Storm records

Storms of 2016

56,005 events in 9,284 episodes

Every storm the National Weather Service filed in 2016, 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.

2016 on the map

The 600 most significant episodes of 2016, 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

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The year

Events
56,005
Deaths
667
Injuries
1,562
Damage
$18 billion
Episodes
9,284

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 eventEventsDeathsInjuriesDamage
Thunderstorm Wind15,6591888$45 million
Hail9,4071767$1.4 billion
Flash Flood3,5867148$2.4 billion
High Wind3,120927$50 million
Winter Weather2,91642195$3.0 million
Winter Storm2,3672642$5.6 million
Drought2,27100$7.9 million
Marine Thunderstorm Wind2,17310$18,000
Heavy Rain1,79544$101,000
Flood1,703710$1.8 billion
Heavy Snow1,518417$3.8 million
Tornado1,08184363$9.1 billion
Strong Wind90277$7.4 million
Frost/Freeze83200$371,000
Dense Fog829716$100,000
Heat81160250
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill57043
High Surf568159$565,000
Excessive Heat55584200$1.0 million
Blizzard544272$4.3 million
Lightning4092251$4.8 million
Wildfire347642$184 million
Tropical Storm31913$2.3 billion
Funnel Cloud28900
Lake-Effect Snow25110$9.8 million
Coastal Flood22310$691,000
Waterspout19900$1,000
Cold/Wind Chill181273
Ice Storm10110$7.6 million
Rip Current694825
Dust Storm68418$1.9 million
Debris Flow5243$1.6 million
Marine High Wind5100
Astronomical Low Tide4600
Storm Surge/Tide3431$5,000
Hurricane (Typhoon)33327$1.1 billion
Avalanche301653$633,000
Marine Hail2300
Dust Devil1300$44,000
Marine Tropical Storm1300
Tropical Depression1200
Marine Hurricane/Typhoon1000
Marine Strong Wind9134
Freezing Fog400
Marine Dense Fog400
Sleet300
Seiche200
Sneakerwave114
Marine Tropical Depression100
Lakeshore Flood100$3,000

The deadliest

The costliest

By state

Events filed in each state in 2016.

Coastal and lake waters

More from this year

Tornadoes in 2016The 2016 hurricane seasonEvery warning issued in 2016This day in weather history

Storms of 2015Storms of 2017

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.