The United States is a large nation. Out of 195 countries, it comes in at third not only in population but in land mass as well. It also has an impressive geographical diversity and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are four regions and nine divisions based on geographic proximity. Depending on which division and region you are in, you can find a multitude of varying landscapes, often in the same state – from miles of coastline and deserts to forests and rivers.
These beautiful landscapes often come with many advantages but unfortunately, they are still susceptible to Mother Nature and what she brings, leaving the country vulnerable to many kinds of natural disasters. These powerful displays of nature not only destroy property and present serious problems to the economy but also claim hundreds of lives every year. There doesn’t seem to be any particular region that is free from these phenomena, making each area in America susceptible to different types of natural disasters.
The East Coast faces the threat of floods and devastating hurricanes each year. The Midwestern part of the country is frequently hit with tornadoes, and many areas close to rivers are often inundated with massive floods. The Southern region is faced with hurricanes, tornadoes, and coastal erosion, and the West Coast is at risk of wildfires, earthquakes, landslides, and even volcanic eruptions. (These are the worst floods in American history).
24/7 Wall St. reviewed government sources on the weather events in each state’s history that caused the highest number of fatalities to determine every U.S. state’s worst natural disaster. While some states have not faced any mass-casualty weather events, thanks to their geography and location, other parts of the country have been less fortunate, experiencing massive storms and floods that have claimed the lives of hundreds or even thousands of Americans. Many such events, like the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas killed so many people that getting an accurate final death toll was virtually impossible, especially during that era.
The United States ranks first globally in the number of extreme weather events and its weather continues to become more volatile. According to the National Center for Environmental Information, in 2023 there were 28 weather events that each caused over $1 billion in damage. In many parts of the country, these weather events could become even more destructive as a result of global warming — here are places where weather is getting worse because of climate change.
Here is the worst natural disaster in each state
1. Alabama
- Natural disaster: Deep South Tornado Outbreak
- Date: March 21, 1932
- Fatalities: 286
- Other event considered: Tornado outbreak – 1932
2. Alaska
- Natural disaster: Good Friday Earthquake
- Date: March 27, 1964
- Fatalities: 139
- Other event considered: Chilkoot Trail “Palm Sunday” Avalanche – 1898
3. Arizona
- Natural disaster: Tropical Storm Norma
- Date: Sept. 4-5, 1970
- Fatalities: 23
- Other event considered: Yarnell Hill Fire – 2013
4. Arkansas
- Natural disaster: Mississippi River Flood
- Date: May-August 1927
- Fatalities: 127
- Other event considered: Albert Pike Flash Floods – 2010
5. California
- Natural disaster: San Francisco Earthquake
- Date: April 18, 1906
- Fatalities: 3,000
- Other event considered: Los Angeles Flood – 1938
6. Colorado
- Natural disaster: Big Thompson Canyon Flood
- Date: July 31, 1976
- Fatalities: 144
- Other event considered: Denver Flood – 1965
7. Connecticut
- Natural disaster: Great New England Hurricane
- Date: Sept. 21, 1938
- Fatalities: 85
- Other event considered: Great Flood – 1955
8. Delaware
- Natural disaster: Gale of ’78
- Date: Oct. 23, 1878
- Fatalities: 100
- Other event considered: Mid-Atlantic Flood – 2006
9. Florida
- Natural disaster: Lake Okeechobee Hurricane
- Date: Sept. 6-20, 1928
- Fatalities: 2,500-3,000
- Other event considered: Labor Day Hurricane – 1935
10. Georgia
- Natural disaster: Sea Islands Hurricane
- Date: Aug. 15, 1893
- Fatalities: 2,000+
- Other event considered: Atlanta Flood – 2009
11. Hawaii
- Natural disaster: Aleutian Islands Earthquake/Tsunami
- Date: April 1, 1946
- Fatalities: 159
- Other event considered: Hurricane Iniki – 1992
12. Idaho
- Natural disaster: The Big Burn of 1910
- Date: Aug. 20-21, 1910
- Fatalities: 87
- Other event considered: Borah Earthquake – 1983
13. Illinois
- Natural disaster: Chicago Heat Wave
- Date: July 13-15, 1995
- Fatalities: 750
- Other event considered: Tri-State Tornadoes – 1925
14. Indiana
- Natural disaster: The Great Flood of 1913
- Date: March 1913
- Fatalities: 100
- Other event considered: Tri-State Tornadoes – 1925
15. Iowa
- Natural disaster: The Armistice Day Blizzard
- Date: Nov. 11, 1940
- Fatalities: 154
- Other event considered: Great Flood – 1993
16. Kansas
- Natural disaster: Great Plains Tornado Outbreak
- Date: May 25-26, 1955
- Fatalities: 80
- Other event considered: Great Flood – 1951
17. Kentucky
- Natural disaster: Louisville Cyclone
- Date: March 27, 1890
- Fatalities: 100
- Other event considered: Ice and snow storm – 2009
18. Louisiana
- Natural disaster: Hurricane Katrina
- Date: Aug. 23-31, 2005
- Fatalities: 1,577
- Other event considered: Cheniere Caminada Hurricane – 1893
19. Maine
- Natural disaster: Ice Storm of ’98
- Date: Jan. 4, 1998
- Fatalities: 8
- Other event considered: Great Flood – 1987
20. Maryland
- Natural disaster: Pan American jet hit by lightning
- Date: Dec. 8, 1963
- Fatalities: 81
- Other event considered: Rainstorm and flood – 1971
21. Massachusetts
- Natural disaster: Worcester Tornado
- Date: June 9, 1953
- Fatalities: 90
- Other event considered: Great New England Hurricane – 1938
22. Michigan
- Natural disaster: Great Michigan Fire
- Date: Sept. 5, 1881
- Fatalities: 282
- Other event considered: Flint tornadoes – 1953
23. Minnesota
- Natural disaster: Cloquet Fire
- Date: Oct. 12, 1918
- Fatalities: 450
- Other event considered: Twin Cities Tornadoes – 1965
24. Mississippi
- Natural disaster: Hurricane Katrina
- Date: Aug. 23-31, 2005
- Fatalities: 238
- Other event considered: Mississippi River Flood – 1927
25. Missouri
- Natural disaster: Joplin Tornado
- Date: May 22, 2011
- Fatalities: 158
- Other event considered: Great Flood – 1951
26. Montana
- Natural disaster: The Big Burn of 1910
- Date: Aug. 20-21, 1910
- Fatalities: 87
- Other event considered: Flood – 1964
27. Nebraska
- Natural disaster: Schoolhouse Blizzard
- Date: Jan. 12, 1888
- Fatalities: 100
- Other event considered: Blizzard – 1949
28. Nevada
- Natural disaster: Heatwave
- Date: July 14-23, 2005
- Fatalities: 17
- Other event considered: Flash flood – 1974
29. New Hampshire
- Natural disaster: Great New England Hurricane
- Date: Sept. 21, 1938
- Fatalities: 13
- Other event considered: Heatwave – 1911
30. New Jersey
- Natural disaster: Superstorm Sandy
- Date: Oct. 29, 2012
- Fatalities: 43
- Other event considered: Hurricane Connie – 1955
31. New Mexico
- Natural disaster: Blizzard
- Date: Dec. 14, 1967
- Fatalities: 51
- Other event considered: Cero Grande Fire – 2000
32. New York
- Natural disaster: Great Blizzard of 1888
- Date: March 12-14, 1888
- Fatalities: 200
- Other event considered: Superstorm Sandy – 2012
33. North Carolina
- Natural disaster: Hurricane Floyd
- Date: Sept. 16, 1999
- Fatalities: 26
- Other event considered: Hurricane Hazel – 1954
34. North Dakota
- Natural disaster: Schoolhouse Blizzard
- Date: Jan. 12, 1888
- Fatalities: 235
- Other event considered: Red River Flood – 1997
35. Ohio
- Natural disaster: Great Ohio Flood
- Date: March 23-27, 1913
- Fatalities: 467
- Other event considered: Ohio River Flood – 1937
36. Oklahoma
- Natural disaster: Glazier-Higgins-Woodward tornadoes
- Date: April 9, 1947
- Fatalities: 113
- Other event considered: Tornado outbreak – 1999
37. Oregon
- Natural disaster: Heppner Flash Flood
- Date: June 2, 1903
- Fatalities: 247
- Other event considered: Vanport Flood – 1948
38. Pennsylvania
- Natural disaster: Johnstown Flood
- Date: May 31, 1889
- Fatalities: 2,209
- Other event considered: Flood – 1996
39. Rhode Island
- Natural disaster: Great New England Hurricane
- Date: Sept. 21, 1938
- Fatalities: 100
- Other event considered: Great Gale – 1815
40. South Carolina
- Natural disaster: Sea Islands Hurricane
- Date: Aug. 15, 1893
- Fatalities: 2,000+
- Other event considered: Charleston Earthquake – 1886
41. South Dakota
- Natural disaster: Black Hills Flood
- Date: June 9-10, 1972
- Fatalities: 238
- Other event considered: Schoolhouse Blizzard – 1888
42. Tennessee
- Natural disaster: Southern United States Tornado Outbreak
- Date: March 21-22, 1952
- Fatalities: 67
- Other event considered: Nashville Tornado – 1933
43. Texas
- Natural disaster: Galveston Hurricane
- Date: Sept. 8, 1900
- Fatalities: 8,000
- Other event considered: Brazos River Flood – 1899
44. Utah
- Natural disaster: Bingham Canyon Avalanche
- Date: Feb. 17, 1926
- Fatalities: 36
- Other event considered: Flash flood – 2015
45. Vermont
- Natural disaster: Great Vermont Flood
- Date: Nov. 2-4, 1927
- Fatalities: 84
- Other event considered: Great New England Hurricane – 1938
46. Virginia
- Natural disaster: Hurricane Camille
- Date: Aug. 19, 1969
- Fatalities: 153
- Other event considered: Hurricane Isabel – 2003
47. Washington
- Natural disaster: Wellington Avalanche
- Date: March 1, 1910
- Fatalities: 96
- Other event considered: Mount St. Helens Eruption – 1980
48. West Virginia
- Natural disaster: Great Appalachian Storm
- Date: Nov. 24-30, 1950
- Fatalities: 160
- Other event considered: Tornado outbreak – 1944
49. Wisconsin
- Natural disaster: Peshtigo Fire
- Date: Oct. 8, 1871
- Fatalities: 1,500-2,500
- Other event considered: Barneveld tornadoes – 1984
50. Wyoming
- Natural disaster: Blackwater Fire
- Date: Aug. 18, 1937
- Fatalities: 15
- Other event considered: Gros Ventre landslide – 1925
Methodology
24/7 Wall St. reviewed natural disasters in each state and determined the worst event by the number of fatalities. For this list, we considered disasters caused by a naturally occurring event — tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, floods, ice storms, heat waves, avalanches, and volcanic eruptions.
We used government sources such as the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United States Geological Survey as well as media reports about these events to create the list every U.S. state’s worst natural disaster.
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