Event
Date
Summary
Estimated Cost in Billions USD
Deaths
Values in parentheses represent the 2012 Consumer Price Index (CPI) cost adjusted value.
Southern Plains/Southwest Drought & Heat Wave†
2011
Drought and heat wave conditions created major impacts across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Kansas, and western Louisiana. In Texas and Oklahoma, a majority of range and pastures were classified in "very poor" condition for much of the 2011 crop growing season.
$12.0 (12.2)
95
Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest†
April 25-28, 2011
Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (AL, AR, LA, MS, GA, TN, VA, KY, IL, MO, OH, TX,OK) with an estimated 343 tornadoes. The deadliest tornado of the outbreak, an EF-5, hit northern Alabama, killing 78 people. Several major metropolitan areas were directly impacted by strong tornadoes including Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Huntsville in Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee, causing the estimated damage costs to soar.
$10.2 (10.4)
321
Hurricane Irene†
August 2011
Category 1 hurricane made landfall over coastal NC and moved northward along the Mid-Atlantic Coast (NC, VA, MD, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, VT) causing torrential rainfall and flooding across the Northeast. Wind damage in coastal NC, VA, and MD was moderate with considerable damage resulting from falling trees and power lines, while flooding caused extensive flood damage across NJ, NY, and VT. Over seven million homes and businesses lost power during the storm. Numerous tornadoes were also reported in several states further adding to the damage.
$9.8 (10.0)
45
Midwest/Southeast†
May 22-27, 2011
Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (MO, TX, OK, KS, AR, GA, TN, VA, KY, IN, IL, OH, WI, MN, PA) with an estimated 180 tornadoes. Notably, an EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, MO resulting in at least 160 deaths, making it the deadliest single tornado to strike the U.S. since modern tornado record keeping began in 1950.
$9.1 (9.3)
177
Mississippi River flooding†
May 2011
Persistent rainfall (nearly 300 percent normal precipitation amounts in the Ohio Valley) combined with melting snowpack caused historical flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Examples of economic damage include: $500 (510.0) million to agriculture in Arkansas; $320 (326.4) million in damage to Memphis, Tennessee; $800 (816.0) million to agriculture in Mississippi; $317 (323.3) million to agriculture and property in Missouri's Birds Point-New Madrid Spillway; $80 (81.6) million for the first 30 days of flood fighting efforts in Louisiana.
$3.0 (3.1)
7
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes†
April 4-5, 2011
Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (KS, MO, IA, IL, WI, KY, GA, TN, NC, SC) with an estimated 46 tornadoes.
$2.8 (2.9)
9
Southeast/Midwest Tornadoes†
April 8-11, 2011
Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (NC, SC, TN, AL, TX, OK, KS, IA, WI) with an estimated 59 tornadoes.
$2.2
0
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes†
April 14-16, 2011
Outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states (OK, TX, AR, MS, AL, GA, NC, SC, VA, PA) with an estimated 177 tornadoes.
$2.1
38
Missouri River flooding†
Summer 2011
Melting of an above-average snow pack across the Northern Rocky Mountains combined with above-average precipitation caused the Missouri and Souris Rivers to swell beyond their banks across the Upper Midwest (MT, ND, SD, NE, IA, KS, MO). An estimated 11,000 people were forced to evacuate Minot, North Dakota due to the record high water level of the Souris River, where 4,000 homes were flooded. Numerous levees were breached along the Missouri River, flooding thousands of acres of farmland.
$2.0
5
Groundhog Day Blizzard†
February 1-3, 2011
A large winter storm impacted many central, eastern and northeastern states. The city of Chicago was brought to a virtual standstill as between 1 and 2 feet of snow fell over the area.
$1.8
36
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather†
June 18-22, 2011
Outbreak of tornadoes over central states (OK, TX, KS, NE, MO, IA, IL) with an estimated 81 tornadoes. Additional wind and hail damage across the Southeast (TN, GA, NC, SC).
$1.3
3
Tropical Storm Lee†
September 2011
Wind and flood damage across the southeast (LA, MS, AL, GA, TN) but considerably more damage from record flooding across the northeast (PA, NY, NJ, CT, VA, MD). Pennsylvania and New York were most affected.
$1.3
21
Texas, New Mexico, Arizona Wildfires†
Summer 2011
Continued drought conditions and periods of extreme heat provided conditions favorable for a series of historic wildfires across Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The Bastrop Fire in Texas was the most destructive fire in Texas history destroying over 1,500 homes. The Wallow Fire consumed over 500,000 acres in Arizona making it the largest on record in Arizona. The Las Conchas Fire in New Mexico was also the state's largest wildfire on record scorching over 150,000 acres while threatening the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Over 3 million acres have burned across Texas this wildfire season.
$1.0
5
Rockies and Midwest Severe Weather†
July 10-14, 2011
An outbreak of tornadoes, hail, and high wind caused damage east of the Rockies and across the central plains (CO, WY, IA, IL, MI, MN, OH).
$1.0
2