NHC · SPC · NWS · OpenFEMA
2023 in Numbers: US Storms in the Federal Records
Tropical systems, tornadoes, hail, NWS storm reports, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations of 2023, counted from the source files.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
The SPC recorded 1,321 tornadoes in 2023, 7% above the 1991–2020 average of 1,231 (1,167 in 2022). 4 tropical systems of 2023 passed within 75 miles of a city on this site, 1 of them at hurricane strength near at least one. The NWS Storm Events Database holds 75,593 reports for 2023, with 1,463 deaths (84% above the 1996–2025 yearly average of 793), 3,857 injuries and $17.72 billion in estimated damage.
- Tornadoes
- 1,321
- Tropical systems near cities
- 4
- NWS storm deaths
- 1,463
- NFIP claims
- 21,690
31 EF3+
1 at hurricane strength
$17.72 billion damage
$979.8 million
Hurricanes and tropical storms
4 tropical systems of 2023 passed within 75 miles of a city on this site, 1 of them at hurricane strength near at least one. Idalia reached the most cities, 326, 86 of them at hurricane strength. Wilmington, NC and at least 5 other cities had 2 systems pass within 75 miles, the most of any city. In 2022 the count was 5.
Cities with the most passes: Wilmington, NC (2), Leland, NC (2), Hampstead, NC (2), Camp Lejeune, NC (2), Southport, NC (2), Newport, NC (2).
Tornadoes
The SPC recorded 1,321 tornadoes in 2023, 7% above the 1991–2020 average of 1,231 (1,167 in 2022). 31 were rated EF3 or stronger; tornadoes killed 86 people and injured 918. The deadliest, on March 24, 2023 in Mississippi, killed 17 and passed 2 miles from Rolling Fork, MS. The longest path, 126 miles, was on January 12, 2023 in Georgia. June had the most, 253; Illinois (118), Colorado (88) and Texas (78) had the most by state.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130 | 56 | 208 | 149 | 168 | 253 | 114 | 145 | 27 | 32 | 18 | 21 |
By rating: EF0 442, EF1 448, EF2 132, EF3 29, EF4 2, EF5 0, unrated 268. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database. Deadliest passed near Rolling Fork, MS.
Hail
Observers sent 11,739 hail reports to the SPC, 1,477 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 5.9 inches, on June 15, 2023 in Texas.
All storm reports to the National Weather Service
The NWS Storm Events Database holds 75,593 reports for 2023, with 1,463 deaths (84% above the 1996–2025 yearly average of 793), 3,857 injuries and $17.72 billion in estimated damage. By deaths, the leading types were excessive heat (664), heat (215) and wildfire (107). By damage: wildfire ($5.91 billion), hurricane ($4.34 billion) and hail ($2.31 billion).
July 11, 2023, Central Phoenix, Arizona: excessive heat, 150 killed
NWS: “A total of 150 heat-associated fatalities (94 direct and 56 indirect) were reported by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable.”
August 8, 2023, Maui Leeward West, Hawaii: wildfire, 102 killed, $5.50 billion damage
NWS: “A wildfire near Lahaina was reported at 6:40 am HST and was contained within 3 hours. Another fire was reported around 3:30pm and prompted evacuation orders by 4:30 pm.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, every report that began in 2023, 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 21,690 NFIP claims for losses in 2023, paid $979.8 million so far (60,262 in 2022). Hurricane Idalia accounts for the most, 5,522 (25%). FEMA declared 71 major disasters and 13 emergencies in 2023; by incident, 30 severe storm, 21 flood, 7 winter storm and 5 hurricane.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Idalia | 5,522 | $386.1 million |
| April Florida Flooding | 3,443 | $246.3 million |
| December Nor'easter | 1,968 | $57.2 million |
| Late-September New York Flooding | 1,611 | $36.3 million |
| California Atmospheric River | 1,583 | $59.0 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.