NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Arkansas Summary
From 1980–2024, there were 97 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Arkansas. These events included 17 drought events, 9 flooding events, 2 freeze events, 55 severe storm events, 5 tropical cyclone events, and 9 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 6.0 events (CPI-adjusted).
| Disaster Type | Events | Events/Year | Percent Frequency | Total Costs | Percent of Total Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 17 | 0.4 | 17.5% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 26.6% |
| Flooding | 9 | 0.2 | 9.3% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 18.1% |
| Freeze | 2 | 0.0 | 2.1% | $250M-$500M | 1.2% |
| Severe Storm | 55 | 1.2 | 56.7% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 46.1% |
| Tropical Cyclone | 5 | 0.1 | 5.2% | $500M-$1.0B | 2.8% |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 9 | 0.2 | 9.3% | $1.0B-$2.0B | 5.2% |
| All Disasters | 97 | 2.2 | 100.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Drought | 17 | 0.4 | 18.9% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 17.4% |
| Flooding | 8 | 0.2 | 8.9% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 16.8% |
| Freeze | 2 | 0.0 | 2.2% | $100M-$250M | 0.9% |
| Severe Storm | 52 | 1.2 | 57.8% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 56.6% |
| Tropical Cyclone | 5 | 0.1 | 5.6% | $500M-$1.0B | 3.1% |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 6 | 0.1 | 6.7% | $500M-$1.0B | 5.2% |
| All Disasters | 90 | 2.0 | 100.0% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 100.0% |
| Time Period | Billion-Dollar Disasters | Events/ | Cost | Percent of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 12 | 1.2 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 23.0% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 11 | 1.1 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 7.2% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 19 | 1.9 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 12.0% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 25 | 2.5 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 26.3% |
| Last 5 Years (2020-2024) | 30 | 6.0 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 31.5% |
| Last 3 Years (2022-2024) | 17 | 5.7 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 22.4% |
| Last Year (2024) | 6 | 6.0 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 6.8% |
| All Years (1980-2024) | 97 | 2.2 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 6 | 0.6 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 10.3% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 10 | 1.0 | $500M-$1.0B | 5.1% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 19 | 1.9 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 11.6% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 25 | 2.5 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 29.6% |
| Last 5 Years (2020-2024) | 30 | 6.0 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 43.4% |
| Last 3 Years (2022-2024) | 17 | 5.7 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 32.1% |
| Last Year (2024) | 6 | 6.0 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 10.1% |
| All Years (1980-2024) | 90 | 2.0 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 100.0% |
| Event | Type | Begin Date |
End Date |
Summary |
CPI-AUnadjusted 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 |
Central Tornado Outbreak May 2024 | Severe Storm | May 25, 2024 | May 26, 2024 | An outbreak producing more than 110 tornadoes developed across many central states. The states most affected include Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois and Kentucky causing widespread damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. On May 25, an EF-3 tornado tracked through the Montague, Cooke and Denton counties of Texas, with maximum winds of 140 mph that caused seven fatalities and at least 100 injuries. | $3.5 CI | 16 |
Central, Southern, Eastern Severe Weather May 2024 | Severe Storm | May 18, 2024 | May 22, 2024 | Severe storms across many central, southern and eastern states produced widespread impacts from several dozen tornadoes, severe hail and high winds. The states most impacted were Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa and Wisconsin, as each experienced considerable damage to homes, vehicles, businesses, agriculture and additional infrastructure. On May 21, an EF-4 tornado cut a 44-mile path across southeast Iowa, with peak wind speeds of 175-185 mph. The town of Greenfield, Iowa was heavily damaged. Multiple 'Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS)' watches were issued by NOAA's National Weather Service for these states, during this multi-day sequence. Several eastern states also sustained high wind damage from these storms. | $4.9 CI | 5 |
Central, Southern, Southeastern Tornado Outbreak May 2024 | Severe Storm | May 6, 2024 | May 9, 2024 | An outbreak producing more than 165 tornadoes developed across many central, southern and southeastern states. The states most affected include Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. This multi-day tornado outbreak produced at least 61 EF-0, 79 EF-1, 13 EF-2, three EF-3, one EF-4 tornado and dozens of EF-U (unknown/unrated) tornadoes, causing widespread damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. The towns of Barnsdall and Bartlesville, Oklahoma were impacted by an EF-4 tornado that caused extensive damage. | $6.6 CI | 3 |
Central and Southern Severe Weather March 2024 | Severe Storm | March 12, 2024 | March 14, 2024 | Damaging hail, tornadoes and high wind from severe storms impact many Central and Southern states. Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri were affected by up to baseball-sized hail damaging homes, vehicles, businesses. Illinois, Indiana and Ohio were impacted by hail, high wind and dozens of tornadoes including a deadly EF-3 striking northwest Ohio. | $6.2 CI | 3 |
Central, Southern, Northeastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave January 2024 | Winter Storm | January 14, 2024 | January 18, 2024 | A bitterly cold airmass affected numerous central and southern states most including Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia. This long-duration cold wave produced sleet and freezing rain accumulations into the deep south, across much of Mississippi. High winds also pushed wind chills well below zero for many states contributing to dozens of fatalities, many in Tennessee. Damage also occurred to homes, vehicles and businesses from the high winds and frozen precipitation. | $1.9 CI | 41 |
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 |
Rockies Hail Storms and Central and Eastern Severe Weather June 2023 | Severe Storm | June 21, 2023 | June 26, 2023 | Severe hail storms across Colorado damaged many homes, vehicles and injured approximately 100 people at a large outdoor concert. This multi-day outbreak of severe weather also produced more than 60 tornadoes across portions of Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky and Arkansas that caused damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. | $5.5 CI | 8 |
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 |
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather March 2023 | Severe Storm | March 31, 2023 | April 1, 2023 | A historic tornado outbreak across numerous central states caused widespread damage from at least 145 tornadoes. States most impacted were Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Tennessee and Pennsylvania where there was severe damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. | $5.9 CI | 33 |
Western/ 2022 | Drought | January 1, 2022 | December 31, 2022 | Severe drought conditions impacted many Western and Central states. Large reservoirs across the West including Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Oroville, and Shasta Lake, among others continue to be depleted. Lake Mead, the Nation's largest reservoir, is nearing dead pool status and is at the lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s. The Great Salt Lake is also near record-low levels. The impacts of the drought affected crop production across may states and sharply increased feeding costs for livestock. Many segments of the Mississippi River also experienced low water levels causing delays and reductions in river commerce. Extreme heat also developed for many days across Western and Central states. These excess heat conditions caused more than one hundred heat-related fatalities focused across Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon and Texas. The 2022 drought was one of the costlier droughts on record, with a diverse array of direct impacts across different regions and industries. | $23.5 CI | 136 |
Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave December 2022 | Winter Storm | December 21, 2022 | December 26, 2022 | Historic winter storm and powerful arctic front caused significant impact across much of the nation, bringing heavy rains, snow, ice and high winds that sent temperatures plummeting. More than 200 million people were under a winter weather advisory or warning and more than a million customers, from Texas to Maine, were left without power. Buffalo, New York was paralyzed by near hurricane force winds and continuous snow squalls, which contributed to dozens of fatalities in the region. Additional impacts were widespread frozen water pipes that led to extensive water damage in many homes, businesses and to other critical infrastructure. | $9.0 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 |
Southeast, Central Tornado Outbreak December 2021 | Severe Storm | December 10, 2021 | December 10, 2021 | Historic December tornado outbreak across several southeast and central states caused devastating damage across many towns and cities. This outbreak produced two long-tracked EF-4 tornadoes across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. The longest tornado track was nearly 166 miles across Kentucky and a small portion of Tennessee. This was the longest-tracked tornado on record in Kentucky and was a U.S. record tornado track length for the month of December. There were over 800 total miles of tornado path length on December 10. The peak intensity from this outbreak was EF-4 rated wind speeds of 190 mph in Mayfield, Kentucky. This day was also the deadliest December tornado outbreak recorded in the United States surpassing the Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado of December 5, 1953, which caused 38 fatalities. | $4.5 CI | 93 |
Hurricane Ida August 2021 | Tropical Cyclone | August 29, 2021 | September 1, 2021 | Category 4 Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 930 mb. Ida was one of three hurricanes in recorded history to make landfall in Louisiana with 150 mph winds, along with Hurricane Laura in 2020 and the 'Last Island' hurricane of 1856. Grand Isle, Louisiana took a direct hit with 100% of its homes damaged and nearly 40% were nearly-to-completely destroyed. There was heavy damage to the energy infrastructure across southern Louisiana causing widespread, long duration power outages to millions of people. Parts of New Orleans were without power for nearly a week due to the widespread damage. As the remnants of Ida moved into the Northeast it merged with a frontal system creating severe weather and flash flooding across a wide region from eastern Pennsylvania to New York. Flash flood emergencies were declared in New Jersey and New York for the first time, producing damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and infrastructure while also causing dozens of fatalities. | $84.6 CI | 96 |
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 |
Northwest, Central, Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave February 2021 | Winter Storm | February 10, 2021 | February 19, 2021 | Historic cold wave and winter storm impacts many northwest, central and eastern states. Temperature departures exceeding 40.0 degrees F (22.2 degrees C) below normal occurred from Nebraska southward to Texas. The prolonged arctic air caused widespread power outages in Texas, as well as other southern states, with multiple days of sustained below-freezing temperatures. At the peak of the outage, nearly 10 million people were without power. Additional impacts were frozen water pipes, which burst upon thawing causing water damage to buildings. These extreme conditions also caused or contributed to the direct and indirect deaths of more than 210 people in Texas alone. This count does not include excess mortality that may be hundreds of additional deaths. There were also snow and ice impacts across numerous states including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. This is now the costliest U.S. winter storm event on record, more than doubling the inflation-adjusted cost of the 'Storm of the Century' that occurred in March 1993. | $27.2 CI | 262 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
North Central and Ohio Valley Hail Storms and Severe Weather April 2020 | Severe Storm | April 7, 2020 | April 8, 2020 | Numerous hail storms caused widespread damage across many North Central and Ohio Valley states including Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri. More than 20 tornadoes were also reorted across southern Indiana and Ohio. There was additional widespread high wind damage to homes, vehicles and businesses in many other surrounding states. | $3.5 CI | 0 |
Midwest and Ohio Valley Severe Weather March 2020 | Severe Storm | March 27, 2020 | March 28, 2020 | Severe weather caused damage across many Midwest and Ohio Valley states including Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The states most affected from a combination of high winds and hail were Missouri, Ohio and Arkansas. There were also two dozen tornadoes across Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Arkansas causing additional damage. | $3.1 CI | 0 |
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 |
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 |
Arkansas River Flooding June 2019 | Flooding | May 20, 2019 | June 14, 2019 | Historic flooding impacts the Arkansas River Basin with damage to homes, agriculture, roads, bridges and levees focused across eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Thousands of homes, cars and businesses were flooded due a combination of high rivers, levee failure and persistently heavy rainfall from May 20 through June. | $3.7 CI | 5 |
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. | $1.9 CI | 0 |
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 |
Missouri and Arkansas Flooding and Central Severe Weather May 2017 | Flooding | April 25, 2017 | May 7, 2017 | A period of heavy rainfall up to 15 inches over a multi-state region in the Midwest caused historic levels of flooding along many rivers. The flooding was most severe in Missouri, Arkansas and southern Illinois where levees were breached and towns were flooded. There was widespread damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and agriculture. Severe storms also caused additional impacts during the flooding event across a number of central and southern states. | $2.2 CI | 20 |
Southeast Severe Weather and Tornadoes April 2017 | Severe Storm | April 4, 2017 | April 6, 2017 | Severe weather and tornadoes impact numerous southern and eastern states. The states most impacted include Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky. | $1.3 CI | 1 |
Midwest Tornado Outbreak March 2017 | Severe Storm | March 6, 2017 | March 8, 2017 | Tornado outbreak and wind damage across many Midwestern states (AR, IA, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, NY, OH, WI). Missouri and Illinois were impacted by numerous tornadoes while Michigan and New York were affected by destructive, straight-line winds following the storm system. Nearly one million customers lost power in Michigan alone due to sustained high winds, which affected several states from Illinois to New York. | $2.8 CI | 2 |
Central/ March 2017 | Severe Storm | February 28, 2017 | March 1, 2017 | Over 70 tornadoes developed during a widespread outbreak across many central and southern states causing significant damage. There was also widespread straight-line wind and hail damage. This was the second largest tornado outbreak to occur early in 2017. | $2.3 CI | 6 |
South/ April 2016 | Severe Storm | April 26, 2016 | May 2, 2016 | Large outbreak of tornadoes affects numerous states across the South and Southeast. Additional damage also from large hail and straight-line wind during the multi-day thunderstorm event. | $3.2 CI | 6 |
Texas Tornadoes and Midwest Flooding December 2015 | Severe Storm | December 26, 2015 | December 29, 2015 | A powerful storm system packing unseasonably strong tornadoes caused widespread destruction in the Dallas metropolitan region, damaging well over 1,000 homes and businesses. This same potent system also produced intense rainfall over several Midwestern states triggering historic flooding that has approached or broken records at river gauges in several states (MO, IL, AR, TN, MS, LA). The flooding has overtopped levees and caused damage in numerous areas. This historic storm also produced high wind, snow and ice impacts from New Mexico through the Midwest and into New England. Overall, the storm caused at least 50 deaths from the combined impact of tornadoes, flooding and winter weather. | $2.6 CI | 50 |
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 |
Midwest/ April 2015 | Severe Storm | April 7, 2015 | April 9, 2015 | Severe storms across the Midwest and Ohio Valley including the states (AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, WI, WV). Large hail and high winds created the most damage across Missouri and Illinois. | $2.1 CI | 2 |
Rockies/ June 2014 | Severe Storm | June 3, 2014 | June 5, 2014 | Severe storms across the Rockies and Central Plains states (NE, KS, WY, IA, AR). Wind gusts exceeding 90 mph and baseball to softball sized hail caused severe damage to structures and vehicles in central and eastern Nebraska. | $2.5 CI | 2 |
Midwest/ April 2014 | Severe Storm | April 27, 2014 | May 1, 2014 | Tornado outbreak across the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast states (AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KS, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA) with 83 confirmed tornadoes. Mississippi had its 3rd greatest number of tornadoes reported for any day since 1950. Torrential rainfall in the Florida panhandle also caused major flooding, as Pensacola set new 1-day and 2-day precipitation records of 15.55 and 20.47 inches, respectively. Flooding rains were also reported in coastal Alabama, as Mobile received 11.24 inches of rain, the third greatest calendar day rainfall total for the city. | $2.3 CI | 33 |
U.S. Drought/ 2012 | Drought | January 1, 2012 | December 31, 2012 | The 2012 drought is the most extensive drought to affect the U.S. since the 1930s. Moderate to extreme drought conditions affected more than half the country for a majority of 2012. The following states were affected: CA, NV, ID, MT, WY, UT, CO, AZ, NM, TX, ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, AR, MO, IA, MN, IL, IN, GA. Costly drought impacts occurred across the central agriculture states resulting in widespread harvest failure for corn, sorghum and soybean crops, among others. The associated summer heat wave also caused 123 direct deaths, but an estimate of the excess mortality due to heat stress is still unknown. | $41.7 CI | 123 |
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 |
Mississippi River flooding April-May 2011 | Flooding | April 1, 2011 | May 31, 2011 | Persistent rainfall (nearly 300 percent normal precipitation amounts in the Ohio Valley) combined with melting snowpack caused historical flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Examples of economic damage include: $500 ($715.0) million to agriculture in Arkansas; $320 ($457.6) million in damage to Memphis, Tennessee; $800 million ($1.1 billion) to agriculture in Mississippi; $317 ($453.3) million to agriculture and property in Missouri's Birds Point-New Madrid Spillway; $80 ($114.4) million for the first 30 days of flood fighting efforts in Louisiana. | $4.3 CI | 7 |
Midwest/ May 2011 | Severe Storm | May 22, 2011 | May 27, 2011 | Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (MO, TX, OK, KS, AR, GA, TN, VA, KY, IN, IL, OH, WI, MN, PA) with an estimated 180 tornadoes. Notably, an EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, MO resulting in at least 160 deaths, making it the deadliest single tornado to strike the U.S. since modern tornado record keeping began in 1950. | $12.7 CI | 177 |
Southeast/ April 2011 | Severe Storm | April 25, 2011 | April 28, 2011 | Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (AL, AR, LA, MS, GA, TN, VA, KY, IL, MO, OH, TX, OK) with an estimated 343 tornadoes. The deadliest tornado of the outbreak, an EF-5, hit northern Alabama, killing 78 people. Several major metropolitan areas were directly impacted by strong tornadoes including Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Huntsville in Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee, causing the estimated damage costs to soar. | $14.3 CI | 321 |
Ohio Valley Derecho and Southern Tornadoes April 2011 | Severe Storm | April 19, 2011 | April 20, 2011 | Dozens of tornadoes and a derecho affect numerous states (AR, IL, IN, KY, MO, OH, TN, TX) across the Ohio Valley and South. | $1.5 CI | 0 |
Midwest/ April 2011 | Severe Storm | April 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 |
East/ May 2010 | Flooding | April 30, 2010 | May 2, 2010 | Flooding, hail, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms occurred across many Southern states (TN, AR, KY, GA) on April 30-May 2. Flooding in the Nashville, TN area alone contributed > $1.0 ($1.5) billion in damages. Western and Middle Tennessee were hardest hit with local rainfall amounts of 18-20 inches to the south and west of Greater Nashville. | $3.3 CI | 32 |
Midwest, South and East Severe Weather June 2009 | Severe Storm | June 9, 2009 | June 12, 2009 | Sustained outbreak of thunderstorms and high winds from a strong derecho event over the central, southern, and eastern states (TX, OK, MO, NE, KS, AR, AL, MS, TN, NC, SC, KY, PA). | $1.9 CI | 0 |
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. | $10.4 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. | $43.2 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 |
Southern Severe Weather April 2008 | Severe Storm | April 9, 2008 | April 11, 2008 | Severe storms affect Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas across the South. | $1.5 CI | 2 |
Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather February 2008 | Severe Storm | February 5, 2008 | February 6, 2008 | Series of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the Southeast and Midwest states (AL, AR, IN, KY, MS, OH, TN, TX) with 87 tornadoes confirmed. | $1.8 CI | 57 |
Western, Central and Northeast Severe Weather January 2008 | Severe Storm | January 4, 2008 | January 9, 2008 | Strong storm produces severe weather including hail, high winds and heavy precipitation from California to New York. Flash floods and landslides cause damage in California. In addition, more than 70 tornadoes were reported from Arkansas to Wisconsin, with the highest concentration of tornadoes in Missouri. | $1.5 CI | 12 |
Western/ Summer-Fall 2007 | Drought | June 1, 2007 | November 30, 2007 | Severe drought with periods of extreme heat over most of the southeast and portions of the Great Plains, Ohio Valley, and Great Lakes area, resulting in major reductions in crop yields, along with very low stream-flows and lake levels. Includes states of ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, MN, WI, IA, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, NC, SC, FL, TN, VA, WV, KY, IN, IL, OH, MI, PA, NY. | $5.5 CI | 15 |
Spring Freeze April 2007 | Freeze | April 4, 2007 | April 10, 2007 | Widespread severe freeze over much of the east and midwest (AL, AR, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MO, MS, NC, NE, OH, OK, SC, TN, VA, WV), causing significant losses in fruit crops, field crops (especially wheat), and the ornamental industry. Temperatures in the teens/20s accompanied by rather high winds nullified typical crop-protection systems. | $3.2 CI | 0 |
Midwest/ 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 |
Severe Storms and Tornadoes March 2006 | Severe Storm | March 8, 2006 | March 13, 2006 | Outbreak of tornadoes over portions of the midwest and south during a week-long period-affecting the states of AL, AR, KY, MS, TN, TX, IN, KS, MO, and OK. | $2.1 CI | 10 |
Hurricane 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. | $29.4 CI | 119 |
Midwest Drought Spring-Summer 2005 | Drought | March 1, 2005 | August 31, 2005 | Rather severe localized drought causes significant crop losses (especially for corn and soybeans) in the states of AR, IL, IA, IN, MO, OH, and WI. | $2.4 CI | 0 |
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 |
Severe Storms and Tornadoes April 2002 | Severe Storm | April 27, 2002 | April 28, 2002 | Numerous tornadoes and widespread hail damage over the Central and Eastern states including NC, GA, VA, TX, AR, MO, MS, TN, IL, IN, KY, PA, MD, NY, OH, WV, and KS. | $3.7 CI | 7 |
Midwest/ April 2001 | Severe Storm | April 6, 2001 | April 11, 2001 | Storms, tornadoes, and hail in the states of TX, OK, KS, NE, IA, MO, IL, IN, WI, MI, OH, KY, WV, and PA, over a 6-day period. | $5.5 CI | 3 |
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 |
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 |
Mississippi and Ohio Valley Severe Weather and Flooding March 1997 | Severe Storm | February 28, 1997 | March 5, 1997 | Tornadoes and severe flooding hit the states of AR, MO, MS, TN, IL, IN, KY, OH, and WV, with over 10 inches of rain in 24 hours in Louisville. | $1.9 CI | 67 |
Blizzard/ January 1996 | Winter Storm | January 1, 1996 | January 31, 1996 | Very heavy snowstorm (1-4 feet) over Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast; followed by severe flooding in parts of same area due to rain and snowmelt. | $6.1 CI | 187 |
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 |
Midwest/ April 1994 | Severe Storm | April 25, 1994 | April 27, 1994 | Tornadoes and severe storms cause damage in states across the South, Southeast and Midwest. The states impacted include TX, OK, AR, CO, KS, NE, IA, SD, IL, IN, MN and MO. | $2.1 CI | 3 |
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 |
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 |
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 | $2.5 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 |
U.S. Drought/ Summer 1988 | Drought | June 1, 1988 | August 31, 1988 | 1988 drought across a large portion of the U.S. with very severe losses to agriculture and related industries. Combined direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess mortality) due to heat stress estimated at 5,000. | $54.6 CI | 454 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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.
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