Hurricane Dolly
One of the tropical cyclone disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $1.8 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($1.3 billion at the time) and 3 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 83 most significant tropical cyclone 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
- $1.8 billion
- Losses at the time
- $1.3 billion
- Deaths
- 3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 49 | 0 | 4 | $1.4 billion |
| New York | 54 | 0 | 0 | $28 million |
| Georgia | 42 | 0 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| Iowa | 36 | 0 | 0 | $2.0 million |
| New Hampshire | 11 | 1 | 2 | $2.0 million |
| Arkansas | 28 | 0 | 8 | $1.5 million |
| Ohio | 22 | 0 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| Missouri | 73 | 0 | 0 | $908,000 |
| Massachusetts | 26 | 0 | 2 | $751,000 |
| Illinois | 39 | 0 | 0 | $485,000 |
| New Mexico | 13 | 0 | 0 | $435,000 |
| Virginia | 56 | 0 | 0 | $398,000 |
| Idaho | 30 | 0 | 0 | $221,000 |
| Rhode Island | 8 | 0 | 0 | $170,000 |
| Mississippi | 27 | 0 | 0 | $160,000 |
| Vermont | 5 | 0 | 0 | $150,000 |
| Michigan | 23 | 0 | 0 | $112,000 |
| Utah | 5 | 0 | 0 | $85,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 20 | 0 | 0 | $82,000 |
| Nebraska | 4 | 0 | 0 | $80,000 |
| Colorado | 4 | 0 | 0 | $75,000 |
| Maryland | 17 | 0 | 0 | $43,000 |
| Kansas | 2 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| District of Columbia | 3 | 0 | 0 | $2,000 |
| Montana | 31 | 0 | 0 | |
| Arizona | 14 | 0 | 1 | |
| South Dakota | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maine | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wyoming | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| New Jersey | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Connecticut | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| West Virginia | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| North Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| California | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, July 21, 2008Thunderstorms developed in a highly unstable environment ahead of an approaching cold front. Several discrete cells initially formed across the area, producing numerous reports of large hail.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Missouri, July 21 to 22, 2008A stationary front that extended along the Missouri/Iowa border then into north central Illinois helped to trigger several rounds of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms became severe.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, July 21, 2008After an extremely hot and muggy day, in which temperatures soared into the 90s and dew points rose into the 70s, across Missouri, a weak stationary front and sinking upper level disturbance from the north, provided enough energy to allow several severe thunderstorms to form,…
- Flash Flood in Arizona, July 21, 2008Heavy rains resulted in flooded roads near San Carlos.
- Flash Flooding in Maine, July 21 to 22, 2008Slow moving thunderstorms containing very heavy rain produced flash flooding across portions of northeast Aroostook county.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Arkansas, July 22, 2008A northwesterly wind flow aloft sent storms into Arkansas on the 22nd. The approach of a cold front and the hot, humid conditions over the state contributed to the severity of the storms.
- Flash Flood and Debris Flow in Virginia, July 22 to 23, 2008A large outflow boundary from an overnight thunderstorm complex moved through the region during the morning and early afternoon hours of July 22. This prevented thunderstorm development until early evening when storms started developing.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Ohio, July 22, 2008A frontal system lingered over northern Ohio. Thunderstorms developed along this front. A few of the stronger storms became severe, while storms moving off of Lake Erie produced torrential rainfall in northeastern Ohio.
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, July 22, 2008An area of showers and thunderstorms developed over the warm waters of Lake Erie on the morning of the 22nd. These storms were characterized by very heavy rainfall rates, and produced flash flooding in northwestern Pennsylvania.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Idaho, July 22, 2008Severe weather developed ahead of a low moving into Oregon as a moist, southerly flow provided the fuel for wildfire threat associated with the copious lightning activity and flash flood, high wind and large hail theats across Southeast Oregon and Southeast Idaho.
- Flash Flood in Michigan, July 22, 2008An upper level disturbance kicked off numerous showers and thunderstorm, resulting in locally heavy rain and isolated flooding.
- Flood and Hail in Georgia, July 22, 2008An upper low continued to deepen across the northeast U.S. and was digging southward into the southeast United States A strong cold front was moving south from the Ohio Valley toward the southeast United States.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Mississippi, July 22 to 24, 2008Scattered afternoon thunderstorms developed mainly over the northern portion of the region and produced scattered wind damage and some hail.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Idaho, July 22, 2008Multiple severe reports occurred on July 22nd.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Michigan, July 22, 2008An upper level disturbance trigged a few severe thunderstorms north of I-69.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Mississippi, July 22, 2008Showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front during the late morning and afternoon hours of July 22, 2008. Some storms produced large hail and damaging winds.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Montana, July 22, 2008A very unstable airmass allowed severe thunderstorms to develop over portions of Southwest Montana. Hail the size of golf balls and wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were reported in Beaverhead...Gallatin and Madison counties.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Massachusetts, July 22, 2008The remnants of a Mesoscale Convective Complex over Ohio moved through southern New England, producing heavy rain that wreaked havoc over western Massachusetts.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Idaho, July 22, 2008An upper level trough pushed through North Central Idaho on 07/22/2008 and brought flash flooding, strong winds and hail to the area.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Arizona, July 22, 2008Strong to severe thunderstorms developed across portions of Southeast Arizona resulting in large hail and flash flooding.
- Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in Utah, July 22, 2008Heavy rain from thunderstorms produced flooding and flash flooding across portions of eastern Utah.
- Flash Flood and Hail in South Dakota, July 22, 2008Severe thunderstorms produced large hail and strong wind gusts across southern Fall River County. Runoff from heavy rain caused flash flooding along Fiddle Creek and Cottonwood Creek six miles southwest of Edgemont and washed out some secondary roads.
- Flash Flood in Montana, July 22, 2008Heavy rain from passing thunderstorms caused flooding of urban streets in Dillon. More than one-half inch of rain fell in 15 minutes at some locations.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Nebraska, July 22, 2008Severe thunderstorms produced hail, strong winds and some flash flooding over parts of the western Nebraska panhandle.
- Flash Flood in Montana, July 22, 2008Heavy rain from thunderstorms caused flash flooding in parts of Bozeman. More than six-tenths of an of rain was reported to have fallen in 15 minures in some parts of the city.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Montana, July 22, 2008Severe thunderstorms producing large hail and damaging winds moved across portions of South Central and Southeast Montana during the late afternoon hours of the 22nd and continued into the early morning hours of the 23rd.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Wyoming, July 22, 2008A severe thunderstorm clipped far northern portions of Campbell and Crook Counties with hail to golf ball size and heavy rain. Three to six inches of rain fell from near Weston to the Wyoming/Montana border.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in New Mexico, July 22, 2008The combination of plenty of moisture and slow movement of thunderstorms created torrential rains and several reports of flash flooding over western and central New Mexico.
- Heavy Rain in Colorado, July 22, 2008Thunderstorms caused minor flooding.
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, July 22, 2008A slow moving cold front produced scattered severe thunderstorms across eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania. A weak EF0 tornado touched down in Butler county Pennsylvania in a heavily wooded area with damage to trees.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in New York, July 23 to 24, 2008A stationary front extending from southern New England through the Delmarva region pulled eastward as low pressure developed along the boundary. As moisture pulled northward, heavy rain showers and thunderstorms developed, producing severe weather and flooding.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in Texas, July 23 to 24, 2008Hurricane Dolly made landfall approximately 80 miles south of Corpus Christi, Texas on Wednesday July 23, 2008 between 1 PM and 2 PM, along the unpopulated shoreline of Cameron and Willacy County.
- Flood in Arizona, July 23, 2008Thunderstorm activity from July 22nd produced heavy rainfall across the Catalina Mountains with the runoff subsequently flowing down the Rillito River early on July 23rd.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, July 23, 2008A stationary front extending from southern New England through the Delmarva region pulled eastward as low pressure developed along the boundary. As moisture pulled northward, heavy rain showers and thunderstorms developed, producing severe weather and flooding.
- Hurricane and Tornado in Texas, July 23 to 28, 2008Hurricane Dolly, the first storm since Bret (1999) to make landfall along the Deep South Texas barrier islands, left a trail of widespread minor to moderate structural and natural damage across much of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas on July 23rd, and dumped…
- Flash Flooding in New York, July 23, 2008Several waves of low pressure rode along a slow moving cold front approaching the area on July 23. A tropical airmass was already in place across the local area from Tropical Storm Cristobal which passed by to our east the previous day.
- Flood in West Virginia, July 23, 2008A slow moving cold front moved towards the Mid Atlantic Coast on July 23rd. This front provided the focus for scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon and evening hours.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, July 23, 2008Scattered severe thunderstorms and isolated flash flooding occurred along a stalled frontal boundary across western Pennsylvania.
- Heavy Rain in North Dakota, July 23, 2008An elongated area of thunderstorms moved from the southwest to the northeast over the city of Jamestown early in the afternoon on Wednesday, July 23rd. Rainfall totals were near two inches in less than two hours time, resulting in minor street flooding throughout the city.
- Flash Flood and Hail in New York, July 23, 2008Thunderstorms developed across the area as an upper level low was centered over the Great Lakes region. Storms developed rapidly along an outflow boundary from the Niagara Peninsula to Erie county.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Massachusetts, July 23, 2008A frontal system moved through southern New England with the warm front moving through first and increasing low level moisture. Then the cold front moved through providing a lifting mechanism for showers and thunderstorms to develop.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Maryland, July 23, 2008A slow moving cold front moved towards the Mid Atlantic Coast on July 23rd. This front provided the focus for scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon and evening hours.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Rhode Island, July 23, 2008A frontal system moved through southern New England with the warm front moving through first and increasing low level moisture. Then the cold front moved through providing a lifting mechanism for showers and thunderstorms to develop.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in New York, July 23 to 24, 2008A developing low pressure system along a nearly stationary boundary intensified as it tracked northeast from western Pennsylvania into central New York from Wednesday morning on July 23rd, through Thursday morning on July 24th.
- Heavy Rain in Colorado, July 23, 2008Heavy rain producing thunderstorms caused minor flooding.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Virginia, July 23, 2008A slow moving cold front moved towards the Mid Atlantic Coast on July 23rd. This front provided the focus for scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon and evening hours.
- Flash Flooding in New Jersey, July 23, 2008Several waves of low pressure rode along a slow moving cold front approaching the area on July 23. A tropical airmass was already in place across the local area from Tropical Storm Cristobal which passed by to our east the previous day.
- Flash Flood and Hail in South Dakota, July 23, 2008A couple thunderstorms moved over northwest Dewey county and brought quarter sized hail along with very heavy rains which resulted in flash flooding in around Isabel.
- Flash Flood in Colorado, July 23, 2008Heavy rain from a slow moving thunderstorm produced flash flooding near mile marker 17.
- Flash Flood in Arizona, July 23, 2008An area of thunderstorms produced flash flooding near Snowflake.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in District of Columbia, July 23, 2008A slow moving cold front moved towards the Mid Atlantic Coast on July 23rd. This front provided the focus for scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon and evening hours.
- Flash Flood and Flood in Pennsylvania, July 23 to 24, 2008Persistent thunderstorms produced heavy rain and Flash Flooding in Warren County. Eventually, the flash flooding threat ended, yet flooding persisted into the morning of the 24th.
- Flash Flooding in Connecticut, July 23, 2008Several waves of low pressure rode along a slow moving cold front approaching the area on July 23. A tropical airmass was already in place across the local area from Tropical Storm Cristobal which passed by to our east the previous day.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Iowa, July 24 to 25, 2008A strong warm front was positioned southwest of Iowa during the early morning of the the 24th. A 40 to 50 kt low level jet transported a considerable amount of moisture northeast across the frontal boundary.
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, July 24, 2008Heavy rains from thunderstorms produced flash flooding across portions of northeast North Carolina.
- Flash Flood in South Dakota, July 24, 2008Thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall of 3 to 6 inches, causing flash flooding in a small part of southern Hutchinson County during the predawn hours of July 24th.
- Flooding in Maine, July 24 to 29, 2008A slow moving area of low pressure produced 2 to 3 inches of rainfall in northwestern Maine. A couple of brief periods of minor flooding resulted on the Swift River at Roxbury during the early morning and again in the evening.
- Flash Flood in Massachusetts, July 24, 2008Heavy rain fell in the area for about an hour with half an inch falling in approximately 6 minutes. This, coupled with a blocked culvert that handles runoff from Interstate 495, resulted in flooding of several houses in the Lawrence/Andover area.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Texas, July 24, 2008Hurricane Dolly made landfall on South Padre Island on the afternoon of July 23. On the morning of the 24th, the center of Dolly was located near Laredo and had weakened to tropical storm strength.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in New York, July 24, 2008Low pressure moved out to the northeast of the region, pulling a cold front into New England. Meanwhile, low pressure in the upper atmosphere kept unsettled weather across upstate New York.
- Flooding in Iowa, July 24 to 31, 2008The wet weather pattern continued as heavy thunderstorm activity once again moved across south central Iowa. Widespread rainfall occurred over already wet soils. The heaviest totals on the morning of the 24th was a rainfall of 8.18 inches reported at the Creston Airport.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Missouri, July 24 to 31, 2008An unusual late July weather pattern, set the stage for extreme rainfall amounts and major flooding across north central and northeast Missouri, on July 24th and 25th. Hot and humid air, continued to feed north across the eastern Plains into western Missouri.
- Tornadoes and Flood in New Hampshire, July 24, 2008On July 24th a closed 500 mb low was digging over NY/PA and waves of surface low pressure were riding north along the associated surface front to the west of the forecast area. A strong 50kt low level jet was also riding northward ahead of the front.
- Flash Flood in Texas, July 24, 2008Three to five inches of rain fell across Vidor in Orange County, resulting in high water along roads and underpasses.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in New York, July 24 to 25, 2008Thunderstorms which crossed the area produced hail up to one inch in diameter and strong winds estimated to 60mph. The thunderstorms dropped heavy rain as much as five inches in just a couple of hours over parts of the region.
- Flooding in Vermont, July 24, 2008A cold, unstable upper atmospheric low slowly moved across the eastern Great Lakes during the afternoon of July 24th. Meanwhile, a surface low slowly traveled north along a cold front which moved into an moisture laden atmosphere across New York and Vermont.
- Tornado and Hail in Minnesota, July 24, 2008A cold front crossed the area, bringing drier air in behind it. One thunderstorm flared up over Mahnomen County, where it produced a brief tornado touchdown. Another cell flared up over Polk County later.
- Flood in New Hampshire, July 24, 2008A slow moving area of low pressure produced 3 inches of rainfall in Grafton County New Hampshire. Minor flooding resulted on the Pemigewasset River at Woodstock during the evening of July 24th.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Missouri, July 24 to 25, 2008A warm front moved northeastward through the area triggered numerous showers and thunderstorms causing widespread flash flooding and a few isolated severe events.
- Heavy Rain in Puerto Rico, July 25, 2008A weak tropical wave across the Eastern Caribbean acted to enhance showers and thunderstorms across Puerto Rico.
- Tornado and Hail in Michigan, July 25, 2008A cold front moving into a warm and humid airmass spawned severe thunderstorms over portions of west and central Upper Michigan on the afternoon of the 25th. A weak tornado also caused some damage near Rapid River in Delta County.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Arizona, July 25, 2008Slow moving thunderstorms occurred across much of Southeast Arizona resulting in areas of flash flooding and hail.
- Flood in Arizona, July 25, 2008A thunderstorm produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding about 10 miles northwest of Winslow.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, July 26, 2008An upper level disturbance moved through North Mississippi during the early evening hours of July 26th, 2008. Showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the disturbance. Some storms became severe with damaging winds.
- Flash Flooding in Texas, July 26 to 27, 2008The remnants of Hurricane Dolly moved northwestward into far west Texas, passing directly over west El Paso, then curved north and northeastward into Otero County New Mexico. Moisture from this system was spread over the entire area and lingered another 36 hours.
- Flash Flooding in New Mexico, July 26 to 27, 2008The remnants of Hurricane Dolly moved northwestward into far west Texas, moving directly over west El Paso, then curved north and northeastward into Otero County New Mexico. Moisture from this system spread over most of southern New Mexico and lingered another 36 hours.
- Flash Flood in Arizona, July 26, 2008Monsoon moisture triggered thunderstorms which brought isolated flooding to the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin.
- Flash Flood in California, July 26, 2008Monsoon moisture triggered thunderstorms which brought isolated flooding to the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin.
- Tornado and Hail in Pennsylvania, July 26, 2008A series of pulse severe thunderstorms, which evolved into mini bow echoes during the late afternoon and evening hours of July 26th produced wind damage and large hail across central Pennsylvania. One storm produced a short-lived tornado in Warren County.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Missouri, July 26, 2008Several severe thunderstorms impacted portions of southwest Missouri during the late afternoon and evening of 26 July. Damaging winds and heavy rain were the primary hazards with these storms.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Utah, July 26 to 27, 2008Another round of thunderstorms toward the end of July caused flash flooding in a few different areas and produced some strong gusty winds.
- Flash Flood in Colorado, July 26, 2008Heavy rain caused extreme runoff which undermined and washed away three sections of Copper Gulch Road. Around a dozen motorists were stranded on the road as 4 to 6 feet of water was running across the road. Seven miles of the road was closed during the cleanup and repair.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Kansas, July 26, 2008A severe thunderstorm produced damage to trees and power lines in the city of Fort Scott. Flash flooding was also observed within the city.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2008The 2008 hurricane seasonTornadoes in 2008
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.