Storms of 2009
Every storm the National Weather Service filed in 2009, 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.
2009 on the map
The 600 most significant episodes of 2009, 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
- 57,398
- Deaths
- 559
- Injuries
- 2,836
- Damage
- $7.5 billion
- Episodes
- 9,846
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 | 13,379 | 10 | 67 | $77 million |
| Hail | 13,313 | 12 | 142 | $1.6 billion |
| Flash Flood | 4,091 | 56 | 108 | $818 million |
| Winter Storm | 3,341 | 39 | 350 | $226 million |
| High Wind | 2,968 | 16 | 73 | $156 million |
| Winter Weather | 2,954 | 42 | 490 | $4.9 million |
| Heavy Snow | 2,306 | 18 | 34 | $27 million |
| Flood | 1,978 | 25 | 45 | $223 million |
| Strong Wind | 1,328 | 14 | 22 | $4.5 million |
| Tornado | 1,273 | 55 | 559 | $2.2 billion |
| Blizzard | 1,247 | 24 | 47 | $79 million |
| Drought | 1,242 | 0 | 0 | $50 million |
| Heavy Rain | 1,087 | 2 | 6 | $572,000 |
| Marine Thunderstorm Wind | 984 | 2 | 2 | $57,000 |
| Lightning | 721 | 20 | 94 | $12 million |
| Frost/Freeze | 649 | 2 | 0 | $189 million |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 567 | 19 | 2 | |
| High Surf | 534 | 10 | 22 | $255,000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 449 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ice Storm | 442 | 24 | 155 | $1.2 billion |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 436 | 13 | 2 | |
| Dense Fog | 370 | 4 | 35 | $755,000 |
| Wildfire | 245 | 5 | 122 | $115 million |
| Heat | 241 | 31 | 57 | $4.1 million |
| Waterspout | 224 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Coastal Flood | 201 | 3 | 6 | $297 million |
| Lake-Effect Snow | 148 | 0 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| Excessive Heat | 146 | 17 | 147 | |
| Tropical Storm | 130 | 2 | 0 | $859,000 |
| Dust Storm | 60 | 9 | 58 | $6.8 million |
| Rip Current | 58 | 39 | 25 | $1,000 |
| Debris Flow | 52 | 1 | 9 | $112 million |
| Astronomical Low Tide | 41 | 0 | 0 | |
| Freezing Fog | 41 | 1 | 0 | $2.0 million |
| Tropical Depression | 39 | 0 | 0 | |
| Marine High Wind | 32 | 3 | 0 | |
| Marine Hail | 28 | 0 | 0 | |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 14 | 0 | 0 | $8.2 million |
| Avalanche | 12 | 7 | 3 | $121,000 |
| Dust Devil | 12 | 0 | 3 | $227,000 |
| Sleet | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seiche | 3 | 0 | 0 | $55,000 |
| Marine Strong Wind | 2 | 2 | 2 | $20,000 |
| Dense Smoke | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 1 | 0 | 1 | $30,000 |
| Tsunami | 1 | 32 | 148 | $81 million |
The deadliest
- Tsunami in American Samoa, September 29, 2009
- Ice Storm in Kentucky, January 26 to 28, 2009
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Georgia, September 20 to 23, 2009
- Heat in Tennessee, June 17 to 28, 2009
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, February 10, 2009
- Winter Storm in Kentucky, January 27 to 28, 2009
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Texas, December 24, 2009
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 28 to 29, 2009
- Ice Storm in Arkansas, January 26 to 28, 2009
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, April 18, 2009
- Winter Weather in Colorado, March 30, 2009
- Excessive Heat in Illinois, June 22 to 25, 2009
- Cold in Illinois, December 28 to 31, 2009
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, April 8 to 9, 2009
- Winter Storm in Missouri, January 26 to 28, 2009
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Kansas, March 27 to 28, 2009
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, April 25 to 30, 2009
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 13, 2009
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Oklahoma, December 24, 2009
- Flash Flooding and Flood in California, October 12 to 17, 2009
- Winter Weather in Kansas, December 22 to 23, 2009
- Flash Flooding in Arkansas, May 24, 2009
- High Surf in California, November 26 to 27, 2009
- Flooding and Heavy Rain in Missouri, October 30, 2009
- Flood and Heavy Rain in Texas, November 20 to 21, 2009
The costliest
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 10, 2009
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Arkansas, January 26 to 28, 2009
- Tornado and Hail in Colorado, July 20, 2009
- Ice Storm in Kentucky, January 26 to 28, 2009
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, May 8, 2009
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Georgia, September 20 to 23, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, August 9, 2009
- Coastal Flood and High Wind in New Jersey, November 11 to 14, 2009
- Tornadoes and Hail in Colorado, June 7, 2009
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, April 11, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, March 25, 2009
- Hail in Texas, September 16, 2009
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, April 8 to 9, 2009
- Frost and Freeze in Iowa, October 10 to 11, 2009
- Winter Storm in Missouri, January 26 to 28, 2009
- Tornado and Hail in Colorado, July 29, 2009
- Ice Storm in Arkansas, January 26 to 28, 2009
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 8, 2009
- High Wind in New York, December 9 to 10, 2009
- Tornadoes and Hail in Tennessee, April 10, 2009
- Hail in Texas, March 30, 2009
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in New York, August 9 to 10, 2009
- Tsunami in American Samoa, September 29, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, June 30, 2009
- Debris Flows and Flooding in Washington, January 7 to 10, 2009
By state
Events filed in each state in 2009.
- Alabama1,756
- Alaska464
- American Samoa15
- Arizona360
- Arkansas1,961
- California875
- Colorado1,739
- Connecticut286
- Delaware179
- District of Columbia9
- Florida1,037
- Georgia1,603
- Guam6
- Hawaii653
- Idaho268
- Illinois1,879
- Indiana1,158
- Iowa1,872
- Kansas2,884
- Kentucky2,113
- Louisiana915
- Maine444
- Maryland596
- Massachusetts326
- Michigan751
- Minnesota1,140
- Mississippi1,221
- Missouri1,925
- Montana883
- Nebraska1,817
- Nevada187
- New Hampshire167
- New Jersey935
- New Mexico518
- New York1,475
- North Carolina1,842
- North Dakota957
- Ohio926
- Oklahoma2,038
- Oregon342
- Pennsylvania1,226
- Puerto Rico207
- Rhode Island37
- South Carolina1,069
- South Dakota1,521
- Tennessee1,593
- Texas5,051
- U.S. Virgin Islands18
- Utah306
- Vermont312
- Virginia1,500
- Washington306
- West Virginia636
- Wisconsin1,173
- Wyoming651
Coastal and lake waters
More from this year
Tornadoes in 2009The 2009 hurricane seasonEvery warning issued in 2009This 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.