NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Kansas Summary
From 1980–2024 (as of July 9, 2024), there have been 100 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Kansas. These events included 19 drought events, 6 flooding events, 2 freeze events, 70 severe storm events, and 3 winter storm events. The 1980–2023 annual average is 2.1 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2019–2023) is 4.8 events (CPI-adjusted).
| Disaster Type | Events | Events/Year | Percent Frequency | Total Costs | Percent of Total Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 19 | 0.4 | 19.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 59.2% |
| Flooding | 6 | 0.1 | 6.0% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 8.3% |
| Freeze | 2 | 0.0 | 2.0% | $100M-$250M | 0.4% |
| Severe Storm | 70 | 1.6 | 70.0% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 31.6% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 3 | 0.1 | 3.0% | $100M-$250M | 0.5% |
| All Disasters | 100 | 2.2 | 100.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Drought | 19 | 0.4 | 21.3% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 60.7% |
| Flooding | 6 | 0.1 | 6.7% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 7.9% |
| Freeze | 2 | 0.0 | 2.2% | $5M-$100M | 0.3% |
| Severe Storm | 60 | 1.3 | 67.4% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 30.7% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Winter Storm | 2 | 0.0 | 2.2% | $100M-$250M | 0.4% |
| All Disasters | 89 | 2.0 | 100.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Time Period | Billion-Dollar Disasters | Events/ | Cost | Percent of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 8 | 0.8 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 10.2% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 9 | 0.9 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 11.3% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 19 | 1.9 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 16.1% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 38 | 3.8 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 37.7% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 24 | 4.8 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 25.8% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 15 | 5.0 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 18.9% |
| Last Year (2023) | 7 | 7.0 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 7.7% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 100 | 2.2 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 4 | 0.4 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 4.6% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 5 | 0.5 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 5.1% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 18 | 1.8 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 14.6% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 36 | 3.6 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 41.3% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 24 | 4.8 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 34.7% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 15 | 5.0 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 26.1% |
| Last Year (2023) | 7 | 7.0 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 11.1% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 89 | 2.0 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Event | Type | Begin Date |
End Date |
Summary |
CPI-AUnadjusted Estimated Cost (in Billions) |
Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | $2.5 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. | $4.8 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 torando 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 many homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. The towns of Barnsdall and Bartlesville, Oklahoma were impacted by a violet EF-4 tornado that caused extensive damage. | $4.7 CI | 3 |
Central and Southern Tornado Outbreak April 2024 | Severe Storm | April 26, 2024 | April 28, 2024 | An outbreak producing more than 140 tornadoes developed across several central and southern states including Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas causing widespread damage to many homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. Eastern Nebraska was particularly impacted by numerous strong tornadoes. Lincoln narrowly avoided a direct hit, with a large tornado touching down on the edge of the city. The same storm also spawned a mile-wide tornado that heavily damaged the towns of Elkhorn, Bennington, and Blair on the outskirts of Omaha. On April 27, an EF-4 tornado struck Marietta, Oklahoma damaging a large commercial distribution center. Near downtown Omaha another EF-3 touched down at Eppley Airfield, which destroyed several hangars and airplanes. Several tornadoes also touched down close to Topeka, Kansas while an EF-3 tornado caused extensive damage to the town of Westmoreland. | $1.2 CI | 3 |
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. | $5.9 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. | $2.1 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 |
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 |
North Central and Eastern Severe Weather July 2023 | Severe Storm | July 28, 2023 | July 29, 2023 | Severe storms caused damage across several North Central and Eastern states. The state most impacted were Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. High wind, severe hail and tornadoes caused damage to many homes, vehicles, businesses and agriculture assets. | $1.5 CI | 2 |
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 Severe Weather April 2023 | Severe Storm | April 19, 2023 | April 20, 2023 | Severe hail, scattered tornadoes and high winds caused damage across numerous central states. Central Oklahoma was impacted by a cluster of tornadoes. Texas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin was impacted by hail and high wind damage from severe storms. | $3.1 CI | 1 |
Central and Eastern Severe Weather April 2023 | Severe Storm | April 4, 2023 | April 6, 2023 | Severe storms produced large hail, high winds and more than 35 tornadoes across many central and southern states. The states most affected were Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Michigan where there was considerable damage to homes, businesses, agriculture, vehicles and other infrastructure. | $2.9 CI | 5 |
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather March 2023 | Severe Storm | March 31, 2023 | April 1, 2023 | A historic tornado outbreak across numerous central states caused widespread damage from at least 145 tornadoes. States most impacted were Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Tennessee and Pennsylvania where there was severe damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. | $5.9 CI | 33 |
Western/ 2022 | Drought | January 1, 2022 | December 31, 2022 | Severe drought conditions impacted many Western and Central states. Large reservoirs across the West including Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Oroville, and Shasta Lake, among others continue to be depleted. Lake Mead, the Nation's largest reservoir, is nearing dead pool status and is at the lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s. The Great Salt Lake is also near record-low levels. The impacts of the drought affected crop production across may states and sharply increased feeding costs for livestock. Many segments of the Mississippi River also experienced low water levels causing delays and reductions in river commerce. Extreme heat also developed for many days across Western and Central states. These excess heat conditions caused more than one hundred heat-related fatalities focused across Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon and Texas. The 2022 drought was one of the costlier droughts on record, with a diverse array of direct impacts across different regions and industries. | $23.5 CI | 136 |
Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave December 2022 | Winter Storm | December 21, 2022 | December 26, 2022 | Historic winter storm and powerful arctic front caused significant impact across much of the nation, bringing heavy rains, snow, ice and high winds that sent temperatures plummeting. More than 200 million people were under a winter weather advisory or warning and more than a million customers, from Texas to Maine, were left without power. Buffalo, New York was paralyzed by near hurricane force winds and continuous snow squalls, which contributed to dozens of fatalities in the region. Additional impacts were widespread frozen water pipes that led to extensive water damage in many homes, businesses and to other critical infrastructure. | $8.9 CI | 87 |
Central 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 |
Central Severe Weather June 2022 | Severe Storm | June 7, 2022 | June 8, 2022 | Severe weather produced damaging hail, high wind and damage from more than two dozen tornadoes across numerous states including Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa and Ohio. Hail and high wind damage was severe across much of Nebraska causing widespread damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, farms and agriculture and other infrastructure. | $2.0 CI | 0 |
Southern Severe Weather April 2022 | Severe Storm | April 11, 2022 | April 13, 2022 | Severe weather including hundreds of damaging wind reports and dozens of tornadoes occurred across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky. On April 11, tornadoes and damaging hail was focused across central Arkansas causing damage to homes, vehicles, outbuildings and farms and vegetation. April 12 and 13 produced widespread high wind reports and dozens of tornadoes across central Mississippi, northeast Arkansas and west-central Kentucky. These tornadoes produced damage to homes, businesses, farms, outbuildings and other infrastructure. There was also considerable hail damage across Wisconsin and Minnesota. | $2.9 CI | 1 |
Midwest Derecho and Tornado Outbreak December 2021 | Severe Storm | December 15, 2021 | December 15, 2021 | A rare, record-breaking December derecho and tornado outbreak caused widespread damage that was focused across Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. There were many reports of hurricane-force thunderstorm wind gusts and more than 50 tornadoes causing widespread damage to homes, vehicles, businesses and infrastructure. This was the first December derecho on record to occur within the United States. This event also produced the first December tornado on record in Minnesota since 1950, with 17 tornadoes reported across southeast Minnesota. | $2.0 CI | 1 |
North Central Severe Weather August 2021 | Severe Storm | August 10, 2021 | August 13, 2021 | Widespread high wind impacts across numerous North Central states including Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and Missouri. This multi-day event caused damage to infrastructure, homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.5 CI | 2 |
Central Severe Storms June 2021 | Severe Storm | June 24, 2021 | June 26, 2021 | A combination of thunderstorm high winds, hail and tornadoes affected numerous Central states. The states most affected included Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Kansas and Texas with damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and agriculture. | $1.5 CI | 0 |
Western/ Summer-Fall 2020 | Drought | June 1, 2020 | December 30, 2020 | Widespread, continuous drought and record heat affected more than a dozen Western and Central states for much of the summer, fall and into the winter months. Persistent above-average temperatures and precipitation deficits caused D3 (extreme) and D4 (exceptional) drought coverage in December that was the largest extent since August 2012. Death Valley recorded a temperature of 130 degrees F - the highest measured temperature globally in decades - while Los Angeles county recorded a record high of 121 degrees F. There were considerable crop and livestock impacts across the West and Central states from both the persistent heat and increasingly dry conditions. The combined drought and heat also assisted in drying out vegetation across the West that contributed to the Western wildfire potential and severity. | $5.4 CI | 45 |
Central Severe Weather July 2020 | Severe Storm | July 10, 2020 | July 11, 2020 | Central severe weather producing hundreds of severe hail and high wind reports across numerous states including Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. These storms caused impacts to many homes, vehicles and businesses. | $1.4 CI | 0 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Rockies, Central and Northeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather May 2019 | Severe Storm | May 26, 2019 | May 29, 2019 | A four-day tornado outbreak impacts many states across the Rockies, Central and Northeast (CO, WY, NE, KS, OK, MO, IA, IL, IN, OH, PA and NJ). This outbreak produced 190 tornadoes in addition to hundreds of reports of damaging hail and straight-line thunderstorm winds. Of particular note was an EF-4 tornado that produced heavy damage near the city of Dayton, Ohio on May 27. | $5.7 CI | 3 |
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 |
Southwest/ Summer-Fall 2018 | Drought | June 1, 2018 | December 30, 2018 | Drought conditions were present across numerous Southwestern and Plains states (TX, OK, KS, MO, CO, NM, AZ, UT). The most extreme drought conditions continue to persist across the Four Corners region of the Southwest. The agriculture sector has been impacted across the affected states including damage to field crops from lack of rainfall. Ranchers have also be forced to sell-off livestock early in some regions due to high feeding costs. | $3.8 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 |
Central and Eastern Severe Weather May 2018 | Severe Storm | May 13, 2018 | May 15, 2018 | Severe storm damage across many Central states including TX, KS, CO, OK, MO, IL, IN, IA and OH. This was followed by a derecho event across the Northeastern states of MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WV, MA and CT that caused widespread high wind damage. Also, there were one dozen tornadoes reported across PA, NY and CT causing further damage. | $1.7 CI | 5 |
Central and Northeast Severe Weather May 2018 | Severe Storm | May 1, 2018 | May 4, 2018 | Numerous central states (KS, NE, OK, TX, NM, MO, IA, IL, IN, OH, WI) were impacted by large hail and tornadoes. Several northeastern states including NY, PA and VT were also impacted by high wind damage from severe storms. | $1.7 CI | 0 |
Midwest Severe Weather June 2017 | Severe Storm | June 12, 2017 | June 16, 2017 | Severe hail, high winds and numerous tornadoes impact many states over several days including WY, TX, NE, KS, MO, IA, IL, PA, VA, NY. | $1.9 CI | 0 |
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 |
Rockies/ May 2016 | Severe Storm | May 21, 2016 | May 26, 2016 | Sustained period of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes affecting several states including Montana, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Texas. The most concentrated days for tornado development were on May 22 and 24. Additional damage was created by straight-line high wind and hail damage. | $1.5 CI | 0 |
Plains Tornadoes and Central Severe Weather May 2016 | Severe Storm | May 8, 2016 | May 11, 2016 | Tornadoes and severe storms cause widespread damage across the Plains and Central states (NE, MO, TX, OK, KS, CO, IL, KY, TN) over a multi-day period. The damage from tornadoes and high wind was most costly in Nebraska and Missouri. | $2.3 CI | 2 |
Texas and Oklahoma Flooding and Severe Weather May 2015 | Flooding | May 23, 2015 | May 26, 2015 | A slow-moving system caused tremendous rainfall and subsequent flooding to occur in Texas and Oklahoma. The Blanco river in Texas swelled from 5 feet to a crest of more than 40 feet over several hours causing considerable property damage and loss of life. The city of Houston also experienced flooding which resulted in hundreds of high-water rescues. The damage in Texas alone exceeded $1.0 ($1.3) billion. There was also damage in other states (KS, CO, AR, OH, LA, GA, SC) from associated severe storms. | $3.4 CI | 31 |
Southern Plains Tornadoes May 2015 | Severe Storm | May 6, 2015 | May 10, 2015 | Tornado outbreak across the Southern Plain states (IA, KS, NE, OK, CO, SD, TX) with 122 tornadoes. The most costly damage occurred across Texas and Oklahoma. | $1.7 CI | 4 |
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 |
Western Drought 2014 | Drought | January 1, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | Historic drought conditions affected the majority of California for all of 2014 making it the worst drought on record for the state. Surrounding states and parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas also experienced continued severe drought conditions. This is a continuation of drought conditions that have persisted for several years. | $5.3 CI | 0 |
Rockies/ September 2014 | Severe Storm | September 29, 2014 | October 2, 2014 | Severe storms across the Rockies and Plains states (CO, KS, TX). Large hail and high winds created significant damage across eastern Colorado and Texas, particularly in the Dallas metro area. | $1.8 CI | 0 |
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 |
Center Severe Weather May 2014 | Severe Storm | May 10, 2014 | May 14, 2014 | Severe weather including damaging hail, high winds and more than 50 tornadoes impacted Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. These impacts caused damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and other infrastructure. | $1.1* CI | 0 |
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 |
Plains Severe Weather April 2014 | Severe Storm | April 2, 2014 | April 3, 2014 | Severe storms across the Plains states (IL, KS, MO, TX) causing considerable hail and wind damage in Texas. | $1.9 CI | 0 |
Western/ Spring-Fall 2013 | Drought | March 1, 2013 | November 30, 2013 | The 2013 drought slowly dissipated from the historic levels of the 2012 drought, as conditions improved across many Midwestern and Plains states. However, moderate to extreme drought did remain or expand into western states (AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY). In comparison to 2011 and 2012 drought conditions the US experienced only moderate crop losses across the central agriculture states. | $14.2 CI | 53 |
Midwest/ May 2013 | Severe Storm | May 27, 2013 | May 31, 2013 | Outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather over the Midwest, Plains and Northeast (IL, IN, KS, MO, NY, OK, TX) with 92 confirmed tornadoes including the deadly tornado that struck El Reno, OK. There was also significant damage resulting from hail and straight-line wind. | $2.4 CI | 10 |
Midwest/ May 2013 | Severe Storm | May 18, 2013 | May 22, 2013 | Outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather over the Midwest, Plains and Eastern states (GA, IA, IL, KS, MO, NY, OK, TX) with 59 confirmed tornadoes including the deadly tornado that impacted Moore, OK. Many destructive tornadoes remained on the ground for an extended time. | $3.2 CI | 27 |
Midwest/ April 2013 | Severe Storm | April 7, 2013 | April 11, 2013 | Severe weather across the Midwest and Plains states (IN, KS, MO, NE) with a total of 26 confirmed tornadoes. Considerable damage resulting from hail and straight-line wind. | $1.9 CI | 1 |
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/ May 2012 | Severe Storm | May 25, 2012 | May 30, 2012 | Severe storms over the southern plains, midwest and northeast (TX, OK, KS, MN, PA, NY) with 27 confirmed tornadoes. Significant damage also from severe hail and straight-line winds. | $3.2 CI | 1 |
Midwest Tornadoes April 2012 | Severe Storm | April 13, 2012 | April 14, 2012 | Outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather over the midwest (OK, KS, NE, IA) with 98 confirmed tornadoes including many tornadoes that remained on the ground for an extended time - traveling tens of miles. | $1.5 CI | 6 |
Southern Plains/ Spring-Summer 2011 | Drought | March 1, 2011 | August 31, 2011 | Drought and heat wave conditions created major impacts across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Kansas, and western Louisiana. In Texas and Oklahoma, a majority of range and pastures were classified in "very poor" condition for much of the 2011 crop growing season. | $17.1 CI | 95 |
Midwest/ August 17-18, 2011 | Severe Storm | August 17, 2011 | August 18, 2011 | Severe weather impacts the states IA, KS, MO, NE, SD across the Midwest and Southeast. | $1.6 CI | 0 |
Missouri River flooding May-June 2011 | Flooding | May 1, 2011 | June 30, 2011 | Melting of an above-average snow pack across the Northern Rocky Mountains combined with above-average precipitation caused the Missouri and Souris Rivers to swell beyond their banks across the Upper Midwest (MT, ND, SD, NE, IA, KS, MO). An estimated 11,000 people were forced to evacuate Minot, North Dakota due to the record high water level of the Souris River, where 4,000 homes were flooded. Numerous levees were breached along the Missouri River, flooding thousands of acres of farmland. | $2.9 CI | 5 |
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). | $2.1 CI | 3 |
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. | $12.6 CI | 177 |
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 |
Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas Tornadoes and Severe Weather May 2010 | Severe Storm | May 10, 2010 | May 12, 2010 | An outbreak of tornadoes, hail, and severe thunderstorms occurred across Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas in mid-May. Oklahoma was hardest hit with > $1.5 ($2.2) billion in damages. | $4.8 CI | 3 |
Southwest/ 2009 | Drought | January 1, 2009 | December 31, 2009 | Drought conditions occurred during much of the year across parts of the Southwest, Great Plains, and southern Texas causing agricultural losses in numerous states (TX, OK, KS, CA, NM, AZ). The largest agriculture losses occurred in TX and CA. | $5.2 CI | 0 |
Midwest, South and East Severe Weather June 2009 | Severe Storm | June 9, 2009 | June 12, 2009 | Sustained outbreak of thunderstorms and high winds from a strong derecho event over the central, southern, and eastern states (TX, OK, MO, NE, KS, AR, AL, MS, TN, NC, SC, KY, PA). | $1.9 CI | 0 |
Central Derecho and Tornadoes May 2009 | Severe Storm | May 7, 2009 | May 9, 2009 | More than 50 tornadoes and large hail from severe storms caused damage across many southeastern states (IL, KS, KY, MO, TN, TX). | $1.3* CI | 7 |
Midwest/ March 2009 | Severe Storm | March 25, 2009 | March 28, 2009 | Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (NE, KS, OK, IA, TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, TN, KY) with 56 tornadoes confirmed. | $2.4 CI | 0 |
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 |
Midwest Flooding Summer 2008 | Flooding | April 1, 2008 | June 30, 2008 | Heavy rain and flooding caused significant agricultural loss and property damage in IA, IL, IN, MO, MN, NE, and WI with IA being hardest hit with widespread rainfall totals ranging from 4 to over 16 inches. | $14.8 CI | 24 |
Midwest/ June 2008 | Severe Storm | June 6, 2008 | June 12, 2008 | An outbreak of tornadoes and thunderstorms over the Midwest/Mid-Atlantic states (IA, IL, IN, KS, NE, MI, MN, MO, OK, WI, MD, VA, WV). | $2.4 CI | 18 |
Midwest Tornadoes and Severe Weather May 2008 | Severe Storm | May 22, 2008 | May 27, 2008 | Outbreak of tornadoes over the Midwest/Ohio Valley regions (IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, NE, OK, WY, CO) with 235 tornadoes confirmed. | $4.4 CI | 13 |
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 |
Spring Freeze April 2007 | Freeze | April 4, 2007 | April 10, 2007 | Widespread severe freeze over much of the east and midwest (AL, AR, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MO, MS, NC, NE, OH, OK, SC, TN, VA, WV), causing significant losses in fruit crops, field crops (especially wheat), and the ornamental industry. Temperatures in the teens/20s accompanied by rather high winds nullified typical crop-protection systems. | $3.2 CI | 0 |
Midwest/ Spring-Summer 2006 | Drought | March 1, 2006 | August 31, 2006 | Rather severe drought affected crops especially during the spring-summer, centered over the Great Plains region with other areas affected across portions of the south -- including states of ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, MN, IA, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, MT, WY, CO, NM. | $9.5 CI | 0 |
Midwest/ April 6-8, 2006 | Severe Storm | April 6, 2006 | April 8, 2006 | Severe weather and numerous tornadoes affecting the states of OK, KS, MO, NE, KY, OH, TN, IN, MS, GA, and AL on April 6-8 with 3 "killer" tornadoes in TN. | $2.5 CI | 10 |
Severe Storms and Tornadoes March 2006 | Severe Storm | March 8, 2006 | March 13, 2006 | Outbreak of tornadoes over portions of the midwest and south during a week-long period-affecting the states of AL, AR, KY, MS, TN, TX, IN, KS, MO, and OK. | $2.1 CI | 10 |
Western/ Spring-Fall 2003 | Drought | March 1, 2003 | November 30, 2003 | 2003 drought across western and central portions of the U.S. with losses to agriculture. The states most impacted include AZ, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, OR, SD, WA and WI. | $8.7 CI | 35 |
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. | $15.9 CI | 0 |
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 |
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 Severe Storms and Flooding June 1998 | Severe Storm | June 20, 1998 | June 24, 1998 | Severe storms and flooding impact numerous Central and Eastern states. In particular, these storms and floods affected many residences and businesses throughout north-central and eastern Ohio. More than 7,000 homes were affected and more than 1,000 structures were completely destroyed or declared uninhabitable. | $1.7* CI | 12 |
Southern Plains Drought Spring-Summer 1996 | Drought | March 1, 1996 | August 31, 1996 | Severe drought in agricultural regions of southern plains--Texas and Oklahoma most severely affected | $3.6 CI | 0 |
Midwest/ April 1994 | Severe Storm | April 25, 1994 | April 27, 1994 | Tornadoes and severe storms cause damage in states across the South, Southeast and Midwest. The states impacted include TX, OK, AR, CO, KS, NE, IA, SD, IL, IN, MN and MO. | $2.1 CI | 3 |
Midwest Flooding Summer 1993 | Flooding | June 27, 1993 | August 15, 1993 | Severe, widespread flooding in central U.S. due to persistent heavy rains and thunderstorms. There was extensive damage to agriculture, infrastructure, homes and businesses in many areas across several states. Many river stations also established new records for historical flood heights. This is the most costly non-tropical, inland flood event to affect the United States on record. | $46.1 CI | 48 |
Northern Plains and Ohio Valley Severe Weather July 1993 | Severe Storm | July 8, 1993 | July 10, 1993 | Severe storms caused high wind, hail and tornado damage across many Northern/Central Plains (NE, KS, MO, IA, MN, ND) and Ohio Valley states (IL, IN). | $1.4* CI | 1 |
Severe Storms, Hail June 1992 | Severe Storm | June 19, 1992 | June 20, 1992 | Severe storms with hail hit Kansas and Oklahoma | $1.7* CI | 0 |
U.S. Drought Spring-Summer 1991 | Drought | March 1, 1991 | August 31, 1991 | Drought conditions over parts of the West, Central and eastern U.S. most affected the states IL, IN, KS, MN, OH, OR, PA, SD, and WA. | $7.0 CI | 0 |
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 |
Northern Plains Drought Summer-Fall 1989 | Drought | June 1, 1989 | November 30, 1989 | Severe summer drought over much of the northern plains with significant losses to agriculture. The states impacted include CO, IA, IL, KS, MO, ND, NE, NV, SD, TX and UT. | $7.8 CI | 0 |
U.S. Drought/ Summer 1988 | Drought | June 1, 1988 | August 31, 1988 | 1988 drought across a large portion of the U.S. with very severe losses to agriculture and related industries. Combined direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess mortality) due to heat stress estimated at 5,000. | $54.2 CI | 454 |
Freeze/ December 1983 | Freeze | December 15, 1983 | December 25, 1983 | Severe freeze damages citrus crops across central/northern Florida. Associated cold wave over much of the U.S. causes over 100 deaths and additional damages. | $6.4 CI | 151 |
Severe Storms June 1982 | Severe Storm | May 31, 1982 | June 10, 1982 | Severe storms cause damage across the South, Southeast and Central regions. The states impacted include AR, IL, KY, IN, SC, GA and OH. | $1.6* CI | 30 |
Midwest/ April 1982 | Severe Storm | April 2, 1982 | April 4, 1982 | Tornadoes and severe weather affect the states (AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, WI, WV) across the Midwest, Plains and Southeast. | $1.6* CI | 33 |
Midwest/ January 1982 | Winter Storm | January 8, 1982 | January 16, 1982 | Winter storm and cold wave affect numerous states (AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV) across the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. | $2.2* CI | 85 |
Severe Storms, Flash Floods, Hail, Tornadoes May 1981 | Severe Storm | May 5, 1981 | May 10, 1981 | Severe storms cause damage across the Midwest and South. The states most impacted include TX, OK, KS, AL and LA. | $1.4* CI | 20 |
Central/ Summer-Fall 1980 | Drought | June 1, 1980 | November 30, 1980 | Central and eastern U.S. drought/heat wave caused damage to agriculture and other related industries. Combined direct and indirect deaths (i.e., excess mortality) due to heat stress estimated at 10,000. | $40.5 CI | 1,260 |
†Deaths associated with drought are the result of heat waves. (Not all droughts are accompanied by extreme heat waves.)
Flooding events (river basin or urban flooding from excessive rainfall) are separate from inland flood damage caused by tropical cyclone events.
*Statistics valid as of July 9, 2024
Citing this information:
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2024). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/, DOI: 10.25921/stkw-7w73