NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
South Carolina Summary
From 1980-2024, there were 101 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect South Carolina. These events included 13 drought events, 3 flooding events, 3 freeze events, 44 severe storm events, 25 tropical cyclone events, and 13 winter storm events. The 1980–2024 annual average is 2.2 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2020–2024) is 6.2 events (CPI-adjusted).
| Disaster Type | Events | Events/Year | Percent Frequency | Total Costs | Percent of Total Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 13 | 0.3 | 12.9% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 10.3% |
| Flooding | 3 | 0.1 | 3.0% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 6.0% |
| Freeze | 3 | 0.1 | 3.0% | $500M-$1.0B | 1.5% |
| Severe Storm | 44 | 1.0 | 43.6% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 11.9% |
| Tropical Cyclone | 25 | 0.6 | 24.8% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 66.7% |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 13 | 0.3 | 12.9% | $1.0B-$2.0B | 3.6% |
| All Disasters | 101 | 2.2 | 100.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Time Period | Billion-Dollar Disasters | Events/ | Cost | Percent of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 11 | 1.1 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 39.9% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 15 | 1.5 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 6.3% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 15 | 1.5 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 7.9% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 29 | 2.9 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 25.7% |
| Last 5 Years (2020-2024) | 31 | 6.2 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 20.2% |
| Last 3 Years (2022-2024) | 17 | 5.7 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 16.7% |
| Last Year (2024) | 7 | 7.0 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 11.2% |
| All Years (1980-2024) | 101 | 2.2 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Event | Type | Begin Date |
End Date |
Summary |
CPI-Adjusted Estimated Cost (in Billions) |
Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southern/ 2024 | Drought | January 1, 2024 | December 31, 2024 | Drought conditions impacted many Southern, Eastern and Northwestern states. This drought was more transient in its impacts over numerous states throughout the year. The states of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas had some of the highest losses to crops from the effects of drought and heat. As the drought changed in intensity and duration throughout the year across several regions of the country. Several Northwestern states also had costly impacted to agriculture including Montana, Idaho and Washington. Numerous southern and eastern states from Mississippi through Pennsylvania also experienced crop impacts that were most severe in the Summer months. The drought conditions also strengthen through the Fall and Winter months impacting Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. It was also one of the hottest years on record for a number of these states, which claimed more than 100 lives from excessive heat exposure. | $5.4 CI | 136 |
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 |
Hurricane Debby August 2024 | Tropical Cyclone | August 5, 2024 | August 9, 2024 | Category 1 Hurricane Debby made landfall on August 5 near Steinhatchee, Florida with 80 mph sustained winds and a second landfall near Bulls Bay, South Carolina as a tropical storm on August 8. Debby produced over 10 inches of rainfall from southwestern Florida up through the coastal sections of Georgia and the Carolinas. Debby continued to track up the East Coast affecting numerous states with heavy rain, flash flood and river flooding and strong winds. A frontal system merged with the remnants of Debby that led to flash flooding in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and southeastern New York. This interaction also produced an EF-1 tornado that impacted Buffalo, New York. | $2.5 CI | 17 |
Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather July 2024 | Severe Storm | July 13, 2024 | July 16, 2024 | An outbreak producing more than 79 tornadoes developed across many central and eastern states. There were also over 1,000 reports of high wind and hail damage during this multi-day event. On July 15, this outbreak spawned 32 tornadoes and broke the Chicago-area record for the most tornadoes in a day. The states most impacted were Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York that experienced considerable damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and other infrastructure. | $2.4 CI | 2 |
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 |
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. | $2.7 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 |
East Coast Storm and Flooding December 2023 | Flooding | December 16, 2023 | December 18, 2023 | Powerful east coast storm from Florida to Maine produced widespread impacts from heavy rainfall, flooding, high winds and coastal erosion. The heavy rainfall and snowmelt were amplified by record-high temperatures in the Northeast. | $1.3 CI | 5 |
Hurricane Idalia August 2023 | Tropical Cyclone | August 29, 2023 | August 31, 2023 | Hurricane Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach in the Big Bend region of Florida as a strong Category 3 hurricane with winds of 125 mph. Idalia was the strongest hurricane to hit the Big Bend region in more than 125 years. Storm surge was about 8 feet above ground at Cedar Key, which caused heavy damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and other infrastructure. Other Big Bend coastal communities were also inundated by storm surge. Idalia produced 5 to 10 inches of rainfall across the Big Bend region of Florida and southeastern portions of Georgia and the Carolinas. The relatively low population density of the Big Bend region helped to reduce the physical exposure and damage costs. Significant flooding was reported in downtown Charleston, SC and nearby Edisto Beach. There was also 2 to 4 feet of storm surge along the Carolina coastline, which was exacerbated by the full moon and high tide cycle. | $3.6 CI | 5 |
Northeastern and Eastern Severe Weather August 2023 | Severe Storm | August 5, 2023 | August 8, 2023 | More than one thousand reports of high wind, severe hail or tornadoes across many Northeastern and Eastern states. August 7 was a prolific day of severe weather with damage reports from Georgia to New York. These storms caused impacts to many homes, vehicles, businesses, agriculture and other infrastructure. | $1.7 CI | 4 |
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 Eastern Tornadoes and Hail Storms May 2023 | Severe Storm | May 10, 2023 | May 12, 2023 | Dozens of tornadoes and severe hail storms from the eastern Rockies and across several central states. The most costly severe hail impacts were focused in Colorado while numerous tornadoes also impacted western Kansas, central Oklahoma and eastern Nebraska. Texas and North Dakota were also impacted from combination of high winds, hail and isolated tornadoes with damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, farms and other infrastructure. | $3.6 CI | 1 |
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 |
Hurricane Nicole November 2022 | Tropical Cyclone | November 10, 2022 | November 11, 2022 | Category 1 Hurricane Nicole made landfall at North Hutchinson Island, Florida producing heavy rain, flooding and coastal erosion. Many of the Florida counties and communities impacted by Nicole were still recovering from the high wind and flooding impacts of Hurricane Ian several weeks earlier. This compounded the existing damage and recovery timeline. Nicole was the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida during November since Hurricane Kate in 1985. | $1.1 CI | 5 |
Hurricane Ian September 2022 | Tropical Cyclone | September 28, 2022 | September 30, 2022 | Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida, as a Category 4 Hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph. | $119.6 CI | 152 |
Central Derecho June 2022 | Severe Storm | June 13, 2022 | June 13, 2022 | A powerful derecho carved a path a high wind damage across several states with the impacts focused in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Thousands of trees were downed from the high winds causing damage to many homes, businesses, vehicles, power lines and other infrastructure. There was also considerable hail damage across southern Wisconsin. | $3.4 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 |
Tropical Storm Fred August 2021 | Tropical Cyclone | August 16, 2021 | August 18, 2021 | Tropical Storm Fred made landfall near Panama City, Florida. As Fred progressed northward it caused torrential flooding across the southern Appalachian Mountains with more than a foot of rainfall reported in some locations of western North Carolina. This flash flooding caused damage to many homes, businesses, vehicles, roads and bridges, in additional to several fatalities. Fred also produced nearly a dozen tornadoes across the Northeast as it moved up the East Coast. | $1.5 CI | 7 |
Tropical Storm Elsa July 2021 | Tropical Cyclone | July 7, 2021 | July 9, 2021 | Tropical Storm Elsa made landfall in Taylor County, Florida producing heavy rain, wind, flooding and tornadoes in portions of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, as well as flooding across parts of the Northeast. Southern New England and New York's Long Island experienced flash flooding, leading to impassable roads, stranded vehicles and disruption. Elsa was the earliest fifth-named storm on record. | $1.4 CI | 1 |
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 |
Eastern Severe Weather March 2021 | Severe Storm | March 27, 2021 | March 28, 2021 | Severe weather producing hail, high wind and more than two dozen tornadoes impacted numerous states including Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Tennessee was also affected with significant flooding in Nashville and surrounding areas that damaged businesses, homes and vehicles. There were also many high wind damage reports across Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. | $1.6 CI | 8 |
Tropical Storm Eta November 2020 | Tropical Cyclone | November 8, 2020 | November 12, 2020 | Tropical Storm Eta made landfall in the Florida Keys on November 8 followed by a second landfall near Cedar Key on the west coast of Florida on November 10. Eta produced wind and heavy rain impacts in southern Florida. These impacts continued well inland, as Eta's energy merged with a cold front across several eastern states. This combination produced extreme rainfall across North Carolina and Virginia, which led to significant flooding that damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure. This flooding also caused one dozen fatalities. | $1.8 CI | 12 |
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 Isaias August 2020 | Tropical Cyclone | August 3, 2020 | August 4, 2020 | Hurricane Isaias made landfall in southeastern North Carolina as a category 1 storm. Isaias accelerated up the East Coast, resulting in widespread damage and power outages across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. There was also considerable inland flooding most notably in Pennsylvania. In addition, 34 tornadoes developed across North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey due to Isaias. Many tornadoes were weaker (EF-0 and EF-1) producing scattered damage to agriculture, structures and residences. Isaias also produced several EF-2 tornadoes and one EF-3 tornado that caused damage in coastal North Carolina and Virginia. | $5.8 CI | 16 |
South, Central and Eastern Severe Weather May 2020 | Severe Storm | May 20, 2020 | May 23, 2020 | A combination of thunderstorm high winds, hail and tornadoes affected numerous Southern, Central and Eastern states. The states most affected included Texas, Illinois and North Carolina with damage to homes, businesses and vehicles. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. | $1.9 CI | 2 |
Central and Eastern Severe Weather May 2020 | Severe Storm | May 3, 2020 | May 5, 2020 | Severe weather across several Central and Eastern states including Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and South Carolina. High wind and hail damage was notably clustered across southern Missouri and western to central Tennessee, which were the states with the highest damage totals for the event. | $2.6 CI | 2 |
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 |
Hurricane Dorian September 2019 | Tropical Cyclone | August 28, 2019 | September 6, 2019 | Category 1 hurricane makes landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, after devastating the northern Bahama Islands as a historically-powerful and slow-moving hurricane. Dorian tracked offshore parallel to the Florida, Georgia and South Carolina coastline before making a North Carolina landfall, bringing a destructive sound-side surge that inundated many coastal properties and isolated residents who did not evacuate. Significant flood, severe storm, and tornado damage to many homes and businesses occurred on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Dorian's intensification to a category 5 storm marks the fourth consecutive year, in which a maximum category 5 storm developed in the Atlantic basin - a new record. Dorian also tied the record for maximum sustained wind speed for a landfalling hurricane (185 mph) in the Atlantic, a record shared with the historic 1935 Labor Day Hurricane. | $2.0 CI | 10 |
Hurricane Michael October 2018 | Tropical Cyclone | October 10, 2018 | October 11, 2018 | Powerful category 5 hurricane made landfall at Mexico Beach, Florida with devastating winds of 160 mph and storm surge in excess of 15 feet. Mexico Beach was nearly destroyed, while Panama City suffered extensive damage. Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base also suffered a direct strike from Michael's most intense eye wall winds causing billions in damage costs. Michael's intense winds also reached well inland causing billions in damage costs to agriculture and forestry, as high winds hit during harvest season for numerous crops across several states. Michael is the third category 4 or higher storm to make landfall in the U.S. since 2017. Michael is the first category 5 to strike the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and is only the fourth on record. The others are the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) and Hurricane Camille (1969). Michael was initially rated as a category 4 with 155 winds but upgraded to a category 5 with 160 mph winds upon further analysis. | $31.2 CI | 49 |
Hurricane Florence September 2018 | Tropical Cyclone | September 13, 2018 | September 16, 2018 | Hurricane Florence was a large and very slow moving hurricane that produced extreme rainfall across eastern North Carolina (up to 35.93") and South Carolina (up to 23.81"), as prodigious amounts of rainfall were common in many locations. Florence made landfall as a category 1, at Wrightsville Beach, NC with damaging storm surge up to 10 feet and wind gusts reported over 100 mph. However, the majority of the damage caused by Florence was due to the rainfall inland, which caused many rivers to surpass previous record flood heights. U.S. Marine base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina suffered extensive damage that will cost billions to repair. The total damage from Florence in North Carolina is more than the cost experienced during Hurricane Matthew (2016) and Hurricane Floyd (1999) combined. | $30.0 CI | 53 |
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 |
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. | $1.7 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 |
Central and Eastern Winter Storm January 2018 | Winter Storm | January 3, 2018 | January 5, 2018 | A Nor'easter caused damage across many Northeastern states including MA, NJ, NY, CT, ME, NH, PA, MD, RI, SC, TN, VA, NC and GA. | $1.3 CI | 22 |
Hurricane Irma September 2017 | Tropical Cyclone | September 6, 2017 | September 12, 2017 | Category 4 hurricane made landfall at Cudjoe Key, Florida after devastating the U.S. Virgin Islands - St John and St Thomas - as a category 5 storm. The Florida Keys were heavily impacted, as 25% of buildings were destroyed while 65% were significantly damaged. Severe wind and storm surge damage also occurred along the coasts of Florida and South Carolina. Jacksonville, FL and Charleston, SC received near-historic levels of storm surge causing significant coastal flooding. Irma maintained a maximum sustained wind of 185 mph for 37 hours, the longest in the satellite era. Irma also was a category 5 storm for longer than all other Atlantic hurricanes except Ivan in 2004. | $64.0 CI | 97 |
South and Southeast Severe Weather April 2017 | Severe Storm | April 20, 2017 | April 22, 2017 | Severe weather including hail, high winds and several tornadoes impacted Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. These conditions caused damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and other infrastructure. | $1.2* CI | 0 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
West/ 2016 | Drought | January 1, 2016 | December 31, 2016 | California's 5-year drought persisted during 2016 while new areas of extreme drought developed in states across the Northeast and Southeast. The long-term impacts of the drought in California have damaged forests where 100+ million trees have perished and are a public safety hazard. The agricultural impacts were reduced in California as water prices and crop fallowing declined. However, agricultural impacts developed in Northeast and Southeast due to stressed water supplies. | $4.6 CI | 0 |
Hurricane Matthew October 2016 | Tropical Cyclone | October 8, 2016 | October 12, 2016 | Category 1 hurricane made landfall in North Carolina, after it paralleled the Southeast coast along Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas causing widespread damage from wind, storm surge and inland flooding. The most costly impacts were due to historic levels of river flooding in eastern North Carolina where 100,000 homes, businesses and other structures were damaged. This inland flooding was comparable to Hurricane Floyd (1999) that also impacted eastern North Carolina. Matthew narrowly missed landall on Florida's east coast as a powerful category 4 storm. | $13.1 CI | 49 |
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 |
South Carolina and East Coast Flooding October 2015 | Flooding | October 1, 2015 | October 5, 2015 | Historic levels of flooding impacted South Carolina causing widespread damage to many homes, businesses, public buildings and infrastructure. This interrupted commerce and closed major transportation corridors (such as I-95) for weeks as rivers slowly receded. Locally extreme rainfall totals exceeding 20-inches were common resulting from the convergence of a powerful low pressure system/frontal boundary and copious moisture from Hurricane Joaquin in the Atlantic. | $2.7 CI | 25 |
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 ($1.4) billion. There was also damage in other states (KS, CO, AR, OH, LA, GA, SC) from associated severe storms. | $3.4 CI | 31 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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/ June 2011 | Severe Storm | June 18, 2011 | June 22, 2011 | Outbreak of tornadoes over central states (OK, TX, KS, NE, MO, IA, IL) with an estimated 81 tornadoes. Additional wind and hail damage across the Southeast (TN, GA, NC, SC). | $2.2 CI | 3 |
Midwest/ April 2011 | Severe Storm | April 14, 2011 | April 16, 2011 | Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (OK, TX, AR, MS, AL, GA, NC, SC, VA, PA) with an estimated 177 tornadoes. | $2.9 CI | 38 |
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 |
Rockies/ June 2010 | Severe Storm | June 10, 2010 | June 15, 2010 | Severe storms cause high wind and hail damage across numerous states including CO, NM, KS, OK, IL, IN, GA, SC and NC. | $1.3* CI | 2 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Southeast Tornadoes March 2008 | Severe Storm | March 14, 2008 | March 15, 2008 | Tornadoes and severe weather across Georgia and South Carolina. This includes an EF-2 tornado causing damage to numerous buildings in downtown Atlanta. | $1.7 CI | 5 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Hurricane Jeanne September 2004 | Tropical Cyclone | September 15, 2004 | September 29, 2004 | Category 3 hurricane makes landfall in east-central Florida, causing considerable wind, storm surge, and flooding damage in FL, with some flood damage also in the states of GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, DE, NJ, PA, and NY. Puerto Rico also affected. | $12.4 CI | 28 |
Hurricane Frances September 2004 | Tropical Cyclone | September 3, 2004 | September 9, 2004 | Category 2 hurricane makes landfall in east-central Florida, causing significant wind, storm surge, and flooding damage in FL, along with considerable flood damage in the states of GA, SC, NC, and NY due to 5-15 inch rains. | $16.3 CI | 48 |
Hurricane Charley August 2004 | Tropical Cyclone | August 13, 2004 | August 14, 2004 | Category 4 hurricane makes landfall in southwest Florida, resulting in major wind and some storm surge damage in FL, along with some damage in the states of SC and NC. | $26.7 CI | 35 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Hurricane Floyd September 1999 | Tropical Cyclone | September 14, 1999 | September 16, 1999 | Large, category 2 hurricane makes landfall in eastern NC, causing 10-20 inch rains in 2 days, with severe flooding in NC and some flooding in SC, VA, MD, PA, NY, NJ, DE, RI, CT, MA, NH, and VT. | $12.2 CI | 77 |
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 |
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. | $6.9 CI | 200 |
Hurricane Bonnie August 1998 | Tropical Cyclone | August 27, 1998 | August 29, 1998 | Category 3 hurricane strikes eastern North Carolina and Virginia, extensive agricultural damage due to winds and flooding, with 10-inch rains in 2 days in some locations. | $1.9 CI | 3 |
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. | $2.0 CI | 132 |
Hurricane Fran September 1996 | Tropical Cyclone | September 5, 1996 | September 8, 1996 | Category 3 hurricane strikes North Carolina and Virginia, over 10-inch 24-hour rains in some locations and extensive agricultural and other losses. | $10.0 CI | 37 |
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 |
Hurricane Opal October 1995 | Tropical Cyclone | October 4, 1995 | October 6, 1995 | Category 3 hurricane strikes Florida panhandle, Alabama, western Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and the western Carolinas, causing storm surge, wind, and flooding damage. | $9.6 CI | 27 |
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 |
Southeast Drought and Heat Wave Summer 1993 | Drought | June 1, 1993 | August 31, 1993 | Drought and heat wave across Southeastern U.S. The states most impacted include AL, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, TN, and VA. | $2.8 CI | 16 |
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 |
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 |
Hurricane Hugo September 1989 | Tropical Cyclone | September 21, 1989 | September 22, 1989 | Category 4 hurricane devastates South and North Carolina with ~20 foot storm surge and severe wind damage after hitting Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands | $22.7 CI | 86 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Tornadoes, Severe Storms, Floods Spring 1984 | Severe Storm | March 27, 1984 | April 7, 1984 | States in the Southeast and Northeast regions are impacted by tornadoes, severe storms, and flooding. The states impacted include GA, FL, SC, NC, VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, PA, CT, MA and RI. | $1.9* CI | 80 |
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/ 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
