Storm hazard · NOAA Storm Events Database
Marine Strong Wind in the United States
National statistics for marine strong wind events from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025): how often they occur, where they hit hardest, and the human and property toll.
- 79
- Events recorded
- 46
- Fatalities
- $1.7M
- Property damage
- 8
- Areas affected
The verdict
NOAA ranks marine strong wind #46 of 54 by event count, yet its combined-damage rank is higher at #36. The <0.1% event share therefore understates its relative loss position in the 2015-2025 catalog.
- #46 of 54
- NOAA hazard types, by event count
- <0.1%
- share of all NOAA storm events, 2015-2025
- 79
- marine strong wind events, 8 states and marine areas affected
Ranking reflects NOAA Storm Events Database event counts, not fatalities, injuries, or damage severity; a rare hazard type can still be individually catastrophic.
How dangerous are Marine Strong Wind events in the U.S.?
The loss ranking is the stronger warning against reading frequency alone. Marine Strong Wind is #46 of 54 by event count but rises to #36 for combined property and crop damage. Its losses make up <0.1% of the catalog total, while its fatalities rank #26 and represent 0.4% of recorded deaths. Fewer events can still produce an outsized financial record.
Annual totals swing noticeably from year to year. The peak year on record was 2019, logging 17 events and $559.5K in property damage in a single calendar year. The most recent year in the dataset is 2025 with 6 events recorded. Across the full 11-year window, annual event counts reflect seasonal climate cycles and, for some years, longer climate-driven shifts in frequency.
NOAA records too few marine strong wind events (79 events) to express a stable per-event fatality rate; a single incident would swing it by a wide margin. The cumulative record stands at 46 fatalities and 29 injuries, and recorded damage averages $22.1K per event. Read those as counts, not as a rate.
Geographic exposure skews toward a small cluster of frequently-hit states. The three states and marine areas absorbing the largest share of events are ATLANTIC NORTH (32 events, 12 fatalities), LAKE MICHIGAN (14 events, 3 fatalities), GULF OF MEXICO (14 events, 11 fatalities), a mix of underlying hazard climatology and how many people live in the exposed corridor. At the other end, states and marine areas such as LAKE SUPERIOR, LAKE ERIE, GUAM WATERS report far fewer events, a meaningfully lower-frequency pattern there, though local vigilance still matters.
The NOAA file shows a substantial human toll without entering PlainHazard's highest band: 46 fatalities and 29 injuries across 79 events. The high band covers hazard types with 20-99 cumulative fatalities in this 2015-2025 record. It compares catalog totals only; exposure and consequences vary widely from one event and location to another.
NOAA entries are reports filed by local National Weather Service offices. Counts therefore reflect both observed weather and reporting practice; they do not measure unreported events, household exposure, or the probability of a future event at one address.
Marine Strong Wind by State and Marine Area
Download all 36 state-year rows as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
This is one of the most geographically concentrated hazards in the NOAA catalog: the five most-affected states absorb 91% of all 79 recorded events.
| # | State or Marine Area | Events | Fatalities | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ATLANTIC NORTH | 32 | 12 | $24.5K |
| 2 | LAKE MICHIGAN | 14 | 3 | $578.0K |
| 3 | GULF OF MEXICO | 14 | 11 | $41.0K |
| 4 | E PACIFIC | 7 | 4 | $100.0K |
| 5 | ATLANTIC SOUTH | 5 | 4 | $20 |
| 6 | LAKE SUPERIOR | 3 | 5 | $5.0K |
| 7 | LAKE ERIE | 3 | 3 | $1.0M |
| 8 | GUAM WATERS | 1 | 4 | $0 |
Marine Strong Wind by Year
Recorded marine strong wind events averaged 11 per year across 2015-2019 versus 4 per year across 2020-2025: a 64% lower recorded rate in the later window. Reporting intensity varies by forecast office, so window-to-window comparisons describe the record, not a verified physical trend.
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 3 | $4.0K |
| 2024 | 3 | 6 | $1.0K |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| 2022 | 5 | 7 | $18.5K |
| 2021 | 3 | 1 | $20.0K |
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 2019 | 17 | 1 | $559.5K |
| 2018 | 9 | 8 | $103.0K |
| 2017 | 10 | 1 | $25.0K |
| 2016 | 9 | 13 | $0 |
| 2015 | 9 | 6 | $11.5K |
What this record shows for Marine Strong Wind
Marine Strong Wind ranks #46 of 54 NOAA hazard types by event count; ATLANTIC NORTH leads the geography table with 32 events, and 2019 is the peak year at 17 events.
- Compare how often this hazard appears against other NOAA event types nationally. All hazards
- Marine Strong Wind events concentrate unevenly - the five most-affected states and marine areas already account for a large share of the national marine strong wind record in this extract. Hazard risk by region
NOAA Storm Events counts reflect filed reports, not a forecast or household-level probability. For current threats follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
Further reading for Marine Strong Wind
Hazard risk by region
Marine Strong Wind events concentrate unevenly - the five most-affected states and marine areas already account for a large share of the national marine strong wind record in this extract.
More PlainHazard guides
- Preparing for natural disasters - household checklist (not hazard-specific advice).
- Hazard risk by region - how exposure varies across U.S. regions.
- Climate change and disasters - national severity and frequency context.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which states and marine areas record the most marine strong wind events?
How much damage do marine strong wind events cause?
What year had the most marine strong wind events?
How dangerous are marine strong wind events?
Which states and marine areas have the fewest marine strong wind events?
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (2015-2025) NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.