Strong Wind
NOAA Storm Events type · 28,549 records since 1996 · 57 states and territories
The National Weather Service defines strong wind as: "Non-convective winds gusting less than 50 knots (58 mph), or sustained winds less than 35 knots (40 mph), resulting in a fatality, injury, or damage." NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 28,549 strong wind records from 1996 through June 30, 2026, the most in New Jersey (2,412), with 382 deaths recorded.
How the National Weather Service files strong wind
Non-convective winds gusting less than 50 knots (58 mph), or sustained winds less than 35 knots (40 mph), resulting in a fatality, injury, or damage. Consistent with regional guidelines, mountain states may have higher criteria.
National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605, Storm Data Preparation (July 26, 2021), Appendix A, entry 45
Source: National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605. Read the instruction (PDF).
Strong Wind, 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
- 28,5491996 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths
- 382730 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $877Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Counties with a record
- 2,350of 3,266
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026. Search the record at NCEI.
Where do strong wind records happen?
States
Counties
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).
When do strong wind records happen?
The busiest month is December.
The values, month by month
Jan 3,678 · Feb 4,089 · Mar 4,207 · Apr 3,104 · May 1,282 · Jun 602 · Jul 250 · Aug 429 · Sep 1,177 · Oct 2,289 · Nov 2,978 · Dec 4,464 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
The deadliest strong wind records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-02 | Strong WindMarin County and Sonoma County, CA · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore The Coast Guard received a report about six people on an overdue boat near Bodega Bay at 11:40 PM Saturday from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. The boaters departed Westside Marina on a 21-foot long blue and white vessel at 3 PM and were expected back by 7 PM. A 13-year old boy was found alive off South Salmon ... | 27 kt wind | 5 | 1 | – |
| 1996-03-27 | Strong WindBeaufort County and Jasper County, SC · forecast zone Beaufort Gale force winds developed by early afternoon on March 27 and continued through the night. A research vessel doing soil samples off the coast of Beaufort capsized during the night of 3/27 or early morning on 3/28. All five passengers on board drowned. | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-11-09 | Strong WindSan Bernardino County, CA · forecast zone Western Mojave Desert A 13-vehicle pileup occurred on Interstate 40 near Newberry Springs, killing four people (indirect fatalities). The Barstow-Daggett airport, located about 15 miles west of the crash site, measured a peak wind gust of 53 mph approximately 30 minutes before the crash occurred. Visibility was reported to be poor due to ... | 46 kt wind | 4 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 2015-05-24 | Strong WindBernalillo County and 2 more, NM · forecast zone Albuquerque Metro Area Cherry picker crane carrying several individuals at Cochiti Road and Dorothy Street was toppled by an erratic outflow wind gust between 30 and 40 mph. The crane operator and one child were killed on the scene. Three others were injured. One of the injured children died several days later in the hospital. | 35 kt wind | 3 | 3 | – |
| 2010-04-30 | Strong WindKlickitat County, WA · forecast zone East Columbia River Gorge Strong winds and the resulting waves capsized an 18 foot fishing boat on Lake Celilo near Wishram. Four people were thrown off the boat. Three people drowned and 1 person suffered minor hypothermia. | 30 kt wind | 3 | 1 | – |
| 2016-10-15 | Strong WindMono County, CA · forecast zone Mono Strong winds blowing from west to east across June Lake caused very choppy waters on the 15th. Five males (none wearing life jackets) were in a boat which capsized, causing the death of three of the males. Two of the men reached shore and were treated and released. The three victims were found by divers on the morning ... | 35 kt wind | 3 | 0 | – |
| 2014-03-26 | Strong WindSuffolk County, MA · forecast zone Suffolk The Automated Surface Observing System at Logan International Airport recorded sustained winds of 38 mph and wind gusts of 54 mph. These winds resulted in downed tree limbs and power lines on Allston and Rutherford Streets, as well as on Bronx Road. In addition, these winds greatly exacerbated a structure fire in the ... | 47 kt wind | 2 | 13 | $6K |
| 2007-01-05 | Strong WindSan Bernardino County, CA · forecast zone Western Mojave Desert Strong winds and blowing dust contributed to several wrecks on Interstate 15 between Barstow and Baker. A tour bus rear-ended a minivan on I-15 northbound near the Ghost Town Road exit near Yermo, CA around 9:30 AM PST. Two passengers in the minivan were killed, and four others were injured. A total of three ... | 48 kt wind | 2 | 6 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, deaths direct and indirect as filed.
The most recent strong wind records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Strong WindWythe County, VA · forecast zone Wythe | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10 |
| 2026-06-30 | Strong WindMonterey County, CA · forecast zone Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast | 17 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10 |
| 2026-06-29 | Strong WindAlameda County and 3 more, CA · forecast zone San Francisco Bay Shoreline | 17 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10 |
| 2026-06-28 | Strong WindSan Francisco County, CA · forecast zone San Francisco | 20 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10 |
| 2026-06-26 | Strong WindColumbia County, NY · forecast zone Western Columbia | 36 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-06-18 | Strong WindWashington County, NY · forecast zone Southern Washington | 40 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $22K |
| 2026-06-18 | Strong WindWashington County, NY · forecast zone Northern Washington | 40 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-06-18 | Strong WindSchenectady County, NY · forecast zone Eastern Schenectady | 40 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.