Hurricane Zeta

Losses, 2024 dollars

$5.3 billion

Losses at the time

$4.4 billion

Deaths

6

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.

• Heavy Rain in Hawaii, October 26 to 28, 20209 eventsA slow-moving front from the northwest, along with a surface low north of the state, brought periods of heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms to most of the islands. The rainfall produced ponding on roadways, and small stream and drainage ditch flooding.
• Hurricane and Tornado in Mississippi, October 28, 20202 deaths · $125 million · EF0 · 10 eventsA tropical depression formed in the northwestern Caribbean on the afternoon of October 24th. 9 hours later, it became the twenty-seventh named storm and eleventh hurricane of the exceptionally active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
• Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in North Carolina, October 28 to 30, 2020$1.3 million · 23 eventsWidespread amounts of three to five inches of rainfall were observed across the mountains and foothills during the 24-hour period ending with the passage of Tropical Storm Zeta across the lower mid-Atlantic region.
• Heavy Rain in Kansas, October 28 to 29, 20202 eventsRainfall amounts for a couple of southern KS counties were quite impressive with totals over 3 inches.
• Flood and Heavy Rain in Alabama, October 28, 20203 eventsA band of heavy showers and embedded thunderstorms lifted northward through north Alabama during the morning into early afternoon hours. Intense rainfall rates resulted in brief flooding of some roads in Madison and Decatur.
• Tropical Storm in Louisiana, October 28, 20201 eventZeta developed in the Caribbean Sea and moved across the Yucatan Peninsula then into the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane strengthened into a category 2 before moving into Southeast Louisiana.
• Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Arkansas, October 28, 20206 eventsA big gullywasher came on the 28th as the system in the Plains neared. Rain came down in buckets over the northern half of the state, with four to more than five inch amounts at several locations. This included Des Arc (Prairie County) and Harrison (Boone County).
• Flood and High Wind in Tennessee, October 28 to 29, 202050 kt wind · 2 eventsThe remnants of Tropical Cyclone Zeta tracked across the southeastern United States, producing locally heavy rainfall across the area, and windy conditions across the southern Appalachians.
• Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Louisiana, October 28, 20201 death · 1 injured · $386 million · 27 eventsA tropical depression formed in the northwestern Caribbean on the afternoon of October 24th. 9 hours later, it became the twenty-seventh named storm and eleventh hurricane of the exceptionally active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
• Tornado and Tropical Storm in Mississippi, October 28, 2020$376,000 · EF1 · 7 eventsAfter making landfall along the southeast Louisiana Gulf Coast around 4:00 p.m. CDT on October 28th, Hurricane Zeta continued to quickly move northeast and weaken as it moved inland.
• Tropical Storm and Storm Surge in Alabama, October 28 to 29, 202015 eventsHurricane Zeta made landfall in southeast Louisiana during the late afternoon hours of Wednesday, October 28th as a strong category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.
• Tropical Storm and Flash Flood in Mississippi, October 28, 20206 eventsHurricane Zeta made landfall in southeast Louisiana during the late afternoon hours of Wednesday, October 28th as a strong category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.
• Flooding in Kentucky, October 28 to 29, 2020$20,000 · 2 eventsMoisture associated with the remnants of Hurricane Zeta, combined with the approach of a strong 500 mb low from the Plains states, resulted in widespread heavy rainfall from 2 to 4 inches.
• Tropical Storm and Flash Flood in Georgia, October 28 to 29, 20203 deaths · $25,000 · 83 eventsDuring the late evening of October 28th through the morning of October 29th, Tropical Storm Zeta swept rapidly across north Georgia producing widespread wind damage and isolated flooding across north and portions of central Georgia.
• Tropical Storm in Florida, October 28 to 29, 20202 eventsHurricane Zeta made landfall in southeast Louisiana during the late afternoon hours of Wednesday, October 28th as a strong category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.
• Flood in Missouri, October 28 to 29, 20201 eventMoisture associated with the remnants of Hurricane Zeta, combined with the approach of a strong 500 mb low from the Plains states, resulted in widespread heavy rainfall from 2 to 4 inches.
• Flooding in Missouri, October 28 to 29, 202011 eventsA potent storm system moved across the Ozarks which produced periods of heavy rainfall for portions of the region.
• Tropical Storm in Alabama, October 28 to 29, 20202 injured · 28 eventsTropical cyclone Zeta developed over the Western Caribbean Sea on Saturday, October 24, and slowly moved west. The tropical storm emerged into the Southern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, October 27th. Zeta turned northwest and became a hurricane on Wednesday, October 28th.
• Tropical Storm in Alabama, October 28 to 29, 2020$6,000 · 3 eventsTropical Storm Zeta moved rapidly northeast through central into southern portions of northeast Alabama. The storm produced wind gusts of 35-40 mph in a small portion of northeast Alabama. Several reports were received of trees and power lines being knocked down in DeKalb County.
• Heavy Rain in Virginia, October 29 to 30, 202020 eventsLow pressure combined with the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Zeta tracking across the Middle Atlantic region produced heavy rain across portions of Central Virginia and the Virginia Northern Neck.
• Heavy Rain in Maryland, October 29 to 30, 20204 eventsLow pressure combined with the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Zeta tracking across the Middle Atlantic region produced heavy rain across portions of the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore.
• Tropical Storm and Damaging Wind in Virginia, October 29, 2020$199,000 · 50 kt wind · 11 eventsWinds associated with Tropical Storm Zeta caused damage and power outages in southwestern Virginia, concentrated close to border with North Carolina. Wind gusts reached 30-40 knots during the peak of the storm.
• Tropical Storm and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, October 29, 2020$175,000 · 50 kt wind · 11 eventsWinds associated with Tropical Storm Zeta caused damage throughout northwestern NC. Wind gusts reached 30-40 knots during the peak of the storm.
• Tropical Storm and Strong Wind in South Carolina, October 29, 20201 injured · $600,000 · 9 eventsTropical Storm Zeta moved quickly from near the mouth of the Mississippi River to the southern Appalachians during the night of the 28th into the morning of the 29th.
• Tropical Storm in Georgia, October 29, 2020$500,000 · 5 eventsTropical Storm Zeta moved quickly from near the mouth of the Mississippi River to the southern Appalachians during the night of the 28th into the morning of the 29th.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, October 29 to 30, 202014 eventsTropical Storm Zeta passed quickly across the lower mid-Atlantic region on the morning of the 29th, but still brought 2-3 inches of rainfall to the foothills of the Blue Ridge and the Piedmont region.
• Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, October 29, 2020$527,000 · 31 eventsTropical moisture and heavy rain overspread western North Carolina throughout the 28th through the morning of the 29th as the center of Tropical Storm Zeta moved quickly from the mouth of the Mississippi River into the southern Appalachians.
• Flooding in Indiana, October 29, 20202 eventsMoisture associated with the remnants of Hurricane Zeta, combined with the approach of a strong 500 mb low from the Plains states, resulted in widespread heavy rainfall from 3 to 5 inches.
• Tropical Storm and Strong Wind in North Carolina, October 29, 2020$33 million · 31 eventsHurricane Zeta made landfall along the Louisiana coast during the afternoon of October 28th and quickly lift off to the north and northeast, moving across the southern Appalachians and southern Mid-Atlantic region on October 29th while transitioning to a extra-tropical cyclone.
• Flooding in Virginia, October 29 to 30, 202040 eventsTropical moisture streamed into the area as the remnants of Zeta approached and interacted with a stalled frontal boundary. A prolonged period of heavy rain led to flooding across portions of Northern Virginia.
• Flooding in Maryland, October 29 to 30, 20207 eventsTropical moisture streamed into the area as the remnants of Zeta approached and interacted with a stalled frontal boundary. A prolonged period of heavy rain led to flooding across portions of central and southern Maryland.
• Flooding in Arkansas, October 29 to 31, 20203 eventsHeavy rain brought flooding to parts of northeast Arkansas at the end of October.
• Flood in Maryland, October 30, 20201 eventLow pressure combined with the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Zeta tracking across the Middle Atlantic region produced heavy rain which caused flooding across portions of the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore.
• Coastal Flood in New Jersey, October 30, 20204 eventsLow pressure passing off the Middle Atlantic coast caused a strong and steady northeast wind to develop along the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey. Widespread moderate coastal flooding occurred with the high tide on the morning of October 30.
• Coastal Flood in Delaware, October 30, 20202 eventsLow pressure passing off the Middle Atlantic coast caused a strong and steady northeast wind to develop along the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey. Widespread moderate coastal flooding occurred with the high tide on the morning of October 30.
• Coastal Flood in New York, October 30, 20201 eventNortheast gales associated with low pressure passing to the south, and high astronomical tides associated with the full moon of the 31st, combined to cause isolated moderate coastal flooding along the shorelines of southern Nassau County during the morning high tide cycle.

Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2020The 2020 hurricane seasonTornadoes in 2020

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.