NHC · SPC · NWS · OpenFEMA
2021 in Numbers: US Storms in the Federal Records
Tropical systems, tornadoes, hail, NWS storm reports, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations of 2021, counted from the source files.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
The SPC recorded 1,328 tornadoes in 2021, 8% above the 1991–2020 average of 1,231 (1,090 in 2020). 10 tropical systems of 2021 passed within 75 miles of a city on this site, 3 of them at hurricane strength near at least one. The NWS Storm Events Database holds 61,389 reports for 2021, with 1,260 deaths (59% above the 1996–2025 yearly average of 793), 1,666 injuries and $19.96 billion in estimated damage.
- Tornadoes
- 1,328
- Tropical systems near cities
- 10
- NWS storm deaths
- 1,260
- NFIP claims
- 46,699
24 EF3+
3 at hurricane strength
$19.96 billion damage
$1.96 billion
Hurricanes and tropical storms
10 tropical systems of 2021 passed within 75 miles of a city on this site, 3 of them at hurricane strength near at least one. Elsa reached the most cities, 2,322, 7 of them at hurricane strength. Plymouth, MA and at least 5 other cities had 4 systems pass within 75 miles, the most of any city. In 2020 the count was 14.
Cities with the most passes: Plymouth, MA (4), East Falmouth, MA (4), Hyannis, MA (4), Mashpee, MA (4), Nantucket, MA (4), Bourne, MA (4).
Tornadoes
The SPC recorded 1,328 tornadoes in 2021, 8% above the 1991–2020 average of 1,231 (1,090 in 2020). 24 were rated EF3 or stronger; tornadoes killed 104 people and injured 878. The deadliest, on December 10, 2021 in Tennessee, killed 57 and passed through Falls Of Rough, KY. The longest path, 169 miles, was on December 10, 2021 in Tennessee. May had the most, 260; Iowa (119), Texas (94) and Mississippi (75) had the most by state.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 11 | 139 | 83 | 260 | 106 | 127 | 154 | 29 | 149 | 21 | 233 |
By rating: EF0 562, EF1 430, EF2 105, EF3 21, EF4 3, EF5 0, unrated 207. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database. Deadliest passed near Falls Of Rough, KY.
Hail
Observers sent 6,255 hail reports to the SPC, 662 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 6.42 inches, on April 28, 2021 in Texas.
All storm reports to the National Weather Service
The NWS Storm Events Database holds 61,389 reports for 2021, with 1,260 deaths (59% above the 1996–2025 yearly average of 793), 1,666 injuries and $19.96 billion in estimated damage. By deaths, the leading types were excessive heat (294), heat (193) and flash flood (138). By damage: hurricane ($8.59 billion), storm surge ($3.57 billion) and flash flood ($2.45 billion).
June 26, 2021, Greater Portland Metro Area, Oregon: excessive heat, 93 killed, $100,000 damage
NWS: “Record breaking temperatures for 3 days in a row. Portland International recorded high temperatures of 108, 112, and 116 F (breaking its previous all time record of 107), and low temperatures of 70, 73, and 75 F.”
December 30, 2021, Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County, Colorado: wildfire, 2 killed, $2.00 billion damage
NWS: “Marshall Fire devastated portions of Marshall, Superior and Louisville. Strong downslope winds, with gusts up to 100 mph, fanned a grass fire that originated near the town of Marshall and quickly spread east to Superior and Louisville.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, every report that began in 2021, 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 46,699 NFIP claims for losses in 2021, paid $1.96 billion so far (33,185 in 2020). Hurricane Ida accounts for the most, 28,318 (61%). FEMA declared 58 major disasters and 22 emergencies in 2021; by incident, 13 severe storm, 13 hurricane, 9 flood and 8 severe ice storm.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ida | 28,318 | $1.35 billion |
| 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms | 3,404 | $230.3 million |
| Tropical Storm Nicholas | 500 | $6.7 million |
| Texas Severe Winter Storms | 435 | $46,000 |
| Tropical Storm Claudette | 429 | $20.2 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).
Notable storms of 2021
How each figure is counted: methodology.