2023 Year in Severe Weather
Annual U.S. Storm Report Summary • Published April 10, 2026
Year at a Glance
137,860
Storm Reports
-7.8% vs 2022
12,263
Hail Reports
Largest: 5.5"
52,823
Winter Weather Reports
6,765
Flood / Flash Flood Reports
319,335
NWS Alerts Issued
6,161 Tornado Warnings
2023 Highlights:
Snow was the most-reported event with 47,284 reports.
March was the busiest month (20,844 reports).
Colorado led all states with 11,611 reports.
The largest hail recorded measured 5.5 inches in diameter.
Storm Reports by Event Type
| # | Event Type | Reports | % of Total |
|---|
| 1 |
Snow |
47,284 |
34.3% |
| 2 |
Tstm Wnd Dmg |
15,700 |
11.4% |
| 3 |
Rain |
15,235 |
11.1% |
| 4 |
Non-Tstm Wnd Gst |
14,626 |
10.6% |
| 5 |
Hail |
12,263 |
8.9% |
| 6 |
Tstm Wnd Gst |
8,066 |
5.9% |
| 7 |
Heavy Rain |
4,357 |
3.2% |
| 8 |
Heavy Snow |
3,766 |
2.7% |
| 9 |
Flash Flood |
3,324 |
2.4% |
| 10 |
Flood |
3,102 |
2.3% |
| 11 |
Non-Tstm Wnd Dmg |
2,490 |
1.8% |
| 12 |
Tornado |
1,351 |
1.0% |
Tornado Activity
IL
Most Active State
133 reports
Jun
Peak Month
241 reports
Top States
| # | State | Reports |
|---|
| 1 | IL | 133 |
| 2 | AL | 119 |
| 3 | CO | 104 |
| 4 | TX | 78 |
| 5 | NE | 71 |
| 6 | MS | 70 |
| 7 | TN | 64 |
| 8 | OH | 55 |
| 9 | IA | 53 |
| 10 | IN | 51 |
Data note: Tornado EF/F intensity ratings are not consistently recorded in storm reports. Counts above represent confirmed tornado reports; intensity data is omitted due to incomplete coverage.
Hail Activity
1,247
Significant (≥ 2.0")
Baseball size and larger
Top States
| # | State | Reports |
|---|
| 1 | TX | 1,419 |
| 2 | KS | 887 |
| 3 | CO | 840 |
| 4 | MO | 798 |
| 5 | NE | 756 |
| 6 | IL | 737 |
| 7 | IA | 556 |
| 8 | WI | 382 |
| 9 | AL | 357 |
| 10 | MN | 354 |
Wind Events
41,184
Wind Reports
Damaging & measured gusts
154 mph
Strongest Gust Reported
918
Reports ≥ 75 mph
Hurricane-force threshold
By Wind Type
| Type | Reports |
|---|
| Tstm Wnd Dmg | 15,700 |
| Non-Tstm Wnd Gst | 14,626 |
| Tstm Wnd Gst | 8,066 |
| Non-Tstm Wnd Dmg | 2,490 |
| High Sust Winds | 302 |
Top States
| # | State | Reports |
|---|
| 1 | CA | 2,433 |
| 2 | UT | 2,118 |
| 3 | TX | 1,911 |
| 4 | FL | 1,792 |
| 5 | AL | 1,622 |
| 6 | ID | 1,615 |
| 7 | WY | 1,541 |
| 8 | CO | 1,434 |
| 9 | KS | 1,404 |
| 10 | GA | 1,379 |
Winter Weather
52,823
Total Winter Weather Reports
51,050
Snow Reports
Including heavy snow events
By Event Type
| Event | Reports |
|---|
| Snow | 47,284 |
| Heavy Snow | 3,766 |
| Freezing Rain | 1,280 |
| Sleet | 220 |
| Blizzard | 180 |
| Ice Storm | 93 |
Top States
| # | State | Reports |
|---|
| 1 | CO | 8,413 |
| 2 | MN | 4,330 |
| 3 | WY | 3,349 |
| 4 | WI | 3,259 |
| 5 | MI | 2,332 |
| 6 | NM | 2,080 |
| 7 | UT | 2,018 |
| 8 | NY | 1,986 |
Flood & Flash Flood Reports
6,765
Flood Reports (all types)
By Event Type
| Event | Reports |
|---|
| Flash Flood | 3,324 |
| Flood | 3,102 |
| Coastal Flood | 339 |
Geographic Distribution — Top States
| # | State | Storm Reports | % of Total |
|---|
| 1 |
CO |
11,611 |
8.4% |
| 2 |
MN |
6,149 |
4.5% |
| 3 |
CA |
6,092 |
4.4% |
| 4 |
WY |
5,829 |
4.2% |
| 5 |
MI |
5,793 |
4.2% |
| 6 |
SD |
5,377 |
3.9% |
| 7 |
IL |
5,163 |
3.7% |
| 8 |
KS |
5,147 |
3.7% |
| 9 |
WI |
5,041 |
3.7% |
| 10 |
UT |
4,638 |
3.4% |
| 11 |
TX |
4,310 |
3.1% |
| 12 |
NY |
4,171 |
3.0% |
| 13 |
MT |
3,831 |
2.8% |
| 14 |
ID |
3,647 |
2.6% |
| 15 |
NE |
3,628 |
2.6% |
| 16 |
PA |
3,501 |
2.5% |
| 17 |
NM |
3,194 |
2.3% |
| 18 |
FL |
3,039 |
2.2% |
| 19 |
ME |
2,966 |
2.2% |
| 20 |
IA |
2,816 |
2.0% |
Monthly Storm Report Activity
| Month |
2023 Reports |
2022 Reports |
Change |
| Jan |
18,998 |
20,046 |
-5%
|
| Feb |
15,466 |
18,517 |
-16%
|
| Mar |
20,844 |
15,835 |
+32%
|
| Apr |
11,606 |
13,667 |
-15%
|
| May |
6,253 |
11,279 |
-45%
|
| Jun |
11,785 |
10,290 |
+15%
|
| Jul |
14,016 |
10,078 |
+39%
|
| Aug |
10,652 |
7,602 |
+40%
|
| Sep |
6,343 |
4,173 |
+52%
|
| Oct |
5,286 |
4,008 |
+32%
|
| Nov |
5,331 |
12,522 |
-57%
|
| Dec |
11,280 |
21,512 |
-48%
|
NWS Weather Alert Activity
319,335 NWS weather alerts were issued across the United States in 2023,
including 6,161 Tornado Warnings and
58,291 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings.
Top Alert Types
| # | Alert | Count |
|---|
| 1 | Special Weather Statement | 62,315 |
| 2 | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 58,291 |
| 3 | Flood Warning | 29,995 |
| 4 | Winter Weather Advisory | 22,869 |
| 5 | Flood Advisory | 15,980 |
| 6 | Wind Advisory | 11,945 |
| 7 | Winter Storm Warning | 10,718 |
| 8 | Heat Advisory | 10,467 |
| 9 | Flash Flood Warning | 7,758 |
| 10 | Tornado Warning | 6,161 |
| 11 | Dense Fog Advisory | 5,757 |
| 12 | Excessive Heat Warning | 5,677 |
| 13 | Rip Current Statement | 5,283 |
| 14 | Flood Watch | 5,020 |
| 15 | Coastal Flood Advisory | 4,925 |
Alerts by Severity
Monthly Alert Issuance
About This Report
This report summarizes storm spotter reports and NWS weather alerts collected by iAlert for calendar year 2023.
Storm report data is sourced from National Weather Service Local Storm Reports (LSRs) ingested by the iAlert weather monitoring system.
Alert data represents official NWS alerts issued via the NOAA Weather Wire and CAP alert feed.
Data coverage: Contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories.
Data represents events reported through NWS field offices; actual occurrence may be higher in areas with limited spotter coverage.
Individual storm events may generate multiple LSR entries from different reporting sources, which are counted separately as received from NWS.
Wind gust values reflect reported maximum gusts; entries over 200 mph are excluded as data entry errors.
Hail sizes reflect maximum diameter as reported by spotters and NWS personnel.
