NHC · SPC · NWS · OpenFEMA
2022 in Numbers: US Storms in the Federal Records
Tropical systems, tornadoes, hail, NWS storm reports, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations of 2022, counted from the source files.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
The SPC recorded 1,167 tornadoes in 2022, 5% below the 1991–2020 average of 1,231 (1,328 in 2021). 5 tropical systems of 2022 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 69,887 reports for 2022, with 1,220 deaths (54% above the 1996–2025 yearly average of 793), 1,720 injuries and $21.82 billion in estimated damage.
- Tornadoes
- 1,167
- Tropical systems near cities
- 5
- NWS storm deaths
- 1,220
- NFIP claims
- 60,262
24 EF3+
3 at hurricane strength
$21.82 billion damage
$5.26 billion
Hurricanes and tropical storms
5 tropical systems of 2022 passed within 75 miles of a city on this site, 3 of them at hurricane strength near at least one. Ian reached the most cities, 336, 127 of them at hurricane strength. Port St Lucie, FL and at least 5 other cities had 3 systems pass within 75 miles, the most of any city. In 2021 the count was 10.
Cities with the most passes: Port St Lucie, FL (3), Melbourne, FL (3), Palm Bay, FL (3), Vero Beach, FL (3), Fort Pierce, FL (3), North Port, FL (3).
Tornadoes
The SPC recorded 1,167 tornadoes in 2022, 5% below the 1991–2020 average of 1,231 (1,328 in 2021). 24 were rated EF3 or stronger; tornadoes killed 23 people and injured 314. The deadliest, on March 5, 2022 in Iowa, killed 6 and passed 1 miles from Newton, IA. The longest path, 71 miles, was on March 5, 2022 in Iowa. May had the most, 240; Mississippi (136), Texas (118) and Alabama (98) had the most by state.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 11 | 234 | 218 | 240 | 124 | 64 | 35 | 25 | 38 | 63 | 78 |
By rating: EF0 408, EF1 457, EF2 123, EF3 20, EF4 4, EF5 0, unrated 155. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database. Deadliest passed near Newton, IA.
Hail
Observers sent 7,172 hail reports to the SPC, 638 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 6 inches, on May 29, 2022 in Nebraska.
All storm reports to the National Weather Service
The NWS Storm Events Database holds 69,887 reports for 2022, with 1,220 deaths (54% above the 1996–2025 yearly average of 793), 1,720 injuries and $21.82 billion in estimated damage. By deaths, the leading types were heat (381), excessive heat (200) and hurricane (93). By damage: hurricane ($15.20 billion), flood ($1.60 billion) and flash flood ($1.17 billion).
September 28, 2022, Coastal Lee, Florida: hurricane, 60 killed, $7.00 billion damage
NWS: “The highest wind reported in Lee County from Hurricane Ian was a gust to 140 mph at a weatherSTEM station at the Cape Coral yacht club at 4:20 PM EST on September 28. Catastrophic damage was caused by the storm surge that most severely affected coastal areas.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, every report that began in 2022, 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 60,262 NFIP claims for losses in 2022, paid $5.26 billion so far (46,699 in 2021). Hurricane Ian accounts for the most, 48,824 (81%). FEMA declared 47 major disasters and 10 emergencies in 2022; by incident, 24 severe storm, 11 flood, 5 hurricane and 3 snowstorm.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ian | 48,824 | $4.91 billion |
| Hurricane Nicole | 1,625 | $65.0 million |
| Late July Flooding | 1,200 | $72.8 million |
| California Atmospheric River | 381 | $18.8 million |
| Tropical Storm Alex | 262 | $8.3 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 2022
How each figure is counted: methodology.