Central Severe Weather
One of the severe storm disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $3.1 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($3.0 billion at the time) and 1 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 54 most significant severe storm episodes filed in these dates, colored by kind.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Losses, 2024 dollars
- $3.1 billion
- Losses at the time
- $3.0 billion
- Deaths
- 1
The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.
By state, as filed
| State | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 192 | 1 | 2 | $10 million |
| Texas | 156 | 0 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| Iowa | 84 | 0 | 0 | $200,000 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 0 | 0 | $67,000 |
| Wisconsin | 43 | 0 | 0 | $37,000 |
| Kansas | 91 | 0 | 2 | $25,000 |
| Arkansas | 18 | 0 | 0 | $20,000 |
| Missouri | 23 | 0 | 0 | $16,000 |
| Puerto Rico | 14 | 0 | 0 | $4,000 |
| Alabama | 4 | 0 | 0 | $3,000 |
| Illinois | 127 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nebraska | 58 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Dakota | 10 | 0 | 0 | |
| Utah | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ohio | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Florida | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Minnesota | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Hail and High Wind in Utah, April 18, 2023Wind gusts of more than 75 mph were measured at several locations.
- Hail and High Wind in Nebraska, April 18, 2023On this Tuesday late afternoon and evening, thunderstorms of varying strength rumbled from southwest-to-northeast across portions of South Central Nebraska mainly between 6:00-11:30 p.m. CDT.
- Damaging Winds in South Dakota, April 18, 2023A line of thunderstorms produced a few gusts around 60 mph over portions of Fall River and Custer Counties.
- Damaging Wind in Nebraska, April 18, 2023Scattered thunderstorms developed in the Nebraska Panhandle during the early evening hours of April 18th. As this activity tracked into the northeastern Nebraska Panhandle and northwestern Sandhills, gusty winds were reported.
- Damaging Wind in South Dakota, April 18, 2023A severe thunderstorm produced wind gusts around 60 mph over portions of southern Jackson County.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Nebraska, April 18 to 19, 2023There was a both a marginal risk for severe weather and excessive rainfall. Discrete storms developed near 10 PM and produced several hail reports and a couple of wind reports in Cass County. Additionally, a flash flood was observed in Fremont.
- Damaging Winds in South Dakota, April 19, 2023Thunderstorms during the early morning hours produced high winds over Brown and Day Counties. The highest observed wind gust was 78 mph 5 miles south-southeast of Pierpont. A 65 mph gust was reported 4 miles northwest of Pierpont.
- Tornado and Hail in Iowa, April 19 to 20, 2023Early morning storms associated with a weakening low resulted in one stronger cell in central Iowa producing quarter sized hail before dawn. Later in the day, a deepening low across the central plains lifted into Iowa with storms developing along a dry line in the evening.
- Hail in Iowa, April 19, 2023Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed during the morning hours of April 19th. These showers and storms developed along a cold front that moved across eastern Iowa. Some of these storms became severe north of US Highway 30, and produced hail up to the size of golf balls.
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Wisconsin, April 19, 2023A surge of relatively mild, moist, and unstable air aloft brought rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms to southern WI. Numerous reports of large hail were received. Flash flooding and general flooding occurred in urban areas.
- Hail in Illinois, April 19, 2023A warm front lifted north of the area during the early morning hours, and an approaching upper low resulted in a temperature profile that was favorable for hail development. Thunderstorms developed west of the area overnight, on the leading edge of the low level jet.
- Hail in Illinois, April 19, 2023Scattered thunderstorms developed in far northwest Illinois during the afternoon hours as a cold front moved into western Illinois. These storms intensified as they moved into Bureau County and produced hail up to the size of golf balls.
- Hail in Illinois, April 19, 2023Isolated thunderstorms developed across portions of northern Illinois during the afternoon of April 19th, producing mainly large hail.
- Hail in South Dakota, April 19, 2023A weak upper-level wave moving through southwest flow aloft, acting on an environment with 1000 to 1500 J/kg of MUCAPE in the vicinity of a surface trough, resulted in scattered thunderstorms across far southeast South Dakota, far northeast Nebraska, northwest Iowa, and…
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 19, 2023Broad troughing was present aloft across the Western US during the afternoon/evening of the 19th.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, April 19 to 20, 2023An enhanced risk resulted in a widespread large hail event across southeast Nebraska. Storms developed after 4 PM along a stationary front near the Nebraska/Kansas border. A total of 55 storm reports were sent out by the office, most of which were for hail.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 19, 2023An enhanced risk resulted in a numerous hail event across southwest Iowa. Storms developed after 4 PM along a stationary front near the Nebraska/Kansas border and moved into Iowa. A total of 55 storm reports were sent out by the office, most of which were for hail.
- Hail in Minnesota, April 19, 2023A weak upper-level wave moving through southwest flow aloft, acting on an environment with 1000 to 1500 J/kg of MUCAPE in the vicinity of a surface trough, resulted in scattered thunderstorms across far southeast South Dakota, far northeast Nebraska, northwest Iowa, and…
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, April 19 to 20, 2023A lone supercell thunderstorm moved from south central Kansas into central Kansas during the afternoon and evening of April 19th, 2023. The cyclic storm produced very large hail up to 4 inches in diameter and numerous tornadoes across Chase county, Kansas.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, April 19 to 20, 2023One tornado was documented that moved north out of Chase county into far southeast Morris County around 905 pm CDT. The tornado did damage to trees and one home before ending around 3 miles south southwest of Dunlap, Kansas. Other storms produced large hail and damaging winds.
- Hail in Nebraska, April 19, 2023A weak upper-level wave moving through southwest flow aloft, acting on an environment with 1000 to 1500 J/kg of MUCAPE in the vicinity of a surface trough, resulted in scattered thunderstorms across far southeast South Dakota, far northeast Nebraska, northwest Iowa, and…
- Hail in Iowa, April 19, 2023A weak upper-level wave moving through southwest flow aloft, acting on an environment with 1000 to 1500 J/kg of MUCAPE in the vicinity of a surface trough, resulted in scattered thunderstorms across far southeast South Dakota, far northeast Nebraska, northwest Iowa, and…
- Hail in Texas, April 19, 2023Isolated supercell thunderstorms developed in the evening around Abilene along a well defined dryline. The storms produced many reports of large to very large hail.
- Hail in Kansas, April 19 to 20, 2023Storms brought hail to eastern KS on the evening of April 19th and the early morning of April 20th.
- Hail in Oklahoma, April 19, 2023Severe thunderstorms developed over central Oklahoma during the evening of the 19th, along and ahead of a dry line that extended through north central Oklahoma through southwestern Oklahoma.
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 19, 2023A storm in Kirksville caused some wind damage.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, April 19 to 20, 2023During the afternoon-evening of the 19th, this six-county North Central Kansas area remained safely to the west of a zone of severe thunderstorms that raked across parts of south central and eastern Kansas.
- Hail in Nebraska, April 20, 2023During the afternoon-evening of the 19th, the entirety of South Central Nebraska remained safely to the west of a zone of severe thunderstorms that raked across parts of eastern Nebraska.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, April 20, 2023A powerful storm system moved across eastern Iowa into southwest Wisconsin, sweeping a strong cold front through the area during the afternoon hours of Thursday, April 20th.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, April 20, 2023Strong to severe storms developed over southwest Missouri during the early afternoon and moved eastward into central and south central Missouri as a cold front moved across the region and interacted with an unstable airmass.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, April 20, 2023A strong cold front moved through the region during the afternoon hours. There was a narrow corridor of 1000 to 2000 J/kg of MLCAPE along and ahead of the cold front where dewpoints reached the low 60s.
- Hail in Illinois, April 20, 2023A strong cold front moved through the region during the afternoon hours. There was a narrow corridor of 1000 to 2000 J/kg of MLCAPE along and ahead of the cold front where dewpoints reached the low 60s.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Texas, April 20, 2023An upper trough moving through the Southern Plains generated scattered to numerous thunderstorms across North and Central Texas on Thursday April 20.
- Hail in Missouri, April 20, 2023A powerful storm system moved across eastern Iowa into southwest Wisconsin, sweeping a strong cold front through the area during the afternoon hours of Thursday, April 20th.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Illinois, April 20, 2023As a surface low pressure system tracked northwest of Illinois, semi-discrete thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front. These storms produced scattered large hail, as well as damaging winds, across west-central and central Illinois.
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, April 20, 2023A powerful storm system moved across eastern Iowa into southwest Wisconsin, sweeping a strong cold front through the area during the afternoon hours of Thursday, April 20th.
- Hail in Arkansas, April 20, 2023Strong to severe thunderstorms developed across northwestern Arkansas during the afternoon and evening of the 20th, along and ahead of a cold front that moved through the region. The strongest storms produced large hail up to half dollar size.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Arkansas, April 20 to 21, 2023There was nearly a week between storm systems with temperatures again warming into the 80s from the 17th through the 20th across much of the state. Before cool temperatures were seen across the state, a couple more rounds of thunderstorms were expected.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, April 20 to 21, 2023An upper level trough moved across the southwest US and brought a cold front through Central Texas. Thunderstorms developed in the warm, moist airmass south of the front in response to a mid-level shortwave trough.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, April 20, 2023Scattered thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the afternoon of April 20th producing large hail and wind damage.
- Hail in Oklahoma, April 20, 2023An upper level low pressure system shifted east from Montana east into the Dakotas on April 20th, with the attendant trough extending southward through the Rockies before ejecting east through the Central and Southern Plains during the afternoon and evening.
- Hail in Texas, April 20, 2023Isolated to scattered thunderstorms developed across portions of the Heartland into the northwest Hill Country along a cold front and a dryline. Isolated severe thunderstorms produced large hail.
- Hail in Missouri, April 20, 2023An isolated severe thunderstorm moved east across the Ozark foothills during the warmest and most unstable hours of the afternoon. Hail up to quarter-size was reported with the storm.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, April 20, 2023An upper level low pressure system shifted east from Montana east into the Dakotas on April 20th, with the attendant trough extending southward through the Rockies before ejecting east through the Central and Southern Plains during the afternoon and evening.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, April 20, 2023A severe thunderstorm producing large hail and high winds developed along a cold front as it moved across Milwaukee County.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 20 to 21, 2023A line of strong thunderstorms ahead of an approaching cold front produced hail and wind damage on the night of April 20 and early morning hours of April 21.
- Damaging Wind in Michigan, April 20, 2023An isolated severe thunderstorm produced a measured peak wind gust of 59 mph at the Muskegon airport. No damage was reported.
- Hail in Oklahoma, April 20, 2023Strong to severe thunderstorms developed across eastern Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening of the 20th, along and ahead of a cold front that moved through the region. The strongest storms produced large hail up to half dollar size.
- Tornadoes in Florida, April 21, 2023Moist easterly winds generated showers and thunderstorms over the near-shore Atlantic waters of SE Florida.
- Hail in Ohio, April 21, 2023Scattered showers and thunderstorms moved through the Ohio Valley in association with a cold front. Some of the storms produced large hail.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 21, 2023A couple of intense thunderstorms raked the western portion of southern Hidalgo County the afternoon of April 21st.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, April 21 to 23, 2023An approaching frontal boundary, along with patchy moisture reaching the area, and increased instability due to a developing low north of the islands, resulted in the formation of areas of showers and thunderstorms.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Alabama, April 21, 2023A band of showers and thunderstorms pushed east across north Alabama during the evening hours, out ahead of an advancing cold front and upper level disturbance.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, April 21, 2023Storms developed and produced large hail and damaging wind gusts.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2023Tornadoes in 2023
Sources
NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.