States with the most severe summer weather
With summer weather comes the sun, more daylight, and rumbling midday thunderstorms, but occasionally, the scales tip toward the extreme.
As climate change warms the planet, the dog days of summer increasingly bring extreme weather conditions. Climate change exacerbates weirder-than-normal weather, interfering with ocean currents, lending extra heat to tornadoes, extending droughts, and intensifying floods.
The meteorological summer of 2023 ranked as the hottest ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere, and as summer kicks off in 2024, experts are predicting yet another record-breaking scorcher ahead. To add to our summer woes, a March 2024 study from Science Advances found that heat waves are now moving more slowly and happening much more often compared to 40 years ago. These temperature spikes have increased significantly across North America in particular.
Severe summer weather will affect us all, but certain parts of the United States typically bear the brunt of these changes. Miami's summer heat and humidity are particularly intense: The city ranks among the top 10 cities most likely to be hit by a tropical storm or a hurricane. Meteorologists also recommend avoiding New Orleans; Dallas; Mobile, Alabama; and Corpus Christi, Texas, during the summer months.
Stacker ranked each state—in addition to the District of Columbia—by the total property damage due to summer weather occurrences from 2013 to 2022, using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Events Database. A weather event was classified as having occurred in the summer if it happened in June, July, or August.
Read on to find out which states are right in the eye of the storm.
#51. Delaware
- Annual average property damage: $70,204
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $6,893.6
- Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($39,200 in annual damage)
#50. Oregon
- Annual average property damage: $371,150
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $8,753.3
- Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($230,000 in annual damage)
#49. Rhode Island
- Annual average property damage: $289,200
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $26,441.5
- Most damaging disaster type: Tropical storms ($185,210 in annual damage)
#48. Alabama
- Annual average property damage: $1.4 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $27,048.9
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($420,500 in annual damage)
#47. Washington DC
- Annual average property damage: $191,250
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $28,468.2
- Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($101,250 in annual damage)
#46. South Carolina
- Annual average property damage: $2.1 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $40,252.0
- Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($708,187 in annual damage)
#45. New Jersey
- Annual average property damage: $4.5 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $49,080.3
- Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($3.5 million in annual damage)
#44. Georgia
- Annual average property damage: $6.1 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $55,683.0
- Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($2.7 million in annual damage)
#43. Maine
- Annual average property damage: $775,300
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $55,964.6
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($421,400 in annual damage)
#42. Florida
- Annual average property damage: $13.3 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $59,718.6
- Most damaging disaster type: Floods ($8.8 million in annual damage)
#41. Hawaii
- Annual average property damage: $874,600
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $60,727.8
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($860,000 in annual damage)
#40. Maryland
- Annual average property damage: $5.1 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $83,333.1
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($2.9 million in annual damage)
#39. Pennsylvania
- Annual average property damage: $12 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $92,460.0
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($5.4 million in annual damage)
#38. Massachusetts
- Annual average property damage: $6.7 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $96,208.8
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.2 million in annual damage)
#37. New York
- Annual average property damage: $25.3 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $128,352.4
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($15.8 million in annual damage)
#36. Kentucky
- Annual average property damage: $6 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $132,199.7
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.1 million in annual damage)
#35. Indiana
- Annual average property damage: $9.7 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $141,505.3
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($6.8 million in annual damage)
#34. Arkansas
- Annual average property damage: $4.6 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $152,112.0
- Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($1.8 million in annual damage)
#33. Virginia
- Annual average property damage: $14.2 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $164,081.9
- Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($7.6 million in annual damage)
#32. Connecticut
- Annual average property damage: $6.9 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $190,426.6
- Most damaging disaster type: Tropical storms ($5.4 million in annual damage)
#31. Idaho
- Annual average property damage: $3.8 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $197,785.7
- Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($2.1 million in annual damage)
#30. Ohio
- Annual average property damage: $23.4 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $199,169.4
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($11.7 million in annual damage)
#29. Oklahoma
- Annual average property damage: $8.1 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $201,365.0
- Most damaging disaster type: Tornados ($5.1 million in annual damage)
#28. Montana
- Annual average property damage: $2.3 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $205,161.9
- Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($990,770 in annual damage)
#27. Kansas
- Annual average property damage: $6.2 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $211,971.5
- Most damaging disaster type: Tornados ($2.9 million in annual damage)
#26. Mississippi
- Annual average property damage: $7.1 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $241,593.8
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.2 million in annual damage)
#25. New Hampshire
- Annual average property damage: $3.4 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $242,909.6
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.3 million in annual damage)
#24. Nevada
- Annual average property damage: $7.8 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $246,272.5
- Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($5 million in annual damage)
#23. Arizona
- Annual average property damage: $18.4 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $249,683.1
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($11 million in annual damage)
#22. Minnesota
- Annual average property damage: $16.7 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $291,812.0
- Most damaging disaster type: Floods ($4.5 million in annual damage)
#21. North Carolina
- Annual average property damage: $31.3 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $292,280.7
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($23.5 million in annual damage)
#20. Illinois
- Annual average property damage: $38.7 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $307,761.7
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($25.6 million in annual damage)
#19. New Mexico
- Annual average property damage: $6.6 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $310,509.1
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.5 million in annual damage)
#18. Utah
- Annual average property damage: $11.7 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $345,543.5
- Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($6.2 million in annual damage)
#17. Tennessee
- Annual average property damage: $25.6 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $362,508.4
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($24 million in annual damage)
#16. Missouri
- Annual average property damage: $22.6 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $365,684.4
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($19.6 million in annual damage)
#15. Alaska
- Annual average property damage: $2.9 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $392,017.5
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($1.6 million in annual damage)
#14. California
- Annual average property damage: $184.4 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $472,492.5
- Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($164.5 million in annual damage)
#13. Vermont
- Annual average property damage: $3.1 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $479,434.8
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($2.2 million in annual damage)
#12. Washington
- Annual average property damage: $43.7 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $561,205.0
- Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($41.8 million in annual damage)
#11. Wisconsin
- Annual average property damage: $42.9 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $727,551.5
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($14.5 million in annual damage)
#10. Wyoming
- Annual average property damage: $4.7 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $801,438.0
- Most damaging disaster type: Floods ($2.7 million in annual damage)
#9. West Virginia
- Annual average property damage: $21.7 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,223,132.8
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($11.6 million in annual damage)
#8. South Dakota
- Annual average property damage: $11.2 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,233,768.3
- Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($7.3 million in annual damage)
#7. Iowa
- Annual average property damage: $49.5 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,546,090.2
- Most damaging disaster type: Tornados ($33.8 million in annual damage)
#6. Nebraska
- Annual average property damage: $32.2 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,636,407.8
- Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($12.7 million in annual damage)
#5. Colorado
- Annual average property damage: $113.3 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,940,924.7
- Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($61.8 million in annual damage)
#4. North Dakota
- Annual average property damage: $15.4 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,976,917.9
- Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($8.7 million in annual damage)
#3. Michigan
- Annual average property damage: $246.1 million
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $2,452,509.6
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($218.3 million in annual damage)
#2. Texas
- Annual average property damage: $5.6 billion
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $18,564,520.8
- Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($4.5 billion in annual damage)
#1. Louisiana
- Annual average property damage: $3.2 billion
- Annual property damage per 100K people: $69,646,412.5
- Most damaging disaster type: Hurricanes ($1.9 billion in annual damage)
Data reporting by Emma Rubin. Story editing by Brian Budzynski. Copy editing by Paris Close.
