NHC · SPC · NWS · OpenFEMA
2020 in Numbers: US Storms in the Federal Records
Tropical systems, tornadoes, hail, NWS storm reports, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations of 2020, counted from the source files.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
The SPC recorded 1,090 tornadoes in 2020, 11% below the 1991–2020 average of 1,231. 14 tropical systems of 2020 passed within 75 miles of a city on this site, 7 of them at hurricane strength near at least one. The NWS Storm Events Database holds 61,281 reports for 2020, with 897 deaths (13% above the 1996–2025 yearly average of 793), 1,798 injuries and $27.31 billion in estimated damage.
- Tornadoes
- 1,090
- Tropical systems near cities
- 14
- NWS storm deaths
- 897
- NFIP claims
- 33,185
24 EF3+
7 at hurricane strength
$27.31 billion damage
$932.7 million
Hurricanes and tropical storms
14 tropical systems of 2020 passed within 75 miles of a city on this site, 7 of them at hurricane strength near at least one. Isaias reached the most cities, 2,213, 113 of them at hurricane strength. Miami, FL and at least 5 other cities had 3 systems pass within 75 miles, the most of any city.
| Storm | Cities within 75 mi | At hurricane strength | Strongest near a city |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaias | 2,213 | 113 | 92 mph |
| Zeta | 1,509 | 205 | 114 mph |
| Fay | 885 | 0 | 58 mph |
| Laura | 327 | 118 | 148 mph |
| Cristobal | 276 | 0 | 52 mph |
| Eta | 240 | 0 | 67 mph |
| Sally | 191 | 60 | 109 mph |
| Delta | 169 | 56 | 100 mph |
| Bertha | 64 | 0 | 52 mph |
| Beta | 49 | 0 | 52 mph |
| Hanna | 44 | 27 | 92 mph |
| Douglas | 43 | 41 | 92 mph |
Cities with the most passes: Miami, FL (3), Hialeah, FL (3), Charleston, SC (3), Toms River, NJ (3), North Charleston, SC (3), Mount Pleasant, SC (3).
Tornadoes
The SPC recorded 1,090 tornadoes in 2020, 11% below the 1991–2020 average of 1,231. 24 were rated EF3 or stronger; tornadoes killed 76 people and injured 733. The deadliest, on March 3, 2020 in Tennessee, killed 19 and passed 1 miles from Cookeville, TN. The longest path, 83 miles, was on April 12, 2020 in Mississippi. April had the most, 269; Mississippi (88), Texas (84) and Alabama (70) had the most by state.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 | 42 | 83 | 269 | 127 | 92 | 99 | 181 | 38 | 20 | 24 | 27 |
By rating: EF0 464, EF1 407, EF2 89, EF3 18, EF4 6, EF5 0, unrated 106. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database. Deadliest passed near Cookeville, TN.
Hail
Observers sent 7,657 hail reports to the SPC, 724 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 5.33 inches, on May 22, 2020 in Texas.
All storm reports to the National Weather Service
The NWS Storm Events Database holds 61,281 reports for 2020, with 897 deaths (13% above the 1996–2025 yearly average of 793), 1,798 injuries and $27.31 billion in estimated damage. By deaths, the leading types were excessive heat (230), heat (125) and tornado (77). By damage: hurricane ($15.87 billion), high wind ($4.30 billion) and tornado ($2.53 billion).
August 12, 2020, Central Phoenix, Arizona: excessive heat, 43 killed
NWS: “Forty-three heat-associated fatalities were reported by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances and location unavailable.”
August 26, 2020, Calcasieu, Louisiana: hurricane, 13 killed, $6.00 billion damage
NWS: “There was a mandatory evacuation for the parish. Numerous trees, power lines, transmission lines, and poles were blown down across the parish.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, every report that began in 2020, through June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year; some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims and disaster declarations
Flood insurance policyholders filed 33,185 NFIP claims for losses in 2020, paid $932.7 million so far. Hurricane Sally accounts for the most, 8,120 (24%). FEMA declared 104 major disasters and 133 emergencies in 2020; by incident, 57 biological, 19 severe storm, 12 hurricane and 6 flood.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Sally | 8,120 | $283.2 million |
| Hurricane Eta | 3,677 | $110.5 million |
| Hurricane Isaias | 2,634 | $61.9 million |
| Hurricane Delta | 2,062 | $74.5 million |
| Hurricane Zeta | 1,514 | $20.7 million |
FEMA, OpenFEMA FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3 (by year of loss, claims as of September 8, 2026) and Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2 (by declaration date), retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
How each figure is counted: methodology.