Storms of 1961
Every storm the National Weather Service filed in 1961, month by month, kind by kind and state by state. Before 1996 the record holds tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind only, without narratives; floods, heat, winter storms and the other kinds begin in 1996.
1961 on the map
The 600 most significant episodes of 1961, colored by kind of event.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The year
- Events
- 2,246
- Deaths
- 52
- Injuries
- 1,087
- Damage
- $179 million
- Episodes
- 939
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
By month
By kind of event
Deaths, injuries and damage are counted under the kind that heads each episode.
| Kind of event | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | 772 | 52 | 1,087 | $179 million |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 752 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hail | 722 | 0 | 0 |
The deadliest
- Tornadoes in Oklahoma, May 5, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Texas, September 12, 1961
- Tornadoes in Louisiana, September 12, 1961
- Tornadoes in Arkansas, May 7, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 25, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, May 6, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 27, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, March 4, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 23, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Kentucky, June 9, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, March 12, 1961
- Tornadoes in Georgia, March 31, 1961
- Tornadoes in Louisiana, September 10, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, March 12, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, March 6, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, June 21, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, November 22, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, April 12, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 5, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 4, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, September 24, 1961
The costliest
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, March 4, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, February 17, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, May 7, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 7, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 23, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, April 25, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, May 14, 1961
- Tornadoes in Iowa, September 1, 1961
- Tornadoes in Arkansas, May 7, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Kentucky, June 9, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, May 6, 1961
- Tornadoes in Pennsylvania, July 29, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Illinois, March 6, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 26, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 25, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, March 12, 1961
- Tornadoes in Georgia, March 31, 1961
- Tornadoes in Louisiana, September 10, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Montana, June 29, 1961
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, April 23, 1961
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in New York, May 9, 1961
- Tornado in Florida, May 26, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 7, 1961
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, March 12, 1961
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, March 6, 1961
By state
Events filed in each state in 1961.
- Alabama52
- Arizona24
- Arkansas85
- California2
- Colorado36
- Connecticut7
- Delaware2
- Florida66
- Georgia78
- Idaho9
- Illinois113
- Indiana69
- Iowa70
- Kansas169
- Kentucky35
- Louisiana52
- Maine14
- Maryland9
- Massachusetts13
- Michigan46
- Minnesota42
- Mississippi34
- Missouri137
- Montana26
- Nebraska91
- Nevada6
- New Hampshire6
- New Jersey1
- New Mexico33
- New York27
- North Carolina30
- North Dakota12
- Ohio47
- Oklahoma224
- Oregon1
- Pennsylvania24
- Rhode Island1
- South Carolina24
- South Dakota41
- Tennessee29
- Texas354
- Utah6
- Vermont6
- Virginia28
- Washington3
- West Virginia8
- Wisconsin40
- Wyoming14
Coastal and lake waters
More from this year
Tornadoes in 1961The 1961 hurricane seasonThis day in weather history
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.