Storms of 1998
Every storm the National Weather Service filed in 1998, 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.
1998 on the map
The 600 most significant episodes of 1998, 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
- 50,973
- Deaths
- 685
- Injuries
- 11,139
- Damage
- $16 billion
- Episodes
- 16,999
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 | 13,603 | 22 | 369 | $364 million |
| Hail | 12,561 | 16 | 317 | $1.5 billion |
| Flash Flood | 3,582 | 120 | 4,605 | $974 million |
| Flood | 2,318 | 18 | 1,905 | $1.6 billion |
| Heavy Snow | 2,197 | 18 | 81 | $38 million |
| High Wind | 2,165 | 17 | 50 | $80 million |
| Winter Storm | 2,025 | 20 | 157 | $38 million |
| Drought | 1,774 | 0 | 0 | $2.2 billion |
| Tornado | 1,529 | 154 | 2,109 | $3.0 billion |
| Heat | 1,404 | 172 | 637 | $651,000 |
| Ice Storm | 1,158 | 24 | 22 | $451 million |
| Heavy Rain | 981 | 10 | 20 | $359 million |
| Strong Wind | 920 | 4 | 11 | $587,000 |
| Lightning | 901 | 31 | 181 | $22 million |
| Winter Weather | 833 | 4 | 237 | $982,000 |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 505 | 7 | 15 | $600 million |
| Funnel Cloud | 442 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 |
| Dense Fog | 407 | 6 | 152 | $2.4 million |
| Blizzard | 389 | 2 | 19 | $1.8 million |
| High Surf | 299 | 1 | 10 | $20,000 |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 191 | 4 | 9 | $3.7 billion |
| Waterspout | 176 | 0 | 0 | $45,000 |
| Tropical Storm | 144 | 5 | 68 | $366 million |
| Coastal Flood | 123 | 0 | 5 | $116 million |
| Wildfire | 113 | 0 | 119 | $478 million |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 55 | 0 | 0 | $8.7 million |
| Sleet | 50 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rip Current | 38 | 21 | 14 | |
| Lake-Effect Snow | 36 | 0 | 0 | |
| Avalanche | 17 | 9 | 15 | $126,000 |
| Frost/Freeze | 12 | 0 | 0 | $83 million |
| Dust Storm | 10 | 0 | 12 | $40,000 |
| Seiche | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dust Devil | 4 | 0 | 0 | $3,000 |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | 0 | $150,000 |
The deadliest
- Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, February 22 to 23, 1998
- Tornadoes in Alabama, April 8, 1998
- Heat in Texas, July 1 to 31, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Texas, October 17 to 19, 1998
- Tornadoes in Georgia, March 20, 1998
- Heat in Pennsylvania, July 20 to 23, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Missouri, October 4 to 5, 1998
- Heat in Illinois, June 24 to 28, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Texas, August 23 to 24, 1998
- Heat in Louisiana, June 1 to 30, 1998
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, January 7, 1998
- Tornadoes in South Dakota, May 30, 1998
- Heat in Louisiana, July 1 to 31, 1998
- Ice Storm in Texas, December 22 to 24, 1998
- Flash Flood in Ohio, June 27 to 30, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Flood in California, February 23 to 24, 1998
- Heat in Texas, July 1 to 31, 1998
- Heat in Oklahoma, July 6 to 31, 1998
- Heat in Texas, August 3 to 13, 1998
- Flash Flood in Alabama, March 8, 1998
- Tornadoes in Georgia, April 9, 1998
- High Wind in Wisconsin, November 10 to 11, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Texas, August 23, 1998
- Winter Storm in Utah, January 11 to 14, 1998
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 17 to 18, 1998
The costliest
- Hurricane in Puerto Rico, September 21 to 22, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, May 15, 1998
- Hurricane in Mississippi, September 27 to 28, 1998
- Cold in California, December 20 to 27, 1998
- Hail in Kentucky, April 16, 1998
- Drought in Oklahoma, July 6 to 31, 1998
- Drought in Texas, December 1 to 31, 1998
- Wildfire in Florida, July 1 to 10, 1998
- Flooding in Florida, March 10 to 30, 1998
- Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Maine, January 5 to 10, 1998
- Tropical Storm in Texas, September 7 to 12, 1998
- Hurricane and Storm Surge in Florida, September 24 to 25, 1998
- Flooding in Texas, October 17 to 21, 1998
- Drought in Texas, December 1 to 31, 1998
- Flooding in Alabama, March 8 to 17, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, February 2, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, May 30, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, March 29, 1998
- Tornadoes in Alabama, April 8, 1998
- Heavy Rain in California, May 1 to 31, 1998
- Drought in Texas, August 1 to 31, 1998
- Hurricane in Alabama, September 25 to 29, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 31, 1998
- Flooding in Georgia, March 8 to 21, 1998
- Drought in Texas, August 1 to 31, 1998
By state
Events filed in each state in 1998.
- Alabama1,001
- Alaska407
- American Samoa26
- Arizona283
- Arkansas1,166
- California1,057
- Colorado1,066
- Connecticut170
- Delaware161
- District of Columbia24
- Florida1,701
- Georgia1,625
- Guam33
- Hawaii335
- Idaho279
- Illinois1,589
- Indiana1,116
- Iowa1,847
- Kansas2,334
- Kentucky1,255
- Louisiana852
- Maine694
- Maryland561
- Massachusetts659
- Michigan1,285
- Minnesota1,386
- Mississippi835
- Missouri1,723
- Montana621
- Nebraska1,477
- Nevada262
- New Hampshire352
- New Jersey865
- New Mexico305
- New York1,380
- North Carolina1,907
- North Dakota485
- Ohio1,725
- Oklahoma2,112
- Oregon335
- Pennsylvania1,508
- Puerto Rico147
- Rhode Island139
- South Carolina908
- South Dakota647
- Tennessee1,260
- Texas4,092
- U.S. Virgin Islands23
- Utah506
- Vermont311
- Virginia1,475
- Washington217
- West Virginia780
- Wisconsin1,291
- Wyoming372
Coastal and lake waters
More from this year
Tornadoes in 1998The 1998 hurricane seasonEvery warning issued in 1998This 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.