Midwest/Plains Tornadoes
One of the severe storm disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $2.1 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($985 million at the time) and 3 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 71 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
- $2.1 billion
- Losses at the time
- $985 million
- 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 | 330 | 3 | 64 | $230 million |
| Indiana | 50 | 3 | 70 | $13 million |
| Illinois | 94 | 0 | 8 | $7.8 million |
| Missouri | 146 | 0 | 5 | $7.7 million |
| Oklahoma | 264 | 0 | 4 | $6.9 million |
| Minnesota | 12 | 0 | 3 | $5.0 million |
| Wisconsin | 49 | 0 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| Nebraska | 44 | 0 | 1 | $2.0 million |
| Iowa | 51 | 0 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| Arkansas | 87 | 0 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| South Dakota | 25 | 0 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| Ohio | 33 | 0 | 0 | $990,000 |
| Montana | 5 | 0 | 0 | $555,000 |
| Tennessee | 41 | 0 | 0 | $535,000 |
| Kansas | 50 | 0 | 1 | $298,000 |
| New York | 21 | 0 | 0 | $296,000 |
| Alabama | 14 | 0 | 0 | $160,000 |
| California | 5 | 0 | 0 | $55,000 |
| Vermont | 13 | 0 | 0 | $45,000 |
| Mississippi | 19 | 0 | 0 | $12,000 |
| Michigan | 35 | 0 | 0 | $6,000 |
| West Virginia | 7 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Colorado | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maine | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| New Jersey | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Arizona | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| New Mexico | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Hail in South Dakota, April 23, 1994
- Damaging Wind in Nebraska, April 23, 1994Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 mph around Valentine.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Wisconsin, April 24, 1994Severe thunderstorms rolled across west-central, central and east- central Wisconsin generating two tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail up to the size of golf balls. A tornado briefly touched down three miles south of Luxemburg in Kewaunee County but did not cause any damage.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Montana, April 24 to 25, 1994The Bill Skelton ranch was hit by two tornadoes. Damage was extensive. A barn roof made from 8 to 12 inch logs was carried away. A two foot in diameter cottonwood tree was snapped five feet above the ground.
- Hail in Texas, April 24, 1994A severe thunderstorm dumped golf ball-size hail across the northern part of Iraan, causing an estimated $750,000 damage. Marathon Oil Company reported significant damage to about 100 of ,their vehicles. At least 70 other private vehicles were also damaged.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, April 24, 1994Thunderstorm winds and nickel-size hail caused $8,000 damage in the city of Austin.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, April 24, 1994Thunderstorms erupted over the north half of Iowa ahead of a warm front moving north into the state. For the most part, these storms were not severe. Two of them did produce severe weather. The first severe storm produced high winds in Carroll County. Two farms were affected.
- Hail in Oklahoma, April 24, 1994An isolated severe thunderstorm in south-central Oklahoma on the 24th produced dime-size hail during the evening.
- Hail in South Dakota, April 24, 1994Hail covered the ground.
- Hail in Nebraska, April 24, 1994
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 25, 1994During the evening and early nighttime hours two severe thunderstorms moved across Arlington producing golf ball- to softball-size hail, mainly across Arlington south of Interstate 20 and east of Highway 287.
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, April 25, 1994A tractor-semitrailer was blown over and numerous branches were down.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Colorado, April 25, 1994Weather spotters reported dime-size hail fell at the intersection of Highways 287 and C470 in Jefferson County. Marble-size hail covered the ground near Golden (12 miles west of Denver), to a depth of one inch.
- Tornado and Hail in Indiana, April 25, 1994The tornado moved from Illinois into Indiana four miles west of Cedar Lake at 0940 EST and lifted three miles west of Cedar Lake at 0943 EST. The tornado damaged several farm buildings and knocked down a row of pine trees.
- Tornado and Hail in Iowa, April 25, 1994Thunderstorms developed in the warm and unstable air over Iowa. They developed north and northeast of Des Moines and tracked northeast across northeast Iowa. One of them dropped three-quarter-inch diameter hail at Conrad.
- Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, April 25, 1994Thunderstorms developed in southwest Oklahoma during the morning hours on the 25th and spread east and northeast during the day. The storms produced one tornado, hail up to golf ball-size and damaging winds.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, April 25, 1994Sixty mph winds blew an empty tractor semi-trailer off the road causing it to overturn.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in California, April 25, 1994A small tornado skipped across a residential housing development causing minor damage to houses. A number of trees were toppled.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, April 25, 1994Thunderstorm winds gusted to 64 mph at Grand Island. The roof of a convenience store on the east side of town received considerable damage.
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, April 25, 1994
- Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, April 25, 1994A tornado touched down briefly southeast of Luverne and damaged six mobile homes.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, April 25, 1994Thunderstorm winds downed a number of trees.
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 25, 1994Several farm buildings were blown down, including a hog confinement building and machine shed.
- Hail in Illinois, April 25, 1994Up to one-inch size hail was reported between Coleta, Illinois and Milledegville, Illinois right at 2000 CST. No crop damage was reported.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 26, 1994The cluster of severe thunderstorms continued moving eastward from Erath and Hamilton counties across Bosque County, producing at least four tornadoes, numerous reports of large hail, and damaging downburst winds.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, April 26, 1994Thunderstorm winds downed some trees and power lines.
- Tornado and Hail in Iowa, April 26, 1994Thunderstorms had moved out of Iowa for the most part during the late evening hours as the dry slot advanced over the state. During the early morning hours, three other features combined to once again produce severe weather in the state.
- Damaging Wind in Nebraska, April 26, 1994Thunderstorm winds destroyed a farm building and damaged a silo.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 26, 1994Thunderstorms in southern Oklahoma on the 26th produced four tornadoes, hail up to softball-size and damaging winds. A tornado developed near Daisy at 1425 CST and traveled northeast approximately nine miles before crossing into extreme southeast Pittsburg County at 1446 CST.
- Tornado and Hail in Minnesota, April 26, 1994Strong thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and damaged a home in Maplewood. Several trees were blown down in the Lake Elmo area. A tornado touched down west of Stillwater and caused an estimated $3 million damage to 17 homes.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Wisconsin, April 26 to 28, 1994Severe thunderstorm winds caused property damage just north of Downing, Dunn County. A tornado skipped along a 12-mile path in Price County from four miles southwest of Ogema to two miles northeast of Prentice.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, April 26, 1994Winds gusts to 60 mph were reported at Brighton.
- Hail in Ohio, April 26, 1994
- Tornado in Arizona, April 26, 1994An observer reported the weak tornado skipping along the ground for about 10 minutes. The tornado moved through open territory with no damage reported.
- Damaging Wind in West Virginia, April 26, 1994Several trees were fallen along state route 25, near Wyoma.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, April 26, 1994A tornado touched down in the northern part of DeSoto County. Several tree tops were ripped off.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in California, April 26, 1994Numerous reports of hail were reported at San Dimas, Misson Hills, Ontario, and from La Crescenta to Arcadia. Most of the hail reports were between 0.25 to 0.50 inch size, but a few reports had 0.75 inch hail.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, April 26, 1994Reported by National Weather Service office at Monett.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, April 26, 1994A local television station reported hail 0.75 inch in diameter and wind gusts to 55 mph. Minor damage to a building was reported.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, April 26, 1994A few tree limbs were snapped.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, April 26 to 27, 1994Several trees were blown down and one barn was destroyed.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, April 27, 1994Several trees and a large limb were blown down.
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, April 27, 1994Thunderstorm winds damaged a mobile home and moved a utility shed in Chrisman.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 27, 1994Early morning severe thunderstorms formed over the South Plains. These were caused by a cold front moving toward the area from the north, a retreating dryline, and an upper level disturbance approaching from the southwest.
- Damaging Wind in Michigan, April 27, 1994Skywarn spotters reported 60 mph winds in the City of Livonia.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, April 27, 1994Reported by the public.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 27, 1994Winds of 65 mph were reported in Van Wert at 0230 EST. At 0240 EST trees were reported downed, one on a car. A tractor-semitrailer was blown over on route 30.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, April 27, 1994Trees down.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, April 27, 1994Thunderstorm which developed during the morning hours on the 27th in southwest Oklahoma moved east and northeast and produced hail up to golf ball-size, wind gusts in excess of 80 mph and damaging lightning.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Tennessee, April 27, 1994A few trees and power lines were blown down.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, April 27, 1994Wind damage was confined mainly to fallen trees and downed power lines.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 27, 1994
- Tornado and Hail in New York, April 27, 1994A squall line developed during the mid afternoon hours in a very warm and unstable airmass. Hundreds of trees and power lines were downed as the thunderstorms generated damaging straight line winds.
- Hail in Mississippi, April 27, 1994Several roads were closed due to flash flooding.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, April 27, 1994A funnel cloud was observed by the public.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Alabama, April 27, 1994Hail ranging from pea-size to one inch fell on Wolf Springs area about 13 miles northwest of Moulton. A tractor shed and a barn were damaged and a garage door was blown in by thunderstorm winds in the Loozier area about 10 miles northwest of Moulton.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Vermont, April 27, 1994Severe thunderstorms formed ahead of a cold front which swept east from the eastern Great Lakes resulting in damaging thunderstorm winds and large hail across parts of the state. Hail up to Ping-Pong ball-size fell at Bennington, North Bennington, and Shaftsbury.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, April 27, 1994A squall line developed during the mid afternoon hours in a very warm and unstable airmass. Hundreds of trees and power lines were downed as the thunderstorms generated damaging straight line winds.
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 27, 1994Thunderstorms which produced widespread severe weather in Tennessee and North Carolina weakened considerably as they moved south out of the mountains and the wind reached severe levels in only a few places in the Upstate.
- Damaging Wind in New Hampshire, April 27, 1994The New Hampshire Department of Transportation reported that thunderstorm winds downed numerous large trees and caused power outages across central Coos County. Affected communities included Stratford, Groveton, Stark, Colebrook, Milan, and Errol.
- Damaging Wind in Massachusetts, April 27, 1994A line of thunderstorms, some of which had been severe in eastern New York state, continued to move to the east and weaken as it crossed Massachusetts.
- Damaging Winds in Maine, April 27, 1994The Central Maine Power Company reported that thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees and caused power outages in central Oxford County, including the town of Upton.
- Hail in New Mexico, April 27, 1994An observer reported dime-size hail lasting less than five minutes.
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, April 28, 1994Unusual severe weather day. A record low of 30 degrees in Amarillo occurred on the morning of the 27th. Unstable air over this shallow cold air mass resulted in snow, freezing rain, sleet and hail up to one inch in size.
- Hail in Tennessee, April 28, 1994
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, April 28, 1994Tree limbs one foot in diameter were broke off.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, April 28, 1994Several trees were blown down.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Illinois, April 28, 1994A tornado touched down north of Ruma and moved northeast before lifting near Baldwin. The damage path was intermittent but Illinois State Police troopers followed it and observed numerous trees blown down and a few farm buildings damaged.
- Hail in Indiana, April 28, 1994Golf ball-size hail fell in Cannelton and broke windows in homes and automobiles.
- Hail in Alabama, April 28, 1994Three-quarter inch hail was reported near Munford.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 28, 1994A police officer witnessed a tornado touch down in a field two miles south of state route 72 and Interstate 71. The tornado lifted back up quickly and caused no damage.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 1994Tornadoes in 1994
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.