Waterspout
A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on. Every one the National Weather Service has filed, by year and by state, with the deadliest and costliest.
The deadliest and costliest on the map
The deadliest and costliest waterspout episodes on record.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 6,278
- Deaths
- 5
- Injuries
- 5
- Damage
- $5.8 million
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Every year
Deaths each year
The deadliest
Deaths from this kind of event within each episode.
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, May 23, 2017A strong line of thunderstorms develop across portions of southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina in the afternoon hours. This line eventually impacted the coast and the adjacent Atlantic coastal waters, primarily producing strong wind gusts.
- Waterspout in Louisiana, March 15, 2000A waterspout struck a fishing boat approximately 3 miles offshore in the coastal waters of Terrebonne Parish, causing the vessel to be flipped in the air, tossing the three occupants in the water. Two of the men subsequently perished.
The costliest
Damage from this kind of event within each episode, in the dollars of its year.
- Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, October 29, 2011
- Waterspout in Michigan, July 3, 1999
- Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, April 13, 2011
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Texas, May 2 to 30, 1999
- Waterspout in Florida, July 31, 1997
- Waterspouts in Gulf of Mexico, September 29, 2007
- Damaging Wind and Waterspout in North Carolina, July 24, 1997
- Waterspout in North Carolina, February 17, 1998
- Waterspout in Florida, August 12, 2000
- Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, February 2, 2006
- Waterspout in North Carolina, July 1, 1998
- Waterspout in Louisiana, March 15, 2000
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspouts in Gulf of Mexico, October 18, 2007
- Waterspout in North Carolina, May 27, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Ohio, June 29, 2000
- Waterspout in Florida, August 12, 2000
- Waterspouts in North Atlantic Coastal Waters, August 11, 2008
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, October 18 to 19, 2011
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, February 15, 2016
- Waterspout in Florida, January 2, 1996
- Waterspout in Maryland, August 25, 1999
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspout in North Atlantic Coastal Waters, January 7, 2009
- Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, June 23, 2009
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, February 23, 2016
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind and Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, June 5, 2019
By state
| State or waters | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf of Mexico | 2,593 | 0 | 2 | $137,000 |
| South Atlantic Coastal Waters | 1,530 | 3 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| Florida | 751 | 0 | 0 | $90,000 |
| Lake Erie | 269 | 0 | 0 | |
| North Atlantic Coastal Waters | 186 | 0 | 2 | $16,000 |
| Lake Michigan | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| Eastern Pacific Coastal Waters | 123 | 0 | 0 | |
| Puerto Rico | 66 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ohio | 56 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| California | 44 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hawaiian Waters | 41 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lake Huron | 40 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lake Ontario | 39 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alabama | 37 | 0 | 0 | |
| North Carolina | 37 | 0 | 1 | $100,000 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 34 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hawaii | 31 | 0 | 0 | |
| Virginia | 23 | 0 | 0 | |
| Texas | 22 | 0 | 0 | $75,000 |
| Lake Superior | 20 | 0 | 0 | |
| Pennsylvania | 16 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Carolina | 16 | 0 | 0 | |
| Guam | 13 | 0 | 0 | |
| Mississippi | 12 | 0 | 0 | $2,000 |
| Michigan | 12 | 0 | 0 | $200,000 |
| Wisconsin | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| Louisiana | 10 | 2 | 0 | $20,000 |
| Gulf of Alaska | 10 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lake St. Clair | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
| Georgia | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Massachusetts | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maryland | 5 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Delaware | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| New Jersey | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Oregon | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Utah | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alaska | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Illinois | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Washington | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maine | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Arizona | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Minnesota | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Arkansas | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Montana | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Guam Waters | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Every kind of event
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Hail
- Flash Flood
- High Wind
- Winter Storm
- Drought
- Winter Weather
- Tornado
- Heavy Snow
- Flood
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind
- Heat
- Heavy Rain
- Strong Wind
- Excessive Heat
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Lightning
- Dense Fog
- Blizzard
- Frost/Freeze
- Ice Storm
- High Surf
- Funnel Cloud
- Wildfire
- Tropical Storm
- Waterspout
- Coastal Flood
- Lake-Effect Snow
- Debris Flow
- Hurricane (Typhoon)
- Dust Storm
- Rip Current
- Storm Surge/Tide
- Marine High Wind
- Sleet
- Avalanche
- Marine Hail
- Astronomical Low Tide
- Marine Tropical Storm
- Tropical Depression
- Freezing Fog
- Lakeshore Flood
- Dust Devil
- Marine Strong Wind
- Dense Smoke
- Marine Hurricane/Typhoon
- Volcanic Ashfall
- Seiche
- Sneakerwave
- Volcanic Ash
- Tsunami
- Marine Tropical Depression
- Marine Dense Fog
- Northern Lights
- Marine Lightning
- Hurricane
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.