Federated States of Micronesia natural disasters
The freely associated state's storm and disaster record · 4 counties and county equivalents
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 93 storm events in Federated States of Micronesia since 1950, 93 of them since 1996 when every event type began to be recorded. The most frequent records are drought records (47). In NOAA's storm record since 1950, the deadliest storm in Federated States of Micronesia is the April 19, 1997 heavy rain: 19 deaths, 8 injuries and $5.0 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 2 records. FEMA has made 21 declarations for Federated States of Micronesia since 1963; 19 were major disasters.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm events recorded in Federated States of Micronesia each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm events recorded
- 931950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 3726 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $432Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 2119 major disasters
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); tornado count: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 1950-2025; damage in 2025 dollars (BLS CPI-U). Search the record at NCEI.
What natural disasters happen in Federated States of Micronesia?
By NOAA's records, Federated States of Micronesia's most frequent hazards are drought records (47), hurricane and tropical storm records (31), floods and flash floods (8); the deadliest are heavy rain records (19 deaths). Each hazard is counted over the years NOAA has recorded it everywhere: tornadoes since 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind since 1955, everything else since 1996. Open a hazard for its years, months, counties and worst events.
| Hazard | Records | Last 10 years | Killed | Injured | Damage | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 47 | 37 | 0 | 0 | $61K | 0 of 4 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 31 | 4 | 17 | 16 | $423M | 0 of 4 |
| Floods | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | $5.1M | 0 of 4 |
| High wind and dust storms | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | $62K | 0 of 4 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 0 | 19 | 8 | $3.7M | 0 of 4 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | $11K | 0 of 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: every record counted once in the state; "last 10 years" is 2017-2026 (2026 to June 30, 2026).
What were the deadliest disasters in Federated States of Micronesia?
The storms with the most deaths since 1950, from the National Weather Service's own entries. NOAA files one storm as several records when it crosses forecast zones and counties or changes type, and groups them under one episode; each row here is an episode, with its totals and the narrative of its deadliest record. Before 1996 tornado records carry no episode and stand alone. The narrative says what happened: some deaths the National Weather Service files under a weather type had another cause beside the weather.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-04-19 | Heavy RainPohnpei One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Typhoon Isa (02W) was within the Guam Area of Responsibility from the 9th until the 21st. It was first reported as a tropical disturbance on the 9th. It became a tropical storm on the 12th. On the 12th it was near Pohnpei. Peak wind gust observed across the island were 60 mph. There were no report of death or injury. ... | 19 | 8 | $5.0M | |
| 2026-04-10 | HurricaneMicronesia · forecast zone Micronesia Typhoon Sinlaku developed in northern Chuuk State, northwest of Chuuk, starting as a tropical depression 50 miles north of Chuuk at 1000ChST April 6 and becoming a tropical storm 0700ChST April 10. Sinlaku developed into a CAT 1 typhoon near Fananu on 1300ChST April 11 and continue to strength as it pulled away from ... | 9 | 5 | $96M | |
| 2015-03-26 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Micronesia · forecast zone Micronesia On the night of the 26th of March, a tropical disturbance was noted 135 miles east-southeast of Pohnpei. It became the subject of a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. By the afternoon of the 27th the system intensified to become Tropical Depression (TD) 04W. It was located 35 ... | 4 | 10 | $7.5M | |
| 2003-04-10 | Tropical StormMicronesia · forecast zone Micronesia A weak circulation was noted on the evening of the 7th near 3N 157E. It had moved to near 4N 160E by the morning of the 9th. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center classified it as a Tropical Depression 02W later that day and to a tropical storm by the evening. It was 240 miles southeast of Pohnpei at this time. On the ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-05-04 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Micronesia · forecast zone Micronesia Around noon time on the 3rd of May Tropical Depression 06W formed over Yap State about 155 miles southeast of Ulithi. On the morning of the 4th the tropical depression became Tropical Storm Noul and passed close to Fais. The tropical storm moved west and passed just south of Ulithi on the evening of the 4th. Noul ... | 1 | 0 | $125K | |
| 2022-08-15 | Thunderstorm WindChuuk A solo boater was travelling to Uman Island from Weno Island, islands within Chuuk Lagoon. Nearby boaters waiting for the rough seas and gusty winds to decreases notice a boat circling a spot between the islands of Fefan and Tonoas. National and State police found the boat had no operator, and later the body of the ... | 34 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2002-03-01 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Micronesia · forecast zone Micronesia SUPERTYPHOON MITAGOn the morning of the 25th Scatterometer data had shown a weak circulation south of Pohnpei near 4N 158E. Near midnight on the morning of February 27 the circulation moved west to a location near 285 miles east-southeast of Chuuk. At 6am on the 27th the circulation had strengthened to become ... | 1 | 0 | $246M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed in this state, summed over the records of each episode (EPISODE_ID); a forecast-zone record counts the zone's deaths once. A tornado's whole-track deaths (SPC), on the state's tornado page, can be higher when the track crossed a state line. Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest records in Federated States of Micronesia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03-01 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Micronesia · forecast zone Micronesia | 1 | 0 | $246M | |
| 2026-04-10 | HurricaneMicronesia · forecast zone Micronesia | 9 | 5 | $96M | |
| 2003-05-21 | Tropical StormMicronesia · forecast zone Micronesia | 0 | 0 | $29M | |
| 2004-04-07 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Micronesia · forecast zone Micronesia | 0 | 0 | $22M | |
| 2013-11-03 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Micronesia · forecast zone Micronesia | 0 | 0 | $13M | |
| 2015-03-26 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Micronesia · forecast zone Micronesia | 4 | 10 | $7.5M | |
| 2021-12-05 | Coastal FloodMicronesia · forecast zone Micronesia | 0 | 0 | $4.4M | |
| 1997-04-19 | Heavy RainPohnpei | 19 | 8 | $3.7M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. BLS consumer price index.
Which counties in Federated States of Micronesia have the most records?
None of them has a record of its own: NOAA files Federated States of Micronesia's storms for the whole nation, so they are counted on this page, not on its county pages.
Every county in Federated States of Micronesia
Federal disaster declarations in Federated States of Micronesia
FEMA has made 21 declarations for Federated States of Micronesia since 1963: 19 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. The most common incident types are typhoon (16), drought (3), fire (1).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-07-31 | EM-3276 | Drought | Drought | 1 |
| 2004-04-10 | DR-1511 | Typhoon | Typhoon Sudal | 1 |
| 2003-12-19 | DR-1504 | Typhoon | Typhoon Lupit | 2 |
| 2003-01-06 | DR-1449 | Typhoon | Typhoon Pongsona | 1 |
| 2002-07-11 | DR-1427 | Typhoon | Ts Chata'an, Inc Flooding, Mudslides and Landslides | 2 |
| 2002-05-29 | DR-1417 | Typhoon | Typhoon Mitag | 1 |
| 1998-04-03 | DR-1213 | Drought | Severe Drought | 3 |
| 1997-03-11 | DR-1166 | Typhoon | Typhoon Fern | 1 |
| 1992-05-20 | EM-3093 | Drought | Drought | 2 |
| 1992-02-07 | DR-934 | Typhoon | Typhoon Axel | 3 |
| 1991-12-10 | DR-926 | Typhoon | Typhoon Yuri | 3 |
| 1991-01-17 | DR-892 | Typhoon | Typhoon Russ | 1 |
| 1990-12-14 | DR-886 | Typhoon | Typhoon Owen | 2 |
| 1987-11-25 | DR-803 | Typhoon | Typhoon Nina | 1 |
| 1987-02-02 | DR-786 | Typhoon | Typhoon Orchid | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Hurricanes and tropical storms in Federated States of MicronesiaEvery recorded hurricane or tropical storm record in Federated States of Micronesia: by year, month and county
- Compare Federated States of Micronesia with another stateSide by side: storm records per square mile, deaths per million, declarations
- How Federated States of Micronesia ranks among the statesStates ranked by FEMA disaster declarations
- Download Federated States of Micronesia's FEMA declarations (CSV)21 rows: every declaration in the state, for your own analysis