Storms of 1997
Every storm the National Weather Service filed in 1997, month by month, kind by kind and state by state. From 1996 the record holds 48 kinds of event with each office’s narrative; before that, tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind only, and before 1955 tornadoes alone.
1997 on the map
The 600 most significant episodes of 1997, 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
- 41,991
- Deaths
- 600
- Injuries
- 3,791
- Damage
- $11 billion
- Episodes
- 15,770
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 9,868 | 26 | 283 | $109 million |
| Hail | 8,612 | 11 | 147 | $245 million |
| Flash Flood | 3,027 | 88 | 491 | $924 million |
| Winter Storm | 3,008 | 26 | 201 | $54 million |
| Heavy Snow | 2,994 | 19 | 128 | $187 million |
| High Wind | 2,415 | 29 | 85 | $41 million |
| Flood | 1,946 | 31 | 68 | $5.9 billion |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 1,579 | 35 | 6 | $257 million |
| Tornado | 1,180 | 85 | 1,117 | $994 million |
| Winter Weather | 1,006 | 29 | 73 | $1.1 million |
| Blizzard | 888 | 26 | 168 | $363 million |
| Lightning | 841 | 31 | 204 | $27 million |
| Heat | 739 | 76 | 530 | $21,000 |
| Ice Storm | 668 | 10 | 51 | $166 million |
| Strong Wind | 604 | 5 | 29 | $1.1 million |
| Heavy Rain | 558 | 6 | 19 | $8.4 million |
| Drought | 392 | 0 | 0 | $277 million |
| Funnel Cloud | 372 | 0 | 0 | $2,000 |
| Dense Fog | 307 | 10 | 103 | $1.7 million |
| High Surf | 251 | 10 | 6 | $5,000 |
| Waterspout | 218 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 |
| Frost/Freeze | 159 | 0 | 0 | $52 million |
| Coastal Flood | 94 | 2 | 0 | $780,000 |
| Lake-Effect Snow | 64 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 |
| Wildfire | 37 | 6 | 7 | $42 million |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 37 | 20 | 15 | $672 million |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 26 | 0 | 27 | $1.9 million |
| Sleet | 25 | 0 | 0 | |
| Debris Flow | 19 | 5 | 1 | $5,000 |
| Rip Current | 17 | 10 | 7 | |
| Tropical Storm | 12 | 0 | 0 | $205 million |
| Dust Devil | 8 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Dust Storm | 8 | 0 | 25 | $1.7 million |
| Astronomical Low Tide | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Avalanche | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| Volcanic Ash | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Marine High Wind | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The deadliest
- Tornadoes in Texas, May 27, 1997
- Heat in Pennsylvania, July 12 to 18, 1997
- Hurricane and Heavy Rain in Guam, April 11 to 19, 1997
- Heat in Illinois, June 21 to 30, 1997
- Winter Weather in California, January 7 to 18, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Arizona, August 3 to 31, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Michigan, July 2 to 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Kansas, April 10 to 11, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Arizona, August 1 to 17, 1997
- Flash Flood in Colorado, July 28, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Flood in Kentucky, March 1 to 6, 1997
- Wildfire and Heat in California, August 1 to 7, 1997
- Dense Fog in California, December 11, 1997
- Blizzard in Colorado, October 24 to 25, 1997
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 18, 1997
- High Wind in New York, March 6, 1997
- Heat in Illinois, July 14 to 18, 1997
- Heat in Pennsylvania, July 27 to 28, 1997
- Cold in Ohio, January 10 to 19, 1997
- Winter Storm in Arizona, January 12 to 14, 1997
- Debris Flow in Washington, January 19, 1997
- High Surf in Hawaii, January 30 to 31, 1997
The costliest
- Flood in North Dakota, April 18 to 23, 1997
- Flooding in Nevada, January 1 to 17, 1997
- Flood in Minnesota, April 17 to 23, 1997
- Hurricane in Guam, December 9 to 16, 1997
- Flooding in California, January 1 to 17, 1997
- Cold in Florida, January 19, 1997
- Tropical Storm in Arizona, September 25, 1997
- Flash Flood in Colorado, July 28, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 16 to 20, 1997
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Michigan, July 2 to 4, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Colorado, August 11, 1997
- Flooding in Kentucky, March 2 to 15, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 8 to 10, 1997
- Ice Storm in North Dakota, April 4 to 5, 1997
- Heavy Snow and Lightning Strike in Iowa, October 26, 1997
- Flooding and High Wind in Oregon, January 1 to 5, 1997
- Flood in Kentucky, March 1 to 3, 1997
- Flash Flood in Wisconsin, June 21, 1997
- Tornadoes in Texas, May 27, 1997
- Drought in Virginia, September 1 to 30, 1997
- Hurricane in Alabama, July 18 to 22, 1997
- Flooding in Indiana, March 2 to 15, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Nebraska, October 25 to 26, 1997
By state
Events filed in each state in 1997.
- Alabama731
- Alaska278
- Arizona318
- Arkansas742
- California664
- Colorado1,352
- Connecticut164
- Delaware116
- District of Columbia15
- Florida1,264
- Georgia1,206
- Guam35
- Hawaii353
- Idaho335
- Illinois1,367
- Indiana694
- Iowa1,542
- Kansas1,857
- Kentucky1,037
- Louisiana644
- Maine211
- Maryland377
- Massachusetts564
- Michigan1,082
- Minnesota1,415
- Mississippi771
- Missouri1,116
- Montana601
- Nebraska1,627
- Nevada158
- New Hampshire142
- New Jersey759
- New Mexico395
- New York1,114
- North Carolina1,005
- North Dakota736
- Ohio1,137
- Oklahoma1,670
- Oregon176
- Pennsylvania1,135
- Puerto Rico142
- Rhode Island140
- South Carolina550
- South Dakota1,238
- Tennessee1,145
- Texas4,001
- U.S. Virgin Islands28
- Utah348
- Vermont319
- Virginia706
- Washington204
- West Virginia784
- Wisconsin1,069
- Wyoming412
Coastal and lake waters
More from this year
Tornadoes in 1997The 1997 hurricane seasonEvery warning issued in 1997This 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.