Storms of 2012
Every storm the National Weather Service filed in 2012, 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.
2012 on the map
The 600 most significant episodes of 2012, 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
- 64,503
- Deaths
- 707
- Injuries
- 3,285
- Damage
- $39 billion
- Episodes
- 10,318
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 | 16,235 | 23 | 122 | $98 million |
| Hail | 13,385 | 41 | 297 | $300 million |
| Drought | 7,903 | 0 | 1 | $5.9 billion |
| High Wind | 3,765 | 53 | 41 | $137 million |
| Winter Weather | 2,802 | 23 | 100 | $5.8 million |
| Flash Flood | 2,304 | 31 | 132 | $308 million |
| Winter Storm | 1,809 | 17 | 19 | $140 million |
| Marine Thunderstorm Wind | 1,733 | 1 | 1 | $72,000 |
| Heat | 1,633 | 65 | 494 | $12 million |
| Heavy Snow | 1,478 | 3 | 38 | $31 million |
| Excessive Heat | 1,156 | 103 | 648 | $784,000 |
| Strong Wind | 1,071 | 10 | 9 | $7.1 million |
| Tornado | 1,058 | 96 | 887 | $4.2 billion |
| Heavy Rain | 1,043 | 0 | 53 | $541,000 |
| Frost/Freeze | 1,027 | 0 | 0 | $212 million |
| Flood | 993 | 46 | 14 | $25 billion |
| Dense Fog | 977 | 8 | 64 | $6.5 million |
| Lightning | 591 | 19 | 60 | $8.9 million |
| Blizzard | 509 | 11 | 8 | $39 million |
| Wildfire | 481 | 23 | 139 | $1.5 billion |
| High Surf | 377 | 5 | 7 | $75,000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 326 | 0 | 22 | |
| Coastal Flood | 269 | 41 | 2 | $35 million |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 254 | 0 | 0 | $16 million |
| Waterspout | 251 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tropical Storm | 190 | 3 | 0 | $109 million |
| Lake-Effect Snow | 114 | 1 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| Tropical Depression | 97 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dust Storm | 77 | 1 | 38 | $2.9 million |
| Rip Current | 70 | 36 | 23 | $1,000 |
| Debris Flow | 64 | 4 | 13 | $5.7 million |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 62 | 1 | 0 | |
| Marine Hail | 57 | 0 | 0 | $15,000 |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 56 | 8 | 0 | |
| Astronomical Low Tide | 51 | 0 | 0 | |
| Marine High Wind | 43 | 0 | 0 | $31,000 |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 33 | 3 | 0 | $621 million |
| Avalanche | 31 | 21 | 41 | $750 |
| Ice Storm | 30 | 2 | 3 | $7.0 million |
| Marine Strong Wind | 24 | 4 | 3 | $20,000 |
| Dust Devil | 17 | 0 | 2 | $199,000 |
| Freezing Fog | 16 | 1 | 0 | $50,000 |
| Marine Hurricane/Typhoon | 13 | 0 | 0 | $3.0 million |
| Marine Tropical Storm | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seiche | 9 | 0 | 0 | $105,000 |
| Dense Smoke | 5 | 1 | 4 | |
| Sleet | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Marine Dense Fog | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sneakerwave | 1 | 2 | 0 |
The deadliest
- Coastal Flood in New York, October 28 to 30, 2012
- High Wind in New York, October 29, 2012
- Flooding and Coastal Flood in New Jersey, October 28 to 31, 2012
- Excessive Heat in Illinois, July 4 to 7, 2012
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, March 2 to 3, 2012
- Excessive Heat in Missouri, July 1 to 8, 2012
- High Wind in New Jersey, October 29, 2012
- Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, March 2, 2012
- Flooding and Coastal Flood in Pennsylvania, October 29 to 30, 2012
- Wildfire in Florida, January 29, 2012
- Excessive Heat in Wisconsin, July 2 to 6, 2012
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, February 29, 2012
- Excessive Heat and Heat in Pennsylvania, July 4 to 7, 2012
- Excessive Heat in Missouri, July 18 to 25, 2012
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in Florida, June 24 to 30, 2012
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 14 to 15, 2012
- Heat in Wisconsin, July 2 to 7, 2012
- Tornadoes and Flood in Kentucky, March 2, 2012
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, March 2, 2012
- Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, July 19 to 21, 2012
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, September 7, 2012
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, June 29 to 30, 2012
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, July 7, 2012
- Avalanche and Heavy Snow in Washington, February 17 to 19, 2012
- Hurricane and Storm Surge in Louisiana, August 28 to 31, 2012
The costliest
- Flooding and Coastal Flood in New Jersey, October 28 to 31, 2012
- Drought in Iowa, July 1 to 31, 2012
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, June 13, 2012
- Drought in Illinois, September 1 to 30, 2012
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 3, 2012
- Hurricane and Storm Surge in Louisiana, August 28 to 31, 2012
- Drought in Texas, November 1 to 30, 2012
- Tornadoes and Flooding in Kansas, April 14 to 15, 2012
- Wildfire in Idaho, June 28 to 30, 2012
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 29 to 30, 2012
- Drought in Texas, December 1 to 31, 2012
- Wildfire in Colorado, June 23 to 30, 2012
- Wildfire in Colorado, July 1 to 10, 2012
- Drought in Iowa, August 1 to 31, 2012
- Drought in Nebraska, July 1 to 31, 2012
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, March 29 to 30, 2012
- Drought in Missouri, August 1 to 31, 2012
- Drought in Illinois, October 1 to 31, 2012
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Louisiana, March 11 to 19, 2012
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Colorado, June 7, 2012
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Colorado, June 6, 2012
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, March 2 to 3, 2012
- Drought in Texas, October 1 to 31, 2012
- Drought in Nebraska, October 1 to 31, 2012
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Arkansas, December 25 to 26, 2012
By state
Events filed in each state in 2012.
- Alabama1,723
- Alaska358
- American Samoa2
- Arizona498
- Arkansas1,905
- California889
- Colorado1,326
- Connecticut253
- Delaware208
- District of Columbia52
- Florida1,406
- Georgia1,804
- Guam5
- Hawaii580
- Idaho333
- Illinois2,134
- Indiana1,596
- Iowa1,982
- Kansas2,384
- Kentucky2,314
- Louisiana805
- Maine283
- Maryland1,073
- Massachusetts453
- Michigan992
- Minnesota1,777
- Mississippi1,071
- Missouri2,351
- Montana1,028
- Nebraska1,963
- Nevada241
- New Hampshire229
- New Jersey997
- New Mexico1,158
- New York1,603
- North Carolina1,915
- North Dakota687
- Ohio1,806
- Oklahoma1,857
- Oregon503
- Pennsylvania1,685
- Puerto Rico136
- Rhode Island99
- South Carolina1,275
- South Dakota1,556
- Tennessee1,553
- Texas4,814
- U.S. Virgin Islands1
- Utah419
- Vermont366
- Virginia2,202
- Washington450
- West Virginia859
- Wisconsin1,458
- Wyoming953
Coastal and lake waters
More from this year
Tornadoes in 2012The 2012 hurricane seasonEvery warning issued in 2012This 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.