Ohio Valley Tornadoes
One of the severe storm disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $1.5 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($1.1 billion at the time) and 8 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 51 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
- $1.5 billion
- Losses at the time
- $1.1 billion
- Deaths
- 8
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 146 | 8 | 183 | $1.1 billion |
| Michigan | 78 | 0 | 1 | $28 million |
| Ohio | 135 | 0 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| Indiana | 145 | 0 | 8 | $3.3 million |
| Kentucky | 27 | 0 | 3 | $2.9 million |
| Missouri | 24 | 0 | 0 | $1.0 million |
| Pennsylvania | 49 | 0 | 0 | $552,000 |
| Tennessee | 9 | 0 | 0 | $417,000 |
| West Virginia | 20 | 0 | 0 | $178,000 |
| Wisconsin | 8 | 0 | 0 | $160,000 |
| New York | 9 | 0 | 0 | $136,000 |
| Maryland | 4 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| New Jersey | 3 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Iowa | 10 | 0 | 0 | $3,000 |
| Virginia | 1 | 0 | 0 | $250 |
| Kansas | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Delaware | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Hail in Kansas, November 16, 2013On the evening of Nov 16 a strong upper level system moved across northeast KS. The wind shear was quite sufficient to produce severe weather. Southerly winds ahead of a front allowed instability to move into the area.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Missouri, November 16, 2013Warm and moist air, ahead of a strong cold front, spread north across west central and northwest Missouri, in the late afternoon and evening hours of November 16, 2013.
- Hail in Kansas, November 16, 2013Warm and moist air, ahead of a strong cold front, spread north across extreme eastern Kansas, in the late afternoon and evening hours of November 16, 2013. The cold front caused scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop and move east across the area.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kentucky, November 17, 2013Clusters of supercell thunderstorms moved rapidly east around 50 knots across western Kentucky during the afternoon. Some of these storms produced tornadoes. Low level wind shear was very strong, with 0 to 1 km bulk shear near 50 knots.
- Flash Flood and Flood in Indiana, November 17, 2013Organized thunderstorms moved east along and ahead of a cold front as it crossed southern Illinois into southwest Indiana during the late afternoon. Compared to places further south, the warm sector supportive of severe storms was very narrow over southwest Indiana.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, November 17, 2013Supercell thunderstorms developed along a pre-frontal low pressure trough over southeast Missouri. Very strong wind fields coupled with moderate amounts of instability resulted in a couple of supercell thunderstorms, both of which produced tornadoes.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, November 17, 2013An unseasonably warm storm system lifted out of the plains, spawning widespread severe weather across a large portion of the Midwest. In eastern Iowa, isolated reports of severe wind and hail were received.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, November 17, 2013Supercell thunderstorms developed along a pre-frontal low pressure trough over Missouri and then moved east across southern Illinois.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, November 17, 2013Low pressure intensified as it moved from east central Wisconsin to eastern Upper Michigan. South winds brought unseasonably unstable air into southeast Wisconsin ahead of an approaching cold front.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, November 17, 2013An unseasonably warm storm system lifted out of the plains, spawning widespread severe weather across a large portion of the Midwest. In northwest Illinois, several reports of severe wind and hail were received.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, November 17, 2013Strong cold front moved through the region with plenty of lift, moisture and instability. Numerous severe storms developed and raced east across forecast area. There were numerous reports of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, November 17, 2013A powerful low pressure system tracked from the central Rockies toward the southern Great Lakes on November 17th. As the system approached central Illinois, unseasonably warm and humid air was pulled northward into the area, resulting in high temperatures soaring into the 70s.
- Tornadoes and Flooding in Illinois, November 17, 2013A major tornado outbreak impacted the Midwest and Ohio Valley on November 17th. A powerful low pressure system across the plains states steered warmth and moisture northward for nearly two days, with dew points rising into the mid 60s.
- Tornadoes in Illinois, November 17, 2013A powerful low pressure system tracked from the central Rockies toward the southern Great Lakes on November 17th. As the system approached central Illinois, unseasonably warm and humid air was pulled northward into the area, resulting in high temperatures soaring into the 70s.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, November 17, 2013Strong cold front moved through the region with plenty of lift, moisture and instability. Numerous severe storms developed and raced east across forecast area. There were numerous reports of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, November 17, 2013Deep low pressure moved across the northern Great Lakes, with a strong cold front trailing well south into Arkansas. A 50 to 60 knot low level jet aided in advecting in dewpoints greater than 60 degrees.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, November 17, 2013A major tornado outbreak impacted the Midwest and Ohio Valley on November 17th. A powerful low pressure system across the plains states steered warmth and moisture northward for nearly two days, with dew points rising into the mid 60s.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, November 17, 2013A large outbreak of severe weather took place on November 17, 2013. In Indiana alone there were 29 tornadoes, with dozens more in other states. In central Indiana the strongest tornado was rated an EF-3.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, November 17, 2013Severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours of November 17th in advance of a strong cold front.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Michigan, November 17, 2013Deep low pressure moved across the northern Great Lakes, with a strong cold front trailing well south into Arkansas. A 50 to 60 knot low level jet aided in advecting in dewpoints greater than 60 degrees.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Michigan, November 17, 2013An unusual November severe weather outbreak - including an extremely rare tornado - impacted northern Michigan. Thunderstorms ignited along and ahead of a strong cold front that crossed the region.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, November 17 to 18, 2013A powerful low pressure system strengthened and tracked northeast from the western Great Lakes towards James Bay during the afternoon of November 17th through the overnight hours.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, November 17, 2013Deep low pressure moved across the northern Great Lakes, with a strong cold front trailing well south into Arkansas. A 50 to 60 knot low level jet aided in advecting in dewpoints greater than 60 degrees.
- Damaging Winds in Ohio, November 17, 2013A strong low pressure system combined with an unseasonably warm airmass to produce organized storms across the region. These storms were tornadic across Illinois and western Indiana, and began to transition to non-tornadic storms as they entered eastern Indiana.
- Tornado in Kentucky, November 17, 2013An intense cyclone that began to form over Kansas during the early morning hours on November 17th deepened rapidly to near 980mb as it raced north northeast over the eastern tip of Michigan's upper peninsula by late evening.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, November 17, 2013A strong cold front moved across northern Ohio during the evening hours of November 17th. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms developed in advance of this front causing significant damage in some areas. At least three tornadoes touched down in Wood County.
- Damaging Winds in Indiana, November 17, 2013A strong low pressure system combined with an unseasonably warm airmass to produce organized storms across the region. These storms were tornadic to the west of southeastern Indiana, and began to transition to non-tornadic storms as they entered southeastern Indiana.
- Damaging Winds in Kentucky, November 17, 2013A strong low pressure system combined with an unseasonably warm airmass to produce organized storms across the region. These storms were tornadic across Illinois and western Indiana, and began to transition to non-tornadic storms as they entered northern Kentucky.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, November 17, 2013A line of severe thunderstorms produced damaging straight line winds and two tornadoes during the evening hours.
- Damaging Winds in Kentucky, November 17, 2013A weakening line of thunderstorms moved across eastern Kentucky during the evening hours of November 17, 2013. The line downed a few trees west of I-75.
- Damaging Winds in Ohio, November 17, 2013A strengthening low pressure lifted north through the Chicago and the Lake Michigan vicinity during the late afternoon on Sunday the 17th. A strong low level wind field existed in the Ohio Valley.
- Damaging Winds in Ohio, November 17, 2013A line of showers and isolated thunderstorms along a cold front swept east across the region the evening of November 17th. This produced severe thunderstorm wind damage across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and Garrett county Maryland.
- Damaging Wind in Kentucky, November 17, 2013A strengthening low pressure lifted north through the Chicago and the Lake Michigan vicinity during the late afternoon on Sunday the 17th. A strong low level wind field existed in the Ohio Valley.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, November 17, 2013A strong cold front moved across western Pennsylvania during the evening hours of November 17th. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms developed in advance of this front causing damage in some areas.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, November 17, 2013A line of showers and isolated thunderstorms along a cold front swept east across the region the evening of November 17th. This produced severe thunderstorm wind damage across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and Garrett county Maryland.
- Damaging Winds in West Virginia, November 17, 2013A strengthening low pressure lifted north through the Chicago and the Lake Michigan vicinity during the late afternoon on Sunday the 17th. A strong low level wind field existed in the Ohio Valley.
- Damaging Winds in West Virginia, November 17, 2013A line of showers and isolated thunderstorms along a cold front swept east across the region the evening of November 17th. This produced severe thunderstorm wind damage across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and Garrett county Maryland.
- Damaging Winds in New York, November 17, 2013A line of thunderstorms accompanied the passage of a strong cold front as it swept western New York. The thunderstorms produced wind gusts measured to 58 mph. The thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines. In Dunkirk, the storage door to a gas station garage was blown off.
- Tornado in Tennessee, November 17, 2013A strong cold front which was partly responsible for a large tornado and severe weather outbreak across the Ohio Valley and eastern Corn Belt dropped into southern middle Tennessee during the evening hours of the 17th.
- Damaging Winds in West Virginia, November 17, 2013A strong cold front moved across the Potomac Highlands late in the evening. Showers and thunderstorms were able to tap into a strong low level jet and bring strong gusts to the surface.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, November 17 to 18, 2013A strongly forced, narrow line of heavy showers raced eastward across the area during the late evening and early overnight hours.
- Damaging Winds in Maryland, November 17, 2013A line of showers and isolated thunderstorms along a cold front swept east across the region the evening of November 17th. This produced severe thunderstorm wind damage across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and Garrett county Maryland.
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, November 18, 2013A deep low pressure system moved across the Great Lakes while dragging a strong cold front into the Southern Appalachians.
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, November 18, 2013A strong cold front moved across the Potomac Highlands late in the evening. Showers and thunderstorms were able to tap into a strong low level jet and bring strong gusts to the surface.
- Damaging Wind in Maryland, November 18, 2013A strong cold front moved across the Potomac Highlands late in the evening. Showers and thunderstorms were able to tap into a strong low level jet and bring strong gusts to the surface.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, November 18, 2013A strong cold front generated a line of showers and isolated thunderstorms that produced widespread wind gusts of 35 to 50 mph as it moved through Eastern Pennsylvania during the early morning of the 18th. It also caused stronger, but isolated, damaging winds.
- Damaging Wind in Delaware, November 18, 2013A strong cold front produced a convective line of showers and isolated thunderstorms produced widespread wind gusts of around 40 mph as it moved through Delaware. Isolated damaging winds occurred in New Castle County.
- Damaging Wind in Maryland, November 18, 2013A strong cold front generated a convective line of showers and isolated thunderstorms that produced widespread wind gusts of around 40 mph as it moved through the Eastern Shore. Isolated stronger damaging winds occurred in Talbot County.
- Damaging Winds in New York, November 18, 2013A passing cold front triggered scattered early morning severe convection across Orange and Westchester Counties.
- Damaging Winds in New Jersey, November 18, 2013A strong cold front triggered a line of showers and isolated thunderstorms produced widespread wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph and isolated stronger wind damage in New Jersey during the early morning of the 18th.
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, November 18, 2013A passing cold front produced isolated severe convection, during the early morning hours, in Passaic County.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2013Tornadoes in 2013
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.