Storm hazard · NOAA Storm Events Database
Strong Wind in the United States
National statistics for 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.
- 14,157
- Events recorded
- 194
- Fatalities
- $607.4M
- Property damage
- 54
- States affected
How dangerous are Strong Wind events in the U.S.?
NOAA's Storm Events Database has catalogued 14,157 strong wind events across 54 states and territories between 2015 and 2025. The cumulative human toll is 194 fatalities and 260 injuries, and the financial footprint reaches $611.8M in combined property ($607.4M) and crop ($4.3M) damage. On a per-fatality basis this places strong wind events at a very high severity tier relative to other tracked hazard types in the NOAA catalog.
Geographic exposure is heavily concentrated in a handful of high-severity states. The three states absorbing the largest share of events are NY (1,764 events, 4 fatalities), CA (1,611 events, 44 fatalities), KY (1,156 events, 2 fatalities), reflecting both physical geography (coastal exposure, plains corridors, terrain) and dense population sitting directly in harm's way. At the other end, states such as WY, OK, DC report far fewer events, a genuinely rare event outside the leading states, not merely an underreported one.
The year-to-year record shows real volatility around a high baseline. The peak year on record was 2025, logging 2,232 events and $5.3M in property damage in a single calendar year. The most recent year in the dataset is 2025 with 2,232 events recorded. Across the full 11-year window, annual event counts reflect seasonal climate cycles (ENSO phases, active vs. quiet severe-weather years) and long-term shifts tied to a warming climate both help explain the swings.
How to interpret this data
NOAA storm event data is filed by local National Weather Service forecast offices, so reporting intensity can vary by jurisdiction and should be interpreted alongside FEMA disaster declarations for a fuller picture.
For household and business preparedness, this state-and-year view should be paired with local-level FEMA National Risk Index ratings, flood-zone maps where applicable, and up-to-date NWS watch/warning information, population exposure and asset value matter as much as raw event frequency for estimating real-world risk.
Strong Wind by State
| # | State | Events | Fatalities | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York NY | 1,764 | 4 | $9.4M |
| 2 | California CA | 1,611 | 44 | $16.5M |
| 3 | Kentucky KY | 1,156 | 2 | $2.5M |
| 4 | Massachusetts MA | 1,135 | 4 | $3.4M |
| 5 | Illinois IL | 1,000 | 6 | $1.3M |
| 6 | Missouri MO | 714 | 2 | $879.0K |
| 7 | West Virginia WV | 674 | 2 | $5.6M |
| 8 | South Carolina SC | 470 | 4 | $776.3K |
| 9 | Vermont VT | 418 | 0 | $6.2M |
| 10 | Indiana IN | 332 | 6 | $456.0K |
| 11 | Mississippi MS | 325 | 7 | $3.8M |
| 12 | North Carolina NC | 325 | 9 | $35.5M |
| 13 | South Dakota SD | 309 | 1 | $15.0K |
| 14 | Tennessee TN | 296 | 3 | $3.0M |
| 15 | Pennsylvania PA | 265 | 6 | $1.9M |
| 16 | Alabama AL | 256 | 13 | $44.5M |
| 17 | Virginia VA | 227 | 3 | $2.3M |
| 18 | Wisconsin WI | 225 | 4 | $936.9K |
| 19 | Ohio OH | 212 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 20 | New Jersey NJ | 184 | 1 | $22.5M |
| 21 | Minnesota MN | 162 | 4 | $1.9M |
| 22 | Connecticut CT | 160 | 1 | $2.3M |
| 23 | Rhode Island RI | 159 | 2 | $510.9K |
| 24 | Georgia GA | 158 | 7 | $3.2M |
| 25 | Texas TX | 152 | 3 | $532.2K |
| 26 | Iowa IA | 149 | 0 | $41.9K |
| 27 | Hawaii HI | 141 | 0 | $555.8K |
| 28 | Washington WA | 131 | 10 | $15.0M |
| 29 | Kansas KS | 98 | 0 | $33.6K |
| 30 | Montana MT | 86 | 4 | $2.3M |
| 31 | Idaho ID | 75 | 2 | $386.6K |
| 32 | Oregon OR | 70 | 5 | $406.7M |
| 33 | Arizona AZ | 68 | 5 | $402.3K |
| 34 | Florida FL | 67 | 2 | $1.3M |
| 35 | Arkansas AR | 61 | 1 | $488.0K |
| 36 | Nevada NV | 61 | 4 | $649.4K |
| 37 | Michigan MI | 58 | 0 | $257.5K |
| 38 | Colorado CO | 47 | 1 | $232.0K |
| 39 | Louisiana LA | 47 | 3 | $299.8K |
| 40 | American Samoa AS | 40 | 0 | $181.0K |
| 41 | Utah UT | 37 | 9 | $124.5K |
| 42 | Maryland MD | 37 | 1 | $56.2K |
| 43 | Delaware DE | 36 | 0 | $53.5K |
| 44 | New Mexico NM | 34 | 4 | $373.0K |
| 45 | North Dakota ND | 32 | 0 | $0 |
| 46 | Nebraska NE | 23 | 0 | $23.0K |
| 47 | Maine ME | 20 | 1 | $0 |
| 48 | Puerto Rico PR | 19 | 0 | $87.3K |
| 49 | Alaska AK | 12 | 0 | $2.8M |
| 50 | Guam GU | 6 | 0 | $3.5M |
| 51 | New Hampshire NH | 5 | 2 | $46.0K |
| 52 | Wyoming WY | 4 | 2 | $50.0K |
| 53 | Oklahoma OK | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| 54 | District of Columbia DC | 1 | 0 | $3.0K |
Strong Wind by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,232 | 22 | 20 | $5.3M |
| 2024 | 1,311 | 22 | 31 | $4.9M |
| 2023 | 1,101 | 24 | 28 | $5.6M |
| 2022 | 2,132 | 26 | 18 | $55.4M |
| 2021 | 863 | 10 | 16 | $5.9M |
| 2020 | 1,193 | 13 | 16 | $446.5M |
| 2019 | 1,590 | 18 | 26 | $13.1M |
| 2018 | 1,025 | 14 | 20 | $7.5M |
| 2017 | 1,096 | 15 | 45 | $13.6M |
| 2016 | 902 | 15 | 15 | $19.5M |
| 2015 | 712 | 15 | 25 | $30.1M |
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many strong wind events have occurred in the US?
Which states are most affected by strong wind events?
How much damage do strong wind events cause?
What year had the most strong wind events?
How dangerous are strong wind events?
Which states have the fewest 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. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, or report a data error.