Storm records

Storms of 1980

6,136 events in 1,340 episodes

Every storm the National Weather Service filed in 1980, 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.

1980 on the map

The 600 most significant episodes of 1980, 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

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The year

Events
6,136
Deaths
28
Injuries
1,157
Damage
$2.2 billion
Episodes
1,340

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 eventEventsDeathsInjuriesDamage
Thunderstorm Wind3,17900
Hail1,98500
Tornado972281,157$2.2 billion

The deadliest

The costliest

By state

Events filed in each state in 1980.

Coastal and lake waters

More from this year

Tornadoes in 1980The 1980 hurricane seasonThis day in weather history

Storms of 1979Storms of 1981

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.