NOAA Storm Events · national toll by hazard

Which hazards actually kill and cost the most?

Most people rank tornadoes and hurricanes first. In 2025, NOAA's record puts Flash Flood at the top for deaths — and quieter killers like heat and rip currents above hazards that get far more attention. 628 direct deaths and $4.5B in reported property damage, across 48 hazard types.

Read this as one year, not history. This is 2025 only — a year's toll is volatile: one major hurricane landfall would reshuffle this ranking, and a quiet year understates a hazard's real danger. Deaths are NOAA "direct" deaths only — heat's much larger indirect toll is excluded and widely undercounted. Damage is NOAA's reported estimate, not insured loss. This is the recorded past toll, not a forecast of your risk — for that, see your state and county risk profiles.

HazardDirect deathsInjuriesProperty damage

Flash Flood52 states 206 14 $1.3B

Tornado39 states 64 248 $1.9B

Heat29 states 62 51 —

Wildfire28 states 61 39 $789M

Rip Current16 states 38 48 —

Excessive Heat36 states 37 326 —

Thunderstorm Wind53 states 36 130 $210M

Cold/Wind Chill36 states 21 1 —

Lightning37 states 20 95 $23M

Flood46 states 15 5 $92M

High Surf9 states 15 13 $573,500

Avalanche10 states 10 6 $22,500

Strong Wind44 states 8 10 $3M

High Wind46 states 6 9 $12M

Winter Weather46 states 5 6 $2M

Heavy Rain32 states 4 1 $910,900

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill35 states 4 0 $11,000

Sneakerwave2 states 4 1 —

Debris Flow17 states 3 0 $51M

Winter Storm48 states 3 6 $3M

Marine Strong Wind3 states 3 1 $4,000

Heavy Snow43 states 2 0 $2M

Coastal Flood17 states 1 1 $3M

Hail49 states 0 6 $60M

Drought37 states 0 0 $37M

Ice Storm22 states 0 0 $3M

Lake-Effect Snow5 states 0 1 $2M

Dust Storm15 states 0 0 $2M

Tsunami4 states 0 0 $1M

Dense Fog19 states 0 0 $69,000

Marine Thunderstorm Wind11 states 0 1 $7,000

Astronomical Low Tide7 states 0 0 $1,000

Funnel Cloud36 states 0 0 $20

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (NOAA NCEI Storm Events). Bars are scaled to direct deaths. Perils with no recorded deaths or damage in 2025 are omitted. Each hazard page also serves .jsonld / .md.