Tropical Storm Fred
One of the tropical cyclone disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $1.5 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($1.3 billion at the time) and 7 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 90 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
- $1.5 billion
- Losses at the time
- $1.3 billion
- Deaths
- 7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 39 | 6 | 1 | $213 million |
| New York | 78 | 1 | 1 | $34 million |
| Florida | 63 | 1 | 0 | $13 million |
| Arizona | 115 | 2 | 0 | $9.1 million |
| Utah | 41 | 0 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| Georgia | 48 | 0 | 0 | $1.0 million |
| Kentucky | 11 | 0 | 0 | $401,000 |
| Ohio | 18 | 0 | 0 | $269,000 |
| Texas | 34 | 0 | 0 | $186,000 |
| Connecticut | 9 | 0 | 0 | $178,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 80 | 0 | 0 | $163,000 |
| West Virginia | 24 | 0 | 0 | $140,000 |
| South Carolina | 13 | 0 | 0 | $130,000 |
| Colorado | 41 | 0 | 0 | $80,000 |
| Massachusetts | 11 | 0 | 0 | $36,000 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 0 | 0 | $35,000 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 0 | 0 | $25,000 |
| Alabama | 11 | 0 | 0 | $23,000 |
| Virginia | 37 | 0 | 0 | $6,000 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 0 | 0 | $4,000 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 0 | 2 | |
| Nebraska | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maryland | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Puerto Rico | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hawaii | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Delaware | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wyoming | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| New Jersey | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Indiana | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Flash Flood in Virginia, August 14 to 15, 2021Scattered thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of central Virginia.
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Maryland, August 14 to 15, 2021A slow moving boundary combined with plenty of moisture and an unstable atmosphere led to instances of flooding and flash flooding overnight on the 14th into the early morning of the 15th.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, August 14 to 15, 2021A slow moving boundary combined with plenty of moisture and an unstable atmosphere led to instances of flooding and flash flooding overnight on the 14th into the early morning of the 15th.
- Tropical Storm in U.S. Virgin Islands, August 15, 2021Tropical Storm Grace affected the area on August 15th. The system brought with it bands of moderate to locally heavy rainfall activity as well as some gusty winds, with some areas reporting tropical storm force gusts.
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Texas, August 15, 2021Thunderstorms produced flash flooding in San Angelo.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in West Virginia, August 15, 2021A frontal boundary south of West Virginia lifted northward and allowed for showers and thunderstorms to develop throughout the day on August 15th.
- Tropical Storm in Puerto Rico, August 15 to 16, 2021Tropical Storm Grace affected the area on August 15th into the early morning hours of August 16th. The system brought with it bands of moderate to locally heavy rainfall activity as well as some gusty winds, with some areas reporting tropical storm force gusts.
- Flash Flooding in Texas, August 15, 2021An upper level trough moved over a warm, moist airmass and generated thunderstorms. Some of these storms produced locally heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 15 to 16, 2021Thunderstorm wind gusts resulted in damage to a home in Powell. Motorists were rescued from a stalled vehicle near Cleveland.
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, August 15, 2021Scattered thunderstorms along a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of central Virginia.
- Flash Flooding in New Mexico, August 15, 2021An abundant amount of moisture in place over northern and central New Mexico led to another active monsoon day on August 15, 2021. With southerly flow at the surface and northerly flow aloft, shear profiles were more supportive for stronger thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.
- Flash Flood in Wyoming, August 15, 2021Flash flooding due to a thunderstorm with heavy rainfall around 1 inch over a short duration resulted in flooded streets and basements, especially near Spring Creek.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Kentucky, August 15, 2021A stalled boundary across the region, combined with an influx of moisture and humid airmass, led to afternoon showers and thunderstorms across eastern Kentucky. These storms resulted in heavy rainfall, which caused flash flooding in portions of Laurel County.
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, August 15, 2021A thunderstorm moved through Lake Charles causing flooding in south sections of the city.
- Flash Flood in Alabama, August 15 to 16, 2021Thunderstorms repeatedly moved across the area on the afternoon of the 15th, producing flash flooding in Jackson County.
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 16, 2021Increasing moisture and southeast upslope flow well in advance of landfalling Tropical Cyclone Fred resulted in development of numerous showers across the high elevations of the Balsams and surrounding hours during the overnight and early morning hours.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Virginia, August 16, 2021Scattered thunderstorms along a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flooding and flash flooding across portions of central and southeast Virginia.
- Tropical Storm and Storm Surge in Florida, August 16 to 17, 2021After moving across the Greater Antilles and weakening, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred strengthened into a tropical storm once again in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall near Cape San Blas with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph on August 16th.
- Flood and Hail in Texas, August 16, 2021An upper level low was centered in central Oklahoma within a trough that extended from the Great Lakes to West Texas.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Arizona, August 16 to 17, 2021Multiple rounds of thunderstorms developed and moved across southeast Arizona from mid morning of August 16 through the early evening of August 17.
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, August 16, 2021An upper trough combined with deep monsoonal moisture over the region to bring heavy rain and flash flooding to the San Lorenzo area.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Arizona, August 16, 2021Deep moisture over northern Arizona allowed severe thunderstorms to form and produce damaging wind, heavy rain, and hail.
- Flash Flood and Lightning Strikes in Texas, August 16, 2021Widespread street flooding occurred across the City of Houston as the collision of two boundaries resulted in the development of near-stationary strong thunderstorms. Additionally, frequent lightning strikes resulted in some property damage.
- Flood in West Virginia, August 16, 2021Plenty of tropical moisture ahead of Tropical Storm Fred along with an upper level disturbance approaching West Virginia from the west led to slow moving showers and storms on August 16th.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, August 16 to 17, 2021A boundary remain draped overhead while a deep southerly flow ushered in plenty of moisture. Showers and thunderstorms resulted in heavy rainfall that led to instances of flooding and flash flooding.
- Tropical Storm in Georgia, August 16, 2021After moving across the Greater Antilles and weakening, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred strengthened into a tropical storm once again in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall near Cape San Blas with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph on August 16th.
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flood in Alabama, August 16 to 17, 2021After moving across the Greater Antilles and weakening, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred strengthened into a tropical storm once again in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall near Cape San Blas with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph on August 16th.
- Heavy Rain in Texas, August 16, 2021Numerous showers and thunderstorms continually redeveloped on the afternoon and evening of the 16th behind a large outflow boundary. A very moist atmosphere with weak shear allowed storms to produce very heavy rainfall.
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, August 16, 2021A boundary remain draped overhead while a deep southerly flow ushered in plenty of moisture. Showers and thunderstorms resulted in heavy rainfall that led to instances of flooding and flash flooding.
- Heavy Rain in Hawaii, August 16 to 17, 2021With a light-wind regime in place over the islands, a weather feature moving from the northeast helped trigger downpours over portions of the Big Island and Oahu. The precipitation produced ponding on roadways, and small stream and drainage ditch flooding.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Carolina, August 16 to 18, 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved north from the Gulf Coast states into the Central Appalachians. Strong low level shear and abundant tropical moisture sparked low topped, rotating thunderstorms which helped spawn two brief EF-0 tornados in Wilkes County.
- Flash Flood in District of Columbia, August 16 to 17, 2021A boundary remain draped overhead while a deep southerly flow ushered in plenty of moisture. Showers and thunderstorms resulted in heavy rainfall that led to an instance of flash flooding.
- Flash Flooding and Dust Storm in Arizona, August 16 to 17, 2021A shortwave trough rotating through the region led to steepening lapse rates and increasingly unstable conditions across central Arizona on the 16th.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Georgia, August 17, 2021The remains of Tropical Storm Fred moved across central and north Georgia as a tropical depression during the overnight hours through the morning producing isolated reports of damaging winds in convective bands and several tornadoes.
- Flash Flood in Maryland, August 17, 2021An isolated instance of flooding occurred due to heavy rainfall.
- Flash Flooding in Texas, August 17, 2021The combination of abundant tropical moisture and a weak upper level disturbance produced a complex of slow moving thunderstorms across the Concho Valley.
- Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, August 17, 2021Thunderstorms developed across east central Oklahoma during the early morning hours of the 17th. A very moist air mass across the region and weak wind flow aloft resulted in slow-moving thunderstorms that produced very heavy rainfall.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 17 to 18, 2021Tropical Storm Fred made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on the 16th and lifted steadily north through Georgia and into the southern Appalachians during the 16th and throughout the 17th.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Ohio, August 17, 2021Isolated thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Utah, August 17 to 19, 2021An active monsoon surge brought thunderstorms producing heavy rain, damaging wind gusts, and hail across the state.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, August 17, 2021Tropical Storm Fred made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on the 16th and lifted steadily north through Georgia and into the southern Appalachians during the 16th and throughout the 17th.
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Georgia, August 17, 2021Tropical Storm Fred made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on the 16th and lifted steadily north through Georgia and into the southern Appalachians during the 16th and throughout the 17th.
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, August 17, 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred, which became Tropical Depression Fred, tracked NE through northern Georgia into the Upstate South Carolina. The system provided enough rotation to develop a few tornadoes across the Midlands.
- Flash Flooding in Delaware, August 17, 2021Locally heavy rain showers produced as much as 2 to 5 inches of rain in parts of New Castle County on the afternoon of August 17.
- Flash Flooding in Arizona, August 17 to 18, 2021Deep monsoon moisture over northern Arizona lead to flash flooding across the area.
- Flash Flood in Texas, August 17, 2021An upper level trough moved over a warm, moist airmass and generated thunderstorms. Some of these storms produced locally heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Colorado, August 17, 2021A severe thunderstorm produced a peak wind gust to 63 mph at Centennial Airport. Heavy rain in the Cameron Peak burn area caused localized flash flooding along Big Bear Road.
- Flash Flooding in New York, August 17, 2021Above normal moisture laying across Central New York combined with an area of low pressure moving over Lake Ontario to produce numerous rounds of heavy rain producing thunderstorms during the afternoon.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in West Virginia, August 18, 2021The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved into the area late on August 17th into early August 18th leading to heavy rainfall overspreading West Virginia.
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, August 18, 2021The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved into the area late on August 17th into early August 18th leading to heavy rainfall in the Ohio Valley.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Arizona, August 18 to 19, 2021Deep monsoon moisture over Arizona and an approaching trough of low pressure from the Pacific Northwest helped produce local flash flooding and large hail.
- Flash Flooding in Texas, August 18, 2021A weak upper trough axis remained nearly stationary across East Texas, North Louisiana, and Southern Arkansas during the day on August 18th, with a weak surface trough stationary over these areas as well.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, August 18, 2021The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred brought heavy rain and strong thunderstorms to central Pennsylvania, along with a handful of tornadoes.
- Flooding in Ohio, August 18, 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred brought flooding to portions of the region due to training rain bands.
- Flood in Texas, August 18, 2021A pair of upper level disturbances produced scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms across the region on the 17th and 18th of August. The presence of an outflow boundary led to training precipitation, which generated flooding in some areas.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Arizona, August 18, 2021An upper level trough and lead-on shortwave trough moved through Arizona during the day on the 18th. Moderate to high instability and high moisture content supported scattered strong thunderstorms.
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, August 18, 2021Scattered showers and t'storms developed on August 18th producing some heavy downpours at times. These heavy downpours led to isolated flooding reports.
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 18, 2021An EF-0 tornado briefly touched down in Valley View during the early afternoon of August 18, 2021. The tornado had estimated peak winds near 65 mph, a path length of 75 yards and a maximum path width of 10 yards.
- Flash Flood and Lightning Strike in Texas, August 18, 2021An upper level trough moved over a warm, moist airmass and generated thunderstorms. Some of these storms produced locally heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
- Flood in Illinois, August 18, 2021Scattered thunderstorms produced heavy rain and localized flooding during the afternoon of August 18th.
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 18, 2021An EF-0 tornado touched down west of East Berlin during the afternoon of August 18, 2021. The tornado had estimated peak winds near 65 mph, a path length of around 0.6 miles, and a maximum path width of 75 yards.
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 18, 2021An EF-0 tornado touched down near Kreamer during the late afternoon of August 18, 2021. The tornado had estimated peak winds near 70 mph, a path length of around a half a mile, and a maximum path width of 15 yards.
- Flash Flooding in Kentucky, August 18 to 19, 2021Surface high pressure was sitting over the Lower Ohio Valley, but as an upper shortwave and trough passed overhead, it provided the forcing to drive slow moving efficient rainfall. This produced a couple reports of isolated flooding over the two day period.
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 18, 2021An EF-1 tornado touched down east of Halifax during the early evening of August 18, 2021. The tornado had estimated peak winds near 105 mph, a path length of around 5.5 miles, and a maximum path width of 150 yards.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Pennsylvania, August 18 to 19, 2021The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred affected the mid-Atlantic region on the night of August 18 into the predawn hours of August 19. In addition to heavy rain and areas of flooding, Fred's remnants brought a threat for severe weather.
- Flash Flooding in New York, August 18 to 19, 2021The moisture and remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved across parts of the mid-Atlantic and northeast United States between August 18 to 20.
- Flood in Kentucky, August 18, 2021Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall occurred during the peak heating hours late in the afternoon. The storms formed in a very moist but weak southwest wind flow at the surface and aloft. A weak 500 mb shortwave over the lower Ohio Valley contributed to the generation of the storms.
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 18, 2021An EF-0 tornado touched down near Winterstown during the evening of August 18, 2021. The tornado had estimated peak winds near 85 mph, a path length of around 0.7 miles, and a maximum path width of 125 yards.
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, August 18, 2021The moisture and remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved across parts of the mid-Atlantic and northeast United States between August 18 to 20, 2021. As this feature moved over northeast Pennsylvania it produced locally heavy rainfall and isolated flash flooding.
- Flash Flooding in Pennsylvania, August 18 to 19, 2021Heavy rain associated with Post-Tropical Cyclone Fred caused flash flooding in eastern Pennsylvania on the night of August 18-19, 2021. There were rainfall totals as high as 3 to 5 inches.
- Tornado in New Jersey, August 19, 2021The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred affected the mid-Atlantic region on the night of August 18 into the predawn hours of August 19. In addition to heavy rain and areas of flooding, Fred's remnants brought a threat for severe weather.
- Flooding and Heavy Rain in New York, August 19, 2021The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred were forecast to move across the region. Out ahead of the remnants of Fred, a slow-moving frontal zone and tropical moisture spreading north ahead of Fred allowed for a pre-cursory heavy rainfall event on August 17.
- Flash Flood in Indiana, August 19, 2021The trailing end of a 500 mb shortwave trough over the Great Lakes region extended down into the lower Ohio Valley. Scattered slow-moving thunderstorms near the trough axis produced isolated flash flooding.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Connecticut, August 19, 2021The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved across Southern New England producing heavy rain, gusty winds, and two tornadoes - one that moved from northeast Connecticut into Worcester County and another in central Worcester County.
- Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, August 19, 2021Thunderstorms developed across portions of southeastern Oklahoma during the early morning hours of the 19th.
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, August 19, 2021An upper level disturbance crossed through West Virginia from the west on August 19th, leading to showers with moderate to heavy rainfall expanding in coverage across the area throughout the day.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Massachusetts, August 19, 2021The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved across Southern New England producing heavy rain, gusty winds, and two tornadoes - one that moved from northeast Connecticut into Worcester County and another in central Worcester County.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Kentucky, August 19, 2021Despite high pressure being in general control at the surface, a shortwave was moving into western KY during the morning hours, and would provide the energy needed, in an already very moist atmosphere, to trigger showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Georgia, August 19, 2021A weak mid-level short wave moving through the region, combined with strong daytime heating isolated strong to severe thunderstorms across north Georgia during the afternoon.
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, August 19, 2021An upper level disturbance crossed through the area from the west on August 19th, leading to periods of moderate to heavy rainfall expanding in coverage throughout the day.
- Flash Flood in Ohio, August 19, 2021The region was under the influence of high pressure on August 19th, 2021, with a warm, humid airmass in place over northeast OH. PWAT values ranged from 1.5 to 1.7 with MLCAPE values from 500 to 1000 j/kg.
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, August 19, 2021An upper level disturbance crossed through the area from the west on August 19th, leading to showers with moderate to heavy rainfall expanding in coverage throughout the day.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Colorado, August 19 to 20, 2021Severe thunderstorms produced intense winds and large hail across Adams, Broomfield, Douglas, Jefferson, Morgan, Weld and Phillips counties. The hail ranged in size from one to two inches in diameter. Three short-lived brief tornadoes touched down in Phillips County.
- Flash Flood in Mississippi, August 19, 2021Afternoon showers and thunderstorms developed within a tropical airmass. Some storms were slow moving and produced localized flash flooding.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, August 19, 2021An area of high pressure was over West Texas. There were upper level disturbances, associated with an upper trough to the west, that moved over the region. Instability and moisture were fairly high.
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, August 19, 2021Afternoon showers and thunderstorms developed within a tropical airmass. Some storms were slow moving and produced localized flash flooding.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Nebraska, August 19, 2021Thunderstorms developed across portions of Colorado and Wyoming in the afternoon. Thunderstorms became more numerous and moved east into western and southwest Nebraska. A line of storms then formed and move across the Sandhills into central Nebraska.
- Flash Flooding in Alabama, August 19, 2021Thunderstorms developed around midday across portions of Northwestern Alabama. They repeatedly moved across Phil Campbell in Franklin County, flooding much of the city and washing away several roads.
- Flooding in Florida, August 19, 2021Weak steering flow focused both sea breezes inland where a merger produced strong to isolated pulse severe storms and locally heavy rainfall.
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, August 19, 2021Multiple shortwaves rotated around a low-pressure system over the Rockies. This produced slow-moving thunderstorms with heavy rain across parts of the Mid-South.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2021The 2021 hurricane seasonTornadoes in 2021
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.