Hurricane Idalia
One of the tropical cyclone disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $3.6 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($3.5 billion at the time) and 5 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 55 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
- $3.6 billion
- Losses at the time
- $3.5 billion
- Deaths
- 5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 97 | 3 | 1 | $410 million |
| Georgia | 128 | 1 | 10 | $38 million |
| California | 60 | 3 | 0 | $31 million |
| West Virginia | 13 | 0 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| South Carolina | 54 | 0 | 2 | $845,000 |
| Nevada | 34 | 2 | 0 | $690,000 |
| Arizona | 70 | 0 | 0 | $113,000 |
| North Carolina | 49 | 0 | 0 | $104,000 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 0 | 0 | $100,000 |
| Utah | 21 | 0 | 0 | $41,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 0 | 0 | $20,000 |
| New York | 1 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Virginia | 14 | 0 | 0 | $8,000 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 0 | 0 | $4,000 |
| Guam | 2 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| New Mexico | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alaska | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Dakota | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alabama | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, August 27, 2023A weak stationary front and upper disturbance interacted with a very moist and unstable air mass to result in scattered showers and storms across central North Carolina in the afternoon and evening.
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 28, 2023A series of training thunderstorms produced extremely high rainfall across portions of Patrick and Carroll Counties in Virginia during the predawn hours of August 28th.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Georgia, August 28 to 29, 2023Thunderstorms formed along a stationary boundary located draped across west-central and northwest GA on the 28th and 29th. Significant tropical moisture ahead of Hurricane Idalia led to several thunderstorms becoming strong to severe.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, August 28, 2023During the early morning hours of August 28th, a ribbon of heavy showers spawned just above the southern West Virginia coalfields and propagated northeastward into the central portions of the state.
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, August 28, 2023Slow moving thunderstorms produced some flash flooding during the morning hours.
- Heavy Rain in Florida, August 28, 2023Deep moisture was increasing from the south ahead of Hurricane Idalia. This moisture combined with diurnal instability and the sea breezes produced locally heavy rainfall near boundary mergers.
- Flash Flood in New York, August 28, 2023A weak disturbance moving through the upper atmosphere across southern New York combined with an unusually warm and moist airmass to produce several rounds of scattered showers and thunderstorms over Chemung county.
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, August 28, 2023Scattered thunderstorms near a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of south central and southeast Virginia.
- Flash Flood and Flood in North Carolina, August 28, 2023High pressure was established over New England, which extended southward across the lower Mid-Atlantic in a wedging pattern, with east windflow observed across Virginia and northern North Carolina.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in New Mexico, August 28, 2023A backdoor cold front and shortwave trough across eastern New Mexico helped storms initiate over the central mountain chain during the early afternoon hours. These storms produced rapid flash flooding over the McBride burn scar in Ruidoso.
- Flash Flood in Virginia, August 28, 2023High pressure was established over New England, which extended southward across the lower Mid-Atlantic in a wedging pattern, with east windflow observed across Virginia and northern North Carolina.
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, August 28 to 29, 2023Scattered thunderstorms near a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of northeast North Carolina.
- Tropical Storm and Storm Surge in Florida, August 29, 2023The center of Hurricane Idalia passed about 165 nautical miles to the west of Key West on a northward path through the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Tropical storm-force wind gusts occurred in squalls which passed mainly through portions of the Lower Florida Keys.
- Storm Surge and Tropical Depression in Florida, August 29 to 30, 2023The center of Hurricane Idalia passed about 180 miles west of Naples as a Category 2 moving north over the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in West Virginia, August 29, 2023After major flash flooding took place across parts of the state the day before, additional flash flooding occurred on the afternoon of August 29th in Harrison County.
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 29, 2023A stalled front interacted with a moist and unstable air mass to result in showers and storms across central North Carolina. There were several reports of flash flooding in Stanly and Franklin counties during the evening.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in Georgia, August 29 to 30, 2023Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning August 30th around 745 AM EDT along the|Florida Big Bend near Keaton Beach as a category 3, with the inner core moving NE across the|Suwannee River Valley.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, August 30, 2023Training showers and thunderstorms formed in an anomalously high PWAT airmass over central Pennsylvania during the late evening of August 29 and continued into the early morning hours of August 30.
- Tropical Storm in Florida, August 30, 2023Hurricane Idalia made landfall just to the north of the local area near Keaton Beach, FL in Taylor county in Florida's Big Bend as a category 3 hurricane and brought devastating storm surge and wind impacts all along the west Florida coast, especially in closer vicinity to the…
- Tropical Storm in Florida, August 30, 2023Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a major Category 3 hurricane. It then moved northeastward, moving into southern Georgia, before pushing into the Atlantic off of the southeast US coast.
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Florida, August 30, 2023Hurricane Idalia made landfall on the morning of August 30th along the coast of Taylor County Florida near Keaton Beach at approximately 745 am EDT.
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Florida, August 30, 2023Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning August 30th around 745 AM EDT along the|Florida Big Bend near Keaton Beach as a category 3, with the inner core moving NE across the|Suwannee River Valley.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, August 30 to 31, 2023Idalia first developed into a tropical depression across the western Caribbean Sea near the Yucatan Peninsula on August 26th before slowly gaining strength and becoming a tropical storm on August 27th.
- Tornado and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, August 30 to 31, 2023Lifting up out of the Big Bend of Florida, Hurricane Idalia weakened to a Tropical Storm as it moved out of southeastern Georgia. The tropical system then moved northeast along the coastal plain of South Carolina.
- Tornado and Tropical Storm in Georgia, August 30 to 31, 2023Idalia first developed into a tropical depression across the western Caribbean Sea near the Yucatan Peninsula on August 26th before slowly gaining strength and becoming a tropical storm on August 27th.
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Georgia, August 30, 2023Hurricane Idalia made landfall on the morning of August 30th along the coast of Taylor County Florida near Keaton Beach at approximately 745 am EDT.
- Tropical Storm and Flood in Georgia, August 30, 2023Lifting up out of the Big Bend of Florida, Hurricane Idalia weakened to a Tropical Storm as it moved into southeastern Georgia. This system produced scattered tree damage and isolated flooding in the Central Savannah River Area.
- Tropical Storm in Georgia, August 30, 2023Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a category 3 hurricane.
- Tornado and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, August 30 to 31, 2023Tropical Storm Idalia moved northeast across northeast South Carolina bringing flooding from heavy rain and storm surge, a few tropical storm force wind gusts and tornadoes late August 30 into August 31. Previously the storm was a Category 4 hurricane.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 30 to 31, 2023Tropical Storm Idalia moved northeast across southeast North Carolina bringing flooding from heavy rain and storm surge, a few tropical storm force wind gusts and tornadoes late August 30 into August 31. Previously the storm was a Category 4 hurricane.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Arizona, August 30, 2023Scattered thunderstorms developed and moved southwest across southeast Arizona during the afternoon and evening. Large hail, severe wind gusts, and localized flash flooding occurred on the east side of Tucson.
- Flash Flooding in Guam, August 31, 2023A monsoon trough extended into the western waters of Guam and up and through Saipan.|Locally heavy showers developed within the trough and then moved over Guam during the afternoon hours of August 31st, causing flash flooding across the central portion of Guam.
- Tropical Storm and Storm Surge in North Carolina, August 31, 2023Idalia developed near the Yucatan Channel on August 27th and meandered around for a couple of days before moving into the Gulf of Mexico on August 29th.
- Coastal Flood in Virginia, August 31, 2023The combination of surface high pressure centered over the eastern Great Lakes and Tropical Storm Idalia lifting northeast then east off the North Carolina outer banks, resulted in very strong northeast winds which caused minor to moderate (tidal) coastal flooding over portions…
- Coastal Flood in North Carolina, August 31, 2023The combination of surface high pressure centered over the eastern Great Lakes and Tropical Storm Idalia lifting northeast then east off the North Carolina outer banks, resulted in very strong northeast winds which caused minor to moderate (tidal) coastal flooding over portions…
- Coastal Flood in Virginia, August 31, 2023The combination of surface high pressure centered over the eastern Great Lakes and Tropical Storm Idalia lifting northeast then east off the North Carolina outer banks, resulted in very strong northeast winds which caused minor to moderate (tidal) coastal flooding over portions…
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 31, 2023Tropical storm Idalia, which tracked east-northeast off the North Carolina coast, brought several inches of rainfall to central North Carolina. Isolated flash flooding was reported in Sampson County.
- Flood in Puerto Rico, August 31, 2023The El Yunque streamer developed during the late morning and early afternoon hours on the 31st of August. Up to 3 inches of rain fell across the northeastern municipalities. This caused flooding over the San Juan metro area.
- Flood in Florida, August 31, 2023Lingering moisture extending across South Florida from Hurricane Idalia well to the NE of the region led to the formation of afternoon showers and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and gusty winds across SE Florida.
- Flash Flooding and Dust Storm in Arizona, August 31, 2023The overall pattern featured an upper-level low pressure situated along the west coast and the subtropical high pressure centered over New Mexico. This overall pattern configuration resulted in southerly flow across Arizona, which helped transport moisture into the region.
- Flood in South Dakota, September 1 to 8, 2023The James River near Stratford opened the month still in flood at 14.83 feet, or 0.83 feet above flood stage. The gage fell below flood stage on September 8th, 147 days after initially going into flood. Flooding in September was confined to agricultural lands.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Arizona, September 1 to 2, 2023A push of monsoon moisture, which began in August, fueled thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. Several produced flash flooding and high winds.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Utah, September 1 to 4, 2023An active pattern resulted in strong wind gusts in addition to isolated flash flooding to start the month of September.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in California, September 1 to 2, 2023A push of monsoon moisture, which began in August, fueled thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert and Owens Valley. Several produced flash flooding and high winds.
- Flash Flood and Flood in Florida, September 1, 2023A wake trough in trailing the departure of Hurricane Idalia lingering across NE FL. This feature combined with high tropical moisture, diurnal instability and the inland progressing west coast sea breeze produced localized heavy, flooding rainfall.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Nevada, September 1 to 4, 2023A cutoff low produced multiple days of heavy rain. Hazards that resulted included gusty severe winds, flooding, funnel clouds, hail, and tree damage.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Nevada, September 1 to 2, 2023A push of monsoon moisture, which began in August, fueled thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. Several produced flash flooding, and one produced hail.
- Heavy Rain in California, September 1 to 3, 2023The first few days of September were greeted with thunderstorms that brought period of heavy rain to portions of interior Northern California, as well as reports of rockslides, leading to a closure of Highway 70.
- Flash Flooding and Dust Storm in Arizona, September 1, 2023A deep southerly fetch of rich moisture up from the Gulf of California led to scattered to widespread heavy rainfall in portions of Southwest Arizona during the afternoon of the 1st.
- Flooding in Alaska, September 1 to 2, 2023Saturated conditions from preceding storms, combined with widespread heavy rainfall of 1-2 inches over a 24 hour period, across the Susitna and Matanuska River Valleys Sept 1, 2023.
- Flash Flooding in Florida, September 1 to 2, 2023Clusters of slow moving thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall in a short period of time, leading to areas of flash flooding in Washington county and on St George Island.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in California, September 1 to 2, 2023An upper level storm system coming from the Eastern Pacific interacted with monsoonal moisture on September 1, 2023. The interaction of these features led to the development of heavy rain and thunderstorms, which caused several instances of flooding in the Coachella Valley.
- Flash Flood in Alabama, September 1, 2023A cluster of slow moving thunderstorms resulted in isolated flash flooding across northeastern Houston county.
- Flash Flooding and Dust Storm in California, September 1, 2023A deep southerly fetch of rich moisture up from the Gulf of California led to scattered to widespread heavy rainfall in Imperial and eastern Riverside counties during the afternoon of the 1st.
- Flash Flood in Mississippi, September 1, 2023An upper-level low pressure system over southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana caused convergence of very moist air over portions of eastern Mississippi during the afternoon of September 1st.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2023The 2023 hurricane seasonTornadoes 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.