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Fog, smoke and funnel clouds in the United States, by state

The national record since 1996 · Dense Fog, Funnel Cloud, Waterspout, Freezing Fog, Dense Smoke, Volcanic Ashfall, Volcanic Ash, Northern Lights

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 29,917 fog, smoke and funnel cloud records in the United States from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 981 a year since 2000. California records the most (2,971), Maryland the most per square mile. The deadliest storm in NOAA's record since 1996 is the October 11, 2002 dense fog in Wisconsin: 11 deaths.

Fog, smoke and funnel clouds, 1996 to 2026

Records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 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
29,9171996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
981average
Deaths
324recorded
Damage, 2025 dollars
$73MStorm Events, as filed

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Which states have the most fog, smoke and funnel cloud records?

By count California (2,971), Florida (2,600), Illinois (2,535) lead. Per 10,000 square miles Maryland (1175), New Jersey (1139), Delaware (949) lead; large states collect more records by covering more ground.

By count since 1996

  1. California 2,971
  2. Florida 2,600
  3. Illinois 2,535
  4. Kentucky 2,152
  5. Wisconsin 2,053
  6. Virginia 1,843
  7. Missouri 1,288
  8. Maryland 1,141
  9. Texas 1,031
  10. Iowa 990
  11. New Jersey 838
  12. Minnesota 787
  13. Colorado 628
  14. Pennsylvania 618
  15. Indiana 615

Per 10,000 square miles

  1. Maryland 1175
  2. New Jersey 1139
  3. Delaware 949
  4. Kentucky 545
  5. Puerto Rico 540
  6. Florida 485
  7. Virginia 467
  8. Illinois 457
  9. Wisconsin 379
  10. Hawaii 263
  11. West Virginia 240
  12. California 191
  13. Missouri 187
  14. Iowa 177
  15. Indiana 172

Source: Land area: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles are not ranked per square mile.

Alabama: 61 per 10,000 sq miAlaska: 0.5 per 10,000 sq miArizona: 29 per 10,000 sq miArkansas: 36 per 10,000 sq miCalifornia: 191 per 10,000 sq miColorado: 61 per 10,000 sq miConnecticut: 39 per 10,000 sq miDelaware: 949 per 10,000 sq miFlorida: 485 per 10,000 sq miGeorgia: 78 per 10,000 sq miHawaii: 263 per 10,000 sq miIdaho: 22 per 10,000 sq miIllinois: 457 per 10,000 sq miIndiana: 172 per 10,000 sq miIowa: 177 per 10,000 sq miKansas: 68 per 10,000 sq miKentucky: 545 per 10,000 sq miLouisiana: 47 per 10,000 sq miMaine: 8.1 per 10,000 sq miMaryland: 1,175 per 10,000 sq miMassachusetts: 37 per 10,000 sq miMichigan: 27 per 10,000 sq miMinnesota: 99 per 10,000 sq miMississippi: 30 per 10,000 sq miMissouri: 187 per 10,000 sq miMontana: 36 per 10,000 sq miNebraska: 51 per 10,000 sq miNevada: 7.8 per 10,000 sq miNew Hampshire: 17 per 10,000 sq miNew Jersey: 1,139 per 10,000 sq miNew Mexico: 16 per 10,000 sq miNew York: 25 per 10,000 sq miNorth Carolina: 41 per 10,000 sq miNorth Dakota: 86 per 10,000 sq miOhio: 31 per 10,000 sq miOklahoma: 55 per 10,000 sq miOregon: 15 per 10,000 sq miPennsylvania: 138 per 10,000 sq miRhode Island: 87 per 10,000 sq miSouth Carolina: 54 per 10,000 sq miSouth Dakota: 27 per 10,000 sq miTennessee: 46 per 10,000 sq miTexas: 39 per 10,000 sq miUtah: 27 per 10,000 sq miVermont: 17 per 10,000 sq miVirginia: 467 per 10,000 sq miWashington: 23 per 10,000 sq miWest Virginia: 240 per 10,000 sq miWisconsin: 379 per 10,000 sq miWyoming: 23 per 10,000 sq mi
  • 0.5-25
  • 25-39
  • 39-68
  • 68-240
  • 240+
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds per 10,000 square miles by state since 1996. Each class holds about a fifth of the states; Alaska and Hawaii are drawn as insets, not to scale.

Every state

When is fog and funnel cloud season?

Fog, smoke and funnel clouds by month, nationally. The busiest month is December.

The values, month by month

Jan 3,711 · Feb 2,520 · Mar 2,014 · Apr 1,580 · May 2,743 · Jun 2,745 · Jul 2,418 · Aug 2,113 · Sep 1,709 · Oct 1,639 · Nov 2,491 · Dec 4,234 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

The deadliest fog, smoke and funnel cloud records on record

The 10 storms with the most deaths since 1996, by state
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2002-10-11 Dense FogSheboygan County, WI · forecast zone Sheboygan One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Shallow dense fog developed over parts of Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties during the overnight hours, and persisted to about 0830CST. The dense fog, reducing visibilities to zero to 1/4 mile, was a factor in three closely-spaced, but separate multi-vehicle accidents in Sheboygan County (total of 50 vehicles), and one ... 11 0 –
2023-10-23 Dense FogSt. John the Baptist Parish, LA · forecast zone St. John The Baptist A chain reaction event of car accidents occurred on I-55 near mile marker 14 as dense fog reduced visibility to near zero. The pile up that took place included 158 vehicles and resulted in dozens of injuries and several fatalities. Many vehicles caught fire and one toppled over the interstate guard rail and ended up ... 7 55 $3.9M
2015-01-13 Dense FogCalaveras County and 2 more, CA · forecast zone Northern San Joaquin Valley One storm episode: 2 records, 2015-01-13 to 2015-01-14; the totals are the episode's. Light winds and clear skies allowed dense morning fog to develop for several days. Numerous car accidents occurred, including two multiple car crashes with fatalities. 6 3 $125K
2008-01-09 Dense FogPolk County, FL · forecast zone Polk A controlled burn from the previous afternoon was still producing smoke as patches of dense fog began to develop around 4AM. The smoke and fog interacted to produce super-fog in about a 2 mile area encompassing Interstate 4 near Polk City between US 27 and the Polk Parkway. The super-fog caused zero visibility for ... 5 38 –
1997-12-11 Dense FogPlacer County and 4 more, CA · forecast zone Yolo T W/Ne Solano/Sacramento T X Sw/X W Placer/X W Amador/S Sutter Patchy dense fog was a main contributing factor in a major chain reaction collision on northbound Interstate 5 near Lambert, CA, 17 miles south of downtown Sacramento. The crash involved 8 tractor trailers, 1 tanker truck, and 28 automobiles and small trucks. The five fatalities were burn victims caught in the fires ... 5 26 $2.8M
2022-03-17 Dense FogMississippi County, MO · forecast zone Mississippi Dense fog along portions of Interstate 57 between the Mississippi River and Interstate 55 resulted in several fatalities (indirect) in a massive pile-up. The pile-up occurred on both sides of the interstate near Charleston, Missouri in Mississippi County. Approximately 50 vehicles were involved, including multiple ... 5 14 –
2007-03-13 Dense FogOsceola County, FL · forecast zone Osceola A total of five people were killed, including a sheriff's deputy, in a series of three accidents on the Florida Turnpike in southern Osceola County. 5 3 $185K
2020-11-14 Dense FogButte County and 4 more, CA · forecast zone Central Sacramento Valley The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported a 10 vehicle pile up in Butte County, along highway 99 between Gridley and Biggs Saturday morning. The report noted 5 big rigs and 5 passenger vehicles were involved, which forced the highway to be closed for several hours. 5 fatalities were reported with this event, with 2 ... 5 0 –
2013-02-06 Dense FogLaurens County, GA · forecast zone Laurens Georgia State Patrol and several media outlets reported a multiple-vehicle accident along Interstate 16 at mile marker 38 near the Laurens/Twiggs county line. Twenty-seven vehicles, seven of them commercial trucks, were involved in the accident, which resulted in four fatalities and at least nine injuries. 4 0 $1.1M
2024-01-14 Dense FogSan Mateo County and Santa Cruz County, CA · forecast zone San Francisco Peninsula Coast A small plane with four people onboard crashed near Moss Beach in San Mateo County, around 1 mile southwest of Half Moon Bay Airport, on January 14 at 7:34 PM. Witnesses saw the plane sputtering before the crash. Wreckage from the plane was found near Ross Cove. Search efforts for survivors continued until 11 AM the ... 4 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed, summed over each storm in each state (one episode, or a named storm filed by several offices); names from FEMA declaration titles.

The costliest fog, smoke and funnel cloud records since 1993

The 8 most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2012-11-22 Dense FogJefferson County, TX · forecast zone Jefferson 2 0 $7.7M
2023-10-23 Dense FogSt. John the Baptist Parish, LA · forecast zone St. John The Baptist 7 55 $3.9M
2008-02-11 Dense FogKern County and Kings County, CA · forecast zone Sw S.J. Valley One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 30 $3.0M
1997-12-11 Dense FogPlacer County and 4 more, CA · forecast zone Yolo T W/Ne Solano/Sacramento T X Sw/X W Placer/X W Amador/S Sutter 5 26 $2.8M
2009-01-13 Freezing FogAdams County and 2 more, WA · forecast zone Upper Columbia Basin 0 0 $2.8M
1998-11-14 Dense FogSouth Sjv, CA · forecast zone South Sjv One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 2 78 $2.5M
2004-04-01 Dense FogSan Bernardino County, CA · forecast zone P Sw San Bernardino 0 24 $2.3M
2022-10-19 Dense FogBenton County and 2 more, OR · forecast zone Southern Willamette Valley 1 4 $2.0M

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

What the record files under fog, smoke and funnel clouds

NOAA event types in this group
Event typeRecordsYearsKilledDamage
Dense Fog17,8811996-2026292$66M
Funnel Cloud9,9941996-20260$196K
Waterspout6,2791996-20265$7.8M
Freezing Fog5021996-202628$4.7M
Dense Smoke1472006-20232$180K
Volcanic Ashfall782007-20260–
Volcanic Ash701997-20060$833K
Northern Lights82001-20010–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event types as defined in NWS Instruction 10-1605.

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