NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Nebraska Summary
From 1980–2024 (as of November 1, 2024), there have been 65 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Nebraska. These events included 12 drought events, 5 flooding events, 2 freeze events, 44 severe storm events, 1 wildfire event, and 1 winter storm event. The 1980–2023 annual average is 1.4 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2019–2023) is 4.0 events (CPI-adjusted).
| Disaster Type | Events | Events/Year | Percent Frequency | Total Costs | Percent of Total Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 12 | 0.3 | 18.5% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 44.4% |
| Flooding | 5 | 0.1 | 7.7% | $5.0B-$10.0B | 13.4% |
| Freeze | 2 | 0.0 | 3.1% | $5M-$100M | 0.2% |
| Severe Storm | 44 | 1.0 | 67.7% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 41.7% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0.0 | 1.5% | $5M-$100M | 0.1% |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0.0 | 1.5% | $5M-$100M | 0.1% |
| All Disasters | 65 | 1.4 | 100.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Drought | 12 | 0.3 | 19.7% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 39.7% |
| Flooding | 5 | 0.1 | 8.2% | $2.0B-$5.0B | 13.3% |
| Freeze | 2 | 0.0 | 3.3% | $5M-$100M | 0.1% |
| Severe Storm | 40 | 0.9 | 65.6% | $10.0B-$20.0B | 46.6% |
| Tropical Cyclone | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0.0 | 1.6% | $5M-$100M | 0.2% |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0.0 | 1.6% | $5M-$100M | 0.1% |
| All Disasters | 61 | 1.4 | 100.0% | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Time Period | Billion-Dollar Disasters | Events/ | Cost | Percent of Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 5 | 0.5 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 12.0% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 4 | 0.4 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 4.6% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 15 | 1.5 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 14.3% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 20 | 2.0 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 42.9% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 20 | 4.0 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 31.6% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 13 | 4.3 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 18.3% |
| Last Year (2023) | 5 | 5.0 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 4.3% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 65 | 1.4 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| 1980s (1980-1989) | 4 | 0.4 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 5.3% |
| 1990s (1990-1999) | 3 | 0.3 | $500M-$1.0B | 2.8% |
| 2000s (2000-2009) | 14 | 1.4 | $2.0B-$5.0B | 10.9% |
| 2010s (2010-2019) | 19 | 1.9 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 46.1% |
| Last 5 Years (2019-2023) | 20 | 4.0 | $10.0B-$20.0B | 39.6% |
| Last 3 Years (2021-2023) | 13 | 4.3 | $5.0B-$10.0B | 24.3% |
| Last Year (2023) | 5 | 5.0 | $1.0B-$2.0B | 6.0% |
| All Years (1980-2024)* | 61 | 1.4 | $20.0B-$50.0B | 100.0% |
| Event | Type | Begin Date |
End Date |
Summary |
CPI-AUnadjusted Estimated Cost (in Billions) |
Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central and Northeast Severe Weather June 2024 | Severe Storm | June 24, 2024 | June 26, 2024 | High wind, hail and tornadoes impact numerous central and northeastern states on June 24-26. Several states were impacted by tornadoes including Nebraska, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. On June 25, an EF-3 tornado hit Whitman, Nebraska and the surrounding area. It was the first strong tornado to impact Grant County, Nebraska in more than 70 years. On June 26, a tornado that impacted Providence County, Rhode Island was the first June tornado reported in the state since records began in 1950. | $1.7 CI | 3 |
Central and Eastern Severe Weather June 2024 | Severe Storm | June 12, 2024 | June 14, 2024 | Damaging hail, high wind and tornadoes impact several central and eastern states including Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania on June 12-14. Central and northern Minnesota received damage from quarter to golf ball sized hail while the metro region of Omaha, Nebraska experienced up to baseball sized hail damaging homes, vehicles and businesses. There were also two dozen tornadoes and hundreds of damaging wind reports across these states. | $1.2 CI | 0 |
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 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. | $1.7 CI | 3 |
Southern/ Spring-Fall 2023 | Drought | April 1, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | Drought conditions impacted numerous Southern and Midwestern states (TX, LA, OK, KS, IL, MO, NE) and surrounding states. The agriculture sector has been impacted across these affected states including damage to field crops from lack of rainfall. Ranchers have also been forced to sell-off livestock early in some regions due to high feeding costs. For the second straight year, portions of the Mississippi River have experienced low water levels impacting river commerce. This low flow has also allowed salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to migrate northward, along the bottom of the Mississippi River, impacting water quality in southern Louisiana. Several Northwestern states including Washington, Oregon and Montana have also been impacted by increasing drought effects. | $14.8 CI | 247 |
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 Severe Weather June 2023 | Severe Storm | June 28, 2023 | July 2, 2023 | Severe storms caused damage across numerous Central states. The state most impacted were Missouri, Illinois and Indiana while there were also damage in many surrounding states. The damage to many homes, vehicles, businesses and agriculture assets was largely from high wind and damaging hail but there were also scattered tornado impacts. | $2.0 CI | 3 |
Rockies Hail Storms and Central and Eastern Severe Weather June 2023 | Severe Storm | June 21, 2023 | June 26, 2023 | Severe hail storms across Colorado damaged many homes, vehicles and injured approximately 100 people at a large outdoor concert. This multi-day outbreak of severe weather also produced more than 60 tornadoes across portions of Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky and Arkansas that caused damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. | $5.4 CI | 8 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
North Central Severe Weather May 2022 | Severe Storm | May 11, 2022 | May 12, 2022 | Severe weather causes tornado, hail and high wind damage across several states including South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Hail and high winds impacted southern Minnesota including the cities of St. Cloud and the Minneapolis metro area. In addition, numerous reports of high wind damage occurred across eastern Nebraska. There were also more than two dozen tornadoes that impacted eastern South Dakota and central Minnesota causing damage to homes, vehicles, businesses, agriculture and other infrastructure. | $2.9 CI | 1 |
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 |
Central Severe Storms July 2021 | Severe Storm | July 8, 2021 | July 11, 2021 | Severe storms caused considerable hail damage across numerous Central states including Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, New Mexico and Texas. There was also widespread high wind damage to homes, vehicles and businesses in many other surrounding states. | $1.2 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 - Derecho August 2020 | Severe Storm | August 10, 2020 | August 10, 2020 | A powerful derecho traveled from southeast South Dakota to Ohio, a path of 770 miles in 14 hours producing widespread winds greater than 100 mph. The states most affected included Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio. This derecho caused widespread damage to millions of acres of corn and soybean crops across central Iowa. There was also severe damage to homes, businesses and vehicles particularly in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In addition, there were 15 tornadoes across northeastern Illinois several affecting the Chicago metropolitan area. This is the third severe weather event (since 1980) with inflation-adjusted costs over $10.0 ($12.1) billion joining the late-April and May 2011 tornado outbreaks across the Southeastern and Central states, respectively. | $13.3 CI | 4 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Missouri River and North Central Flooding March 2019 | Flooding | March 14, 2019 | March 31, 2019 | Historic Midwest flooding inundated millions of acres of agriculture, numerous cities and towns, and caused widespread damage to roads, bridges, levees, and dams. The states most affected were Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan. This flood was triggered by a powerful storm with heavy precipitation that intensified snow melt and flooding. Of note, the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska was also severely flooded - the third U.S. military base to be damaged by a billion-dollar disaster event over a 6-month period (Sept 2018-Feb 2019). This historic flooding was one of the costliest U.S. inland flooding events on record. | $13.4 CI | 3 |
Rockies and Plains Hail Storms August 2018 | Severe Storm | August 6, 2018 | August 7, 2018 | Severe hail impacts from baseball to softball size impacted several states including Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming. The most costly impacts occurred in numerous locations of eastern Colorado. | $1.3 CI | 0 |
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. | $1.8 CI | 0 |
Midwest Severe Weather June 2017 | Severe Storm | June 27, 2017 | June 29, 2017 | Severe hail and high wind damage impacting Nebraska, Illinois and Iowa. More than one dozen tornadoes touched down across parts of Iowa, in addition to other storm damage. | $1.8 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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. | $14.3 CI | 53 |
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 |
Western Wildfires Summer-Fall 2012 | Wildfire | June 1, 2012 | November 30, 2012 | Wildfires burned over 9.2 million acres across the U.S. in 2012. This is the 3rd highest annual total since the year 2000. The most damaging wildfires occurred in the western states (CO, ID, WY, MT, CA, NV, OR, WA). Colorado experienced the most costly wildfires (e.g., Waldo Canyon fire) where several hundred residences were destroyed. | $2.4 CI | 8 |
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 |
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, 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 |
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 |
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 |
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, Hail, Tornadoes May 2004 | Severe Storm | May 21, 2004 | May 27, 2004 | Severe storms including tornadoes and hail cause damage across the Midwest, South, Southeast and Northeast regions. The states impacted include IA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, NC, NE, NY, OK, OH and WI. | $1.7 CI | 4 |
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. | $16.0 CI | 0 |
North Central Severe Weather May 2001 | Severe Storm | April 30, 2001 | May 1, 2001 | Severe weather produced impacts across several north central states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska. | $1.2* CI | 0 |
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 |
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. | $46.3 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 |
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. | $54.4 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. | $6.5 CI | 151 |
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 |
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 November 1, 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