwaters that damaged or destroyed over 50,000 homes, 100,000 vehicles and 20,000 businesses. This is the most damaging U.S. flood event since Superstorm Sandy impacted the Northeast in 2012. | $13.2 CI | 13 |
Southern Severe Weather March 2016 | Severe Storm | March 17, 2016 | March 18, 2016 | Severe hail impacts the Fort Worth and Arlington metro region in Texas. Additional large hail and high wind damage occurred in other locations of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. | $1.6 CI | 1 |
Texas and Louisiana Flooding March 2016 | Flooding | March 8, 2016 | March 12, 2016 | Multiple days of heavy rainfall averaging 15 to 20 inches led to widespread flooding along the Sabine River basin on the Texas and Louisiana border. This prompted numerous evacuations, high-water rescues and destruction, as more than 1,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. | $3.0 CI | 5 |
Southeast and Eastern Tornadoes February 2016 | Severe Storm | February 22, 2016 | February 24, 2016 | Early outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather across many southern and eastern states including (AL, CT, FL, GA, LA, MA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, NY, PA, SC, TX, VA). There were at least 50 confirmed tornadoes causing widespread damage. | $1.4 CI | 10 |
Texas and Oklahoma Flooding and Severe Weather May 2015 | Flooding | May 23, 2015 | May 26, 2015 | A slow-moving system caused tremendous rainfall and subsequent flooding to occur in Texas and Oklahoma. The Blanco river in Texas swelled from 5 feet to a crest of more than 40 feet over several hours causing considerable property damage and loss of life. The city of Houston also experienced flooding which resulted in hundreds of high-water rescues. The damage in Texas alone exceeded $1.0 ($1.3) billion. There was also damage in other states (KS, CO, AR, OH, LA, GA, SC) from associated severe storms. | $3.4 CI | 31 |
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 |
South/ April 2015 | Severe Storm | April 18, 2015 | April 20, 2015 | Severe storms across the South and Southeastern states (AL, AR, FL, GA, KS, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX). High winds and severe hail created the most significant damage in Texas. | $1.7 CI | 0 |
Southern Severe Weather February 2013 | Severe Storm | February 24, 2013 | February 25, 2013 | Severe weather produced severe hail and wind damage across several southern states including Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The damage was most focused in Louisiana near New Orleans, as severe hail caused significant damage costs to many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.2* CI | 1 |
Hurricane Isaac August 2012 | Tropical Cyclone | August 26, 2012 | August 31, 2012 | Category 1 hurricane made landfall over Louisiana. Isaac's slow motion and large size led to a large storm surge and flooding rains. This created damage across several southeastern states (LA, MS, AL, FL) including 9 deaths (5 direct, 4 indirect). | $3.8 CI | 9 |
Tropical Storm Lee September 2011 | Tropical Cyclone | September 1, 2011 | September 5, 2011 | Wind and flood damage across the southeast (LA, MS, AL, GA, TN) but considerably more damage from record flooding across the northeast (PA, NY, NJ, CT, VA, MD). Pennsylvania and New York were most affected. | $3.5 CI | 21 |
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. | $17.0 CI | 95 |
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 ($710.0) million to agriculture in Arkansas; $320 ($454.4) million in damage to Memphis, Tennessee; $800 million ($1.1 billion) to agriculture in Mississippi; $317 ($450.1) million to agriculture and property in Missouri's Birds Point-New Madrid Spillway; $80 ($113.6) million for the first 30 days of flood fighting efforts in Louisiana. | $4.2 CI | 7 |
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. | $14.2 CI | 321 |
Southwest/ 2009 | Drought | January 1, 2009 | December 31, 2009 | Drought conditions occurred during much of the year across parts of the Southwest, Great Plains, and southern Texas causing agricultural losses in numerous states (TX, OK, KS, CA, NM, AZ). The largest agriculture losses occurred in TX and CA. | $5.2 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 |
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. | $42.9 CI | 112 |
Hurricane Gustav September 2008 | Tropical Cyclone | August 31, 2008 | September 3, 2008 | Category 2 hurricane makes landfall in Louisiana causing significant wind, storm surge, and flooding damage in AL, AR, LA, and MS. | $8.6 CI | 53 |
East/ April 2007 | Severe Storm | April 13, 2007 | April 17, 2007 | Flooding, hail, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms across numerous states (CT, DE, GA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MS, NH, NJ, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC, TX, VT, VA) in mid-April, including 3 "killer" tornadoes. | $3.8 CI | 9 |
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 |
Hurricane Rita September 2005 | Tropical Cyclone | September 20, 2005 | September 24, 2005 | Category 3 hurricane hits Texas-Louisiana border coastal region, creating significant storm surge and wind damage along the coast, and some inland flooding in the FL panhandle, AL, MS, LA, AR, and TX. Prior to landfall, Rita reached the third lowest pressure (897 mb) ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. | $29.2 CI | 119 |
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. | $200.0 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. | $33.8 CI | 57 |
Severe Storms/ April 2003 | Severe Storm | April 4, 2003 | April 7, 2003 | Severe storms and large hail over the southern plains and lower MS valley, with Texas hardest hit, and much of the monetary losses due to hail. | $3.4 CI | 3 |
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. | $15.9 CI | 0 |
Tropical Storm Isidore September 2002 | Tropical Cyclone | September 25, 2002 | September 27, 2002 | Tropical Storm Isidore caused heavy rain, flooding, tornadoes and coastal storm surge that impacted Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. Rainfall exceeded 15 inches across southern Louisiana with storm surge over 8 feet. | $2.0 CI | 5 |
Hurricane Lili October 2002 | Tropical Cyclone | August 1, 2002 | August 5, 2002 | Category 1 hurricane makes landfall in Louisiana after causing damage across Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba. | $1.9 CI | 2 |
Tropical Storm Allison June 2001 | Tropical Cyclone | June 5, 2001 | June 17, 2001 | The persistent remnants of Tropical Storm Allison produce rainfall amounts of 30-40 inches in portions of coastal Texas and Louisiana, causing severe flooding especially in the Houston area, then moves slowly northeastward; fatalities and significant damage reported in TX, LA, MS, FL, VA, and PA | $15.0 CI | 43 |
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 |
Southern Severe Weather March 2000 | Severe Storm | March 28, 2000 | March 29, 2000 | Severe weather produced tornadoes, hail and high wind damage across Louisiana and Texas. The damage was most focused in northeastern Texas. These storms caused impacts to many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.3* CI | 0 |
Southeast Winter Storm January 2000 | Winter Storm | January 21, 2000 | January 24, 2000 | Strong winter storm causes disruption and damage over numerous southeastern states (AL, GA, NC, SC, TN, LA, VA). Record amounts of snowfall occured across central North Carolina, with snow totals in excess of 20 inches. | $1.3* CI | 4 |
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 |
Hurricane Georges September 1998 | Tropical Cyclone | September 20, 1998 | September 29, 1998 | Category 2 hurricane strikes Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Florida Keys, and Gulf coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida panhandle, 15-30 inch 2-day rain totals in parts of Alabama and Florida | $11.5 CI | 16 |
Southern Drought and Heat Wave Summer 1998 | Drought | June 1, 1998 | August 31, 1998 | Severe drought and heat wave from Texas/Oklahoma eastward to the Carolinas. The states impacted include AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA. | $6.8 CI | 200 |
Tropical Storm Frances September 1998 | Tropical Cyclone | August 8, 1998 | August 13, 1998 | Tropical Storm Frances caused extensive flooding in Texas and Louisiana. The rainfall totals from Frances were 10 to 20 inches across eastern Texas into southern Louisiana. | $1.3* CI | 2 |
Western/ Winter-Spring 1998 | Severe Storm | December 1, 1997 | February 28, 1998 | Tornadoes and flooding cause damage across the West and Southeast. The states impacted include CA, TX, FL, AL, GA, LA, MS, NC and SC. | $1.9 CI | 132 |
Central, Southern and Northeast Drought/ September 1995 | Drought | July 1, 1995 | September 30, 1995 | Historic mid-July heat wave and urban heat island amplification caused hundreds of deaths across several major cities including Chicago, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. Following the heat wave was hot, dry weather in July and August 1995 that affected crops in numerous states, as crops had not rooted well due to late planting from previous wet soils. This left crops vulnerable to a flash drought during a key portion of the growing season. | $2.0 CI | 872 |
South Plains Severe Weather May 1995 | Severe Storm | May 5, 1995 | May 7, 1995 | Torrential rains, hail, and tornadoes across Texas-Oklahoma and southeast Louisiana-southern Mississippi, with Dallas and New Orleans areas (10-25 inch rains in 5 days) hardest hit. | $11.3 CI | 32 |
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 |
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. | $12.1 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 |
Hurricane Andrew August 1992 | Tropical Cyclone | August 23, 1992 | August 27, 1992 | Category 5 hurricane hits Florida and later impacts Louisiana as a category 3. High winds damage or destroy over 125,000 homes and leave at least 160,000 people temporarily homeless in Dade County, Florida alone. Initially rated as a category 4, Andrew was later upgraded to a category 5 upon further analysis. Andrew is one of four land falling category 5 hurricanes on record to affect the U.S. mainland in addition to Hurricane Camille (1969), the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) and Hurricane Michael (2018). Building codes in Florida were enhanced after Andrew to mitigate future hurricane wind damage. | $60.2 CI | 61 |
Severe Storms March 1992 | Severe Storm | March 24, 1992 | March 25, 1992 | Severe storms affect the South, Southeast. The states most impacted include Texas, Louisiana and Florida. | $1.8* CI | 0 |
Southern Flooding May 1990 | Flooding | May 11, 1990 | May 19, 1990 | Torrential rains cause flooding along the Trinity, Red, and Arkansas Rivers in TX, OK, LA, and AR | $2.4 CI | 13 |
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 |
Tropical Storm Allison June 1989 | Tropical Cyclone | June 26, 1989 | June 28, 1989 | Flooding from Tropical Storm Allison (1989) impacted Texas and Louisiana for days as Allison tracked inland. Most all of the damage was from flooding due to heavy rainfall with 20-25 inches in some locations. The slow progression of Allison also contributed to the increased rainfall totals. | $1.5* CI | 11 |
Southern Derecho and Severe Storms May 1989 | Severe Storm | May 1, 1989 | May 6, 1989 | A derecho caused high wind damage across much of Texas into Louisiana. Severe storms cause damage in states across the South and Southeast. The states impacted include OK, TX, LA, MS, GA, SC, NC and VA. | $1.4* CI | 21 |
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 |
Southeast Drought/ Summer 1986 | Drought | June 1, 1986 | August 31, 1986 | Severe summer drought in parts of the southeastern U.S. with severe losses to agriculture. The states impacted include AL, AR, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN and VA. | $5.2 CI | 100 |
Hurricane Juan October 1985 | Tropical Cyclone | October 27, 1985 | October 31, 1985 | Category 1 hurricane makes landfall near Morgan City, Louisiana. Hurricane Juan's slow movement causes severe flooding in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Southern Louisiana was most severely affected due to widespread rainfall of 10-15 inches that caused substantial flooding. | $4.3 CI | 63 |
Hurricane Elena September 1985 | Tropical Cyclone | August 30, 1985 | September 3, 1985 | Category 3 hurricane approaches the Florida Panhandle prior to landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi. Considerable wind and rain impacts were felt from Florida to Louisiana. | $3.8 CI | 4 |
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 |
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. | $9.5 CI | 0 |
Gulf States Storms and Flooding December 1982-January 1983 | Flooding | December 1, 1982 | January 15, 1983 | Severe storms and flooding, especially in the states of TX, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, and FL | $4.9 CI | 45 |
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 |
Severe Storms, Flash Floods, Hail, Tornadoes May 1981 | Severe Storm | May 5, 1981 | May 10, 1981 | Severe storms cause damage across the Midwest and South. The states most impacted include TX, OK, KS, AL and LA. | $1.4* CI | 20 |
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. | $40.4 CI | 1,260 |
Hurricane Allen August 1980 | Tropical Cyclone | August 7, 1980 | August 11, 1980 | Category 3 hurricane makes landfall north of Brownsville, Texas with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. Hurricane Allen causes rainfall up to 20 inches in southern Texas and storm surge as high as 12 feet along the coast. | $2.2* CI | 13 |
Southern Severe Storms and Flooding April 1980 | Flooding | April 10, 1980 | April 17, 1980 | Severe storms and flooding affect several states (AR, LA, MS) across the South. | $2.7* CI | 7 |
†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 June 10, 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