Storms of 2008
Every storm the National Weather Service filed in 2008, 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.
2008 on the map
The 600 most significant episodes of 2008, 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
- 71,190
- Deaths
- 827
- Injuries
- 6,520
- Damage
- $30 billion
- Episodes
- 11,387
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 17,768 | 30 | 221 | $699 million |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 17,161 | 14 | 127 | $63 million |
| Winter Storm | 4,033 | 40 | 147 | $878 million |
| Winter Weather | 3,858 | 88 | 628 | $12 million |
| Flash Flood | 3,832 | 67 | 97 | $2.4 billion |
| High Wind | 3,565 | 22 | 58 | $1.1 billion |
| Heavy Snow | 2,768 | 17 | 66 | $16 million |
| Flood | 2,496 | 14 | 18 | $3.0 billion |
| Tornado | 1,954 | 168 | 1,834 | $3.0 billion |
| Drought | 1,909 | 0 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| Strong Wind | 1,514 | 21 | 30 | $8.0 million |
| Marine Thunderstorm Wind | 1,268 | 2 | 6 | $262,000 |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 983 | 13 | 6 | $20,000 |
| Heavy Rain | 858 | 3 | 0 | $253,000 |
| Lightning | 795 | 14 | 86 | $26 million |
| Frost/Freeze | 780 | 0 | 0 | $141 million |
| Blizzard | 729 | 7 | 27 | $105 million |
| Ice Storm | 601 | 5 | 21 | $105 million |
| Tropical Storm | 589 | 10 | 12 | $277 million |
| Dense Fog | 559 | 19 | 117 | $6.6 million |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 523 | 31 | 7 | |
| Funnel Cloud | 383 | 0 | 0 | |
| High Surf | 375 | 9 | 1 | $330,000 |
| Wildfire | 333 | 8 | 224 | $422 million |
| Lake-Effect Snow | 237 | 1 | 1 | $6.3 million |
| Waterspout | 221 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Heat | 185 | 38 | 30 | $900,000 |
| Excessive Heat | 147 | 48 | 215 | |
| Tropical Depression | 131 | 0 | 0 | $675,000 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 124 | 1 | 2 | $14 million |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 72 | 46 | 2,417 | $18 billion |
| Rip Current | 68 | 57 | 76 | |
| Sleet | 68 | 2 | 8 | |
| Coastal Flood | 61 | 2 | 0 | $12 million |
| Marine Hail | 55 | 0 | 0 | $4,000 |
| Astronomical Low Tide | 44 | 0 | 0 | |
| Avalanche | 43 | 23 | 12 | $1.2 million |
| Debris Flow | 38 | 1 | 5 | $7.9 million |
| Dust Storm | 15 | 0 | 0 | $496,000 |
| Dust Devil | 13 | 0 | 14 | $60,000 |
| Marine High Wind | 13 | 1 | 1 | $110,000 |
| Marine Strong Wind | 7 | 5 | 0 | $26,000 |
| Seiche | 6 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 |
| Freezing Fog | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Volcanic Ashfall | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dense Smoke | 2 | 0 | 3 |
The deadliest
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Texas, September 12 to 14, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Tennessee, February 5 to 6, 2008
- Excessive Heat in Pennsylvania, June 7 to 10, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 10, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, February 5, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Tennessee, February 5, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 25, 2008
- Excessive Heat in Pennsylvania, July 16 to 22, 2008
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in Louisiana, September 1 to 3, 2008
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, May 2, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 10, 2008
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in Florida, August 21 to 23, 2008
- High Wind in Ohio, September 14, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Puerto Rico, September 21 to 23, 2008
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Alabama, February 6, 2008
- Dense Fog in Florida, January 9, 2008
- Extreme Cold in Illinois, January 22 to 25, 2008
- Cold in Illinois, December 21 to 25, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Georgia, May 10 to 12, 2008
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, February 5 to 6, 2008
- Strong Wind in California, November 9, 2008
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, February 12 to 13, 2008
- Winter Weather in Wisconsin, December 24, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Missouri, September 12 to 14, 2008
- Tornadoes and Flood in Michigan, June 8 to 10, 2008
The costliest
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Texas, September 12 to 14, 2008
- Hurricane and Tornado in Texas, July 23 to 28, 2008
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Texas, September 12 to 14, 2008
- Flooding in Iowa, June 1 to 30, 2008
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in Louisiana, September 1 to 3, 2008
- Winter Storm in Ohio, March 7 to 8, 2008
- Flash Flood and Hail in Oklahoma, June 5, 2008
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in Louisiana, September 12 to 15, 2008
- High Wind in Ohio, September 14, 2008
- Flooding in Indiana, June 4 to 22, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, June 8 to 9, 2008
- Flooding in Indiana, June 5 to 17, 2008
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in Louisiana, September 1 to 3, 2008
- Flooding in Iowa, June 1 to 25, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Indiana, June 6 to 7, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Tennessee, February 5, 2008
- Tropical Storm and Storm Surge in Louisiana, September 11 to 14, 2008
- High Wind in Ohio, September 14, 2008
- Wildfire and High Wind in Kentucky, September 14, 2008
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in Louisiana, September 1 to 2, 2008
- Wildfire in California, November 15 to 19, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Colorado, May 22, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, February 5, 2008
- Flooding in Indiana, June 1 to 20, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, April 4, 2008
By state
Events filed in each state in 2008.
- Alabama1,695
- Alaska334
- American Samoa16
- Arizona397
- Arkansas2,055
- California1,138
- Colorado1,365
- Connecticut304
- Delaware181
- District of Columbia28
- Florida1,173
- Georgia1,775
- Guam10
- Hawaii476
- Idaho356
- Illinois2,891
- Indiana1,933
- Iowa3,457
- Kansas3,481
- Kentucky2,031
- Louisiana1,000
- Maine670
- Maryland864
- Massachusetts749
- Michigan1,675
- Minnesota2,001
- Mississippi1,809
- Missouri3,023
- Montana1,336
- Nebraska1,934
- Nevada308
- New Hampshire382
- New Jersey966
- New Mexico539
- New York2,490
- North Carolina2,539
- North Dakota1,206
- Ohio1,569
- Oklahoma2,341
- Oregon428
- Pennsylvania1,424
- Puerto Rico149
- Rhode Island88
- South Carolina1,521
- South Dakota1,870
- Tennessee1,230
- Texas3,718
- U.S. Virgin Islands16
- Utah408
- Vermont539
- Virginia1,948
- Washington433
- West Virginia733
- Wisconsin2,024
- Wyoming600
Coastal and lake waters
More from this year
Tornadoes in 2008The 2008 hurricane seasonEvery warning issued in 2008This 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.