Flood
NOAA Storm Events type · 70,805 records since 1996 · 57 states and territories
The National Weather Service defines flood as: "Any high flow, overflow, or inundation by water which causes damage." NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 70,805 flood records from 1996 through June 30, 2026, the most in Iowa (4,756), with 782 deaths recorded.
How the National Weather Service files flood
Any high flow, overflow, or inundation by water which causes damage. In general, this would mean the inundation of a normally dry area caused by an increased water level in an established watercourse, or ponding of water, that poses a threat to life or property.
National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605, Storm Data Preparation (July 26, 2021), Appendix A, entry 15
Source: National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605. Read the instruction (PDF).
Flood, 1996 to 2026
Records per year (2026 to June 30, 2026).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $10 million
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- $10 billion or more, or 1,000 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 70,8051996 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths
- 7822,462 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $67.9Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Counties with a record
- 3,117of 3,266
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026. Search the record at NCEI.
Where do flood records happen?
States
Counties
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).
When do flood records happen?
The busiest month is May.
The values, month by month
Jan 5,540 · Feb 6,288 · Mar 8,121 · Apr 7,954 · May 9,380 · Jun 8,615 · Jul 5,362 · Aug 4,469 · Sep 5,096 · Oct 3,291 · Nov 2,439 · Dec 4,250 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
The deadliest flood records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-05-01 | FloodRural Hill, Davidson County, TN At U.S. Highway 431 near the Robertson/Davidson County Line at Sycamore Creek, water was overflowing its banks, resulting in flooding of low lying areas. At least one home and farm was reported to be covered with flood waters. At the time of this report, U.S. Highway 431 was still open, although the water level near ... | 10 | 0 | $2.0B | |
| 1996-02-06 | FloodBenton County and 3 more, OR · forecast zone Central Coast Range Of W Oregon Runoff from heavy rains and melting mountain snow caused major floods upon many northern Oregon rivers. The first rivers reached flood stage on the morning of February 6th while the heaviest rain was still falling. flooding was measured on twenty one rivers in northwestern Oregon. Six rivers set all time high river ... | 7 | 0 | $753M | |
| 1997-03-01 | FloodPendleton County, KY · forecast zone Pendleton Persistent heavy rainfall occurred for nearly 36 hours on the 1st and 2nd. Up to 12 inches of rain fell across parts of Northern Kentucky bringing the Licking river at Falmouth out of it's banks. On the evening of the 2nd, the river crested at over 50 feet, which is the highest stage on record. The crest is an ... | 5 | 0 | $64M | |
| 2020-04-29 | FloodMoores Ferry, Bath County, KY A low lying road near Peasticks and Salt Lick in Bath County, Adams Road, saw water levels gradually come up and produce a steady stream of flowing water as daily rainfall amounts topped out at 1-1.5 inches. An Amish family, initially attempting to cross this, decided to turn around. However, their horse lost its ... | 5 | 0 | $3K | |
| 2010-09-29 | FloodScuppernong, Washington County, NC Several days of very heavy rain led to widespread flooding across Washington County. Numerous small streams flooded causing many acres of crops to be damaged. High water did minor damage to a few homes along Highway 64 from near Plymouth to Scuppernong. Five deaths, near Creswell on the 30th, were directly attributed ... | 5 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 1996-11-17 | FloodClackamas County and 3 more, OR · forecast zone Douglas T Nw & E A moist southwest flow aloft produced moderate to heavy rain and strong winds over southwest Oregon between Nov 17 and Nov 21. Storm total rainfall ranged from 8 to 12 inches on the coast with local amounts near 20 inches...3 to 7 inches of rainfall fell inland. Flooding was extensive in Coos, Curry and Douglas ... | 4 | 5 | $9.4M | |
| 1996-01-19 | FloodCulpeper County, VA · forecast zone Culpeper ***River Flooding***High dewpoint temperatures melted most of the snow on the ground within 12 hours. The snow pack had a liquid equivalent between 2 to 3 inches. Snowmelt, combined with 1 to 3 inches of rain (some locations received nearly 5 inches), caused the worst regional flooding in over 10 years. River flooding ... | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-09-28 | FloodWest Holly Hill, Volusia County, FL Rainfall totals averaging between 10 to 16 inches, with locally higher amounts of up to 20 inches were reported particularly in the coastal part of the county, resulting in widespread residential, street, urban, and poor drainage flooding. County drone and helicopter footage combined with on-site surveys captured ... | 4 | 0 | $343M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, deaths direct and indirect as filed.
The most recent flood records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | FloodPerry, Noble County, OK | 0 | 0 | $50K | |
| 2026-06-29 | FloodBig Arm, Lake County, MT | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-29 | FloodPolebridge Sonderson, Flathead County, MT | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-29 | FloodBabb, Glacier County, MT | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-29 | FloodFt Pierre, Stanley County, SD | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-28 | FloodThixton, Jefferson County, KY | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-28 | FloodIvydell, Campbell County, TN | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-28 | FloodDe Lap, Campbell County, TN | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.